Paul Herman on thu 28 oct 04
Hello Kim,
A bunch of potter and artist friends were here at my place last night,
and we were firing the wood kiln. I didn't know about the impending
eclipse until late afternoon, when someone mentioned it. The moon was
stunning, already starting to eclipse as it rose from behind Seven Lakes
Mountain. A delightful surprise for the finish of a three day firing.
As we finished, salted the upper chamber, and did the final stokes, the
eclipse ended, right on the minute of the last stoke. Great timing, and
a smooth and easy firing of the big kiln. The image of the flame coming
from the chimney, with the eclipse behind it, is one that I won't soon
forget.
This was firing number ten, and the easiest one yet. I give the credit
to the great bunch of people who gather to fire this kiln. I can't
imagine doing it without their help and companionship (with heavy
emphasis on the latter). To those of you who heap scorn on "communal"
firings, you have my puzzled sympathy.
It didn't make me think of shino, but maybe that's because we were
concentrating on salt glaze at the time. It was a fantastic and lovely
night.
good firings,
Paul Herman
Taking a day of rest at 40 degrees North, 120 degrees West, 1500 degrees
in the cooling kiln.
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
http://www.greatbasinpottery.com/
> How many others out there were watching the lunar eclipse last night and
> thinking dry carbon trap shino? I KNOW I'm not the only one.
>
>
>
>
> Kim Overall
> Overall Studio
> Webdesigner for and Member of Houston Potters Guild
> www.houstonpotters.com
>
Craig Edwards on fri 29 oct 04
Hello Paul: It sounds like you had a great firing. I'd be interested in
seeing what sort of cosmic things a lunar eclipse would do to a firing
>This was firing number ten, and the easiest one yet. I give the credit
>to the great bunch of people who gather to fire this kiln. I can't
>imagine doing it without their help and companionship (with heavy
>emphasis on the latter). To those of you who heap scorn on "communal"
>firings, you have my puzzled sympathy.
>
I have to agree with you that firing a kiln with a group of dedicated
potters is an incredibly rewarding experience. I can remember firing
with Lee Love and Svend Bayer watching an amazing display of the
northern lights. Great time! A wonderful shared experience.
However I can sympathize with woodfirers that fire alone. First and
foremost is the dialog with the kiln.You don't have to tell anyone that
you are firing. It's just you and the kiln. When you have a crew, the
word is out. There are those that "show up" at firings that are there
for the spectacle of fire, they don't have a clue and can be
distractions. Those that equate firing with a party. You know the ones.
The bar just closed and you're the only entertainment around. We have
learned how to very gently tell them that firing takes concentration and
give the kiln and those attending it a little respect. I rarely have
that problem anymore.
The second issue with communal firing is finding a group of people that
know what the hell they are doing. I think that you will agree Paul,
that one of the reasons that firing number 10 was so smooth and
rewarding was that there were probably many people there that were
seasoned veterans from previous firings that could step up and do the
right thing at the right time. Very frustrating if they are not there,
very rewarding if they are there. It takes time for everybody to learn.
These are small issues in the scheme of things.
The feeling that you get after a successful firing with " the crew" is
euphoric to say the least. Were usually already talking about the next
firing.
I'm glad that your firing went well and that you had a really sweet
time of it!
Carbonifically yours,
~Craig
Paul Herman on sat 30 oct 04
Hello Craig,
You are absolutely right about the importance of getting a responsible
bunch together for a firing crew. It's taken a while (five years) to
build up our skills, so that we feel fairly confident that we can do it.
There have been tough firings, bad results, people eased out of the
group, fire calls, drunks, not enough sleep, etc. When I lit out on this
adventure I said, "Joe, we better get some good results by the tenth
firing." I didn't know what the hell was woodfiring. It's a steep
learning curve, and I have a lot further to go. Most of us were rank
beginners.
Actually, the fourth firing was encouraging enough, and #10 looks
interesting through the peephole with a flashlight. With this way of
firing, good results don't just happen, and some people jump to the
conclusion that it's "bad". It shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, nor
should any other way. I hope to build a couple of smaller woodburners in
the future, got plenty of brick to play with. I'm intrigued by the
thought of a small kiln that could be fired in a day burning the local
Big Sagebrush.
Thanks for your thoughts, and Bon Feu,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
http://www.greatbasinpottery.com/
----------
>From: Craig Edwards
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: Lunar eclipse 10-27-04 & woodfiring
>Date: Fri, Oct 29, 2004, 6:39 AM
>
> The second issue with communal firing is finding a group of people that
> know what the hell they are doing. I think that you will agree Paul,
> that one of the reasons that firing number 10 was so smooth and
> rewarding was that there were probably many people there that were
> seasoned veterans from previous firings that could step up and do the
> right thing at the right time. Very frustrating if they are not there,
> very rewarding if they are there. It takes time for everybody to learn.
> These are small issues in the scheme of things.
> The feeling that you get after a successful firing with " the crew" is
> euphoric to say the least. Were usually already talking about the next
> firing.
> I'm glad that your firing went well and that you had a really sweet
> time of it!
> Carbonifically yours,
> ~Craig
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