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The adventures of Lori Buff, a studio potter and teacher, as she makes ceramic art and enjoys life with friends, family and some dogs. Travel and other interesting stuff is also discussed.
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Anagama Kiln Firing at Hambidge
This past weekend I had the pleasure of being a part of firing the anagama kiln at Hambidge Center in North Georgia. This firing was organized by Tom Egan and Rick Berman. I had a great time meeting new people and listening to stories about pottery and life, we had a pot luck on Saturday night that was full of delicious food and I learned a lot.
You may remember that I did a wood firing at Shorter College in the spring, this one was done a little differently. I'm not about to say one way was better than the other, they were just different so I expect some of the results to be a little different too. We won't know until next Saturday so you'll have to check back here.
One of the differences was due to the kiln construction. Ben Owen build this kiln in 1990 with a grate in the floor of the kiln entrance where the wood is burned. Some of the wood ash can fall through this grate and be raked out to permit air to be brought in under the fire. Tom also used this as a way to get the kiln to pull in embers that would turn to ash and glaze the pots. When the firing was finished and it was time to brick up the front of the kiln the ash that was in this area could be raked out and blocked off to help limit the amount of ash that is on the pots as they are cooling. I'm hoping that this means less cleaning after the firing. I wasn't at Shorter to see how Ian closed up that kiln but now I'm really sorry I missed it.
I'm really enjoying being involved in these wood firings, it was a lot of fun helping Tom load the kiln and it's really exciting to fire. But one of the best parts was getting to know new people who I hope to see again at more of these firings. Also, I have to mention what a magical and peaceful place Hambidge is, it seems like it would be a fantastic experience to stay there and work for a few weeks.
Here's a short video of some of the firing, I hope you enjoy it.
Other Stuff:
Kiln Design and Atmosphere
Construction of an Anagama Kiln
Anagama West - Very informative site about anagama firings
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
You may remember that I did a wood firing at Shorter College in the spring, this one was done a little differently. I'm not about to say one way was better than the other, they were just different so I expect some of the results to be a little different too. We won't know until next Saturday so you'll have to check back here.
One of the differences was due to the kiln construction. Ben Owen build this kiln in 1990 with a grate in the floor of the kiln entrance where the wood is burned. Some of the wood ash can fall through this grate and be raked out to permit air to be brought in under the fire. Tom also used this as a way to get the kiln to pull in embers that would turn to ash and glaze the pots. When the firing was finished and it was time to brick up the front of the kiln the ash that was in this area could be raked out and blocked off to help limit the amount of ash that is on the pots as they are cooling. I'm hoping that this means less cleaning after the firing. I wasn't at Shorter to see how Ian closed up that kiln but now I'm really sorry I missed it.
I'm really enjoying being involved in these wood firings, it was a lot of fun helping Tom load the kiln and it's really exciting to fire. But one of the best parts was getting to know new people who I hope to see again at more of these firings. Also, I have to mention what a magical and peaceful place Hambidge is, it seems like it would be a fantastic experience to stay there and work for a few weeks.
Here's a short video of some of the firing, I hope you enjoy it.
Other Stuff:
Kiln Design and Atmosphere
Construction of an Anagama Kiln
Anagama West - Very informative site about anagama firings
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery
Comments
Wow, wood firings are exciting, I hope to bbe in one one of these days.
ReplyDeleteOh Linda, they are so much fun, you would love it.
ReplyDelete