Kiln Loading In The Cold
Potters who fire wood kilns, especially in warmer areas of the world, try to fire when the weather is cooler. Fall and Spring are the favorite times of year for most of the wood firing potters I know. It’s awfully nice to gather around a hot kiln on a cool evening tossing around wood and stories. So often someone brings a guitar or ukulele, for even more entertainment. It’s sort of like camping. Of course this sometimes means that we are loading in cool or cold temperatures also.
Yesterday I went down to Roger Jamison’s to bring some pots and help finish loading the kiln. When I left Atlanta it was pouring rain but as I drove south it got lighter and finally stopped entirely. That made me feel good. Even though the kiln area is covered it would not be fun to be getting stormed on while loading. As I was driving my phone sent me an alert that was long enough and strong enough to make me look at the phone. I saw a tornado warning and advice that I seek shelter immediately! I was in the middle of nowhere Georgia, it was going to take time to get to an exit to seek shelter. So I kept my eye on the sky as well as the traffic and looked for a place to hunker down for a few minutes.
Thankfully, nothing seemed to develop and I made it to Roger’s with no issues. We even commented on how “balmy” it felt out on the kiln pad. Of course the tornato warning was because a cold front was hitting that balmy weather and we were putting our sweatshirts and wool hats on after a while.
The good news is that we got the kiln loaded and will start firing it really soon. The down side is that it will be unloaded on November 30th which is the last day of my Open Studio and Sale so I won’t be able to help or see the pots until after. Luckily, I have several other shows after the studio sale so I can still get the good pots on display.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
Yesterday I went down to Roger Jamison’s to bring some pots and help finish loading the kiln. When I left Atlanta it was pouring rain but as I drove south it got lighter and finally stopped entirely. That made me feel good. Even though the kiln area is covered it would not be fun to be getting stormed on while loading. As I was driving my phone sent me an alert that was long enough and strong enough to make me look at the phone. I saw a tornado warning and advice that I seek shelter immediately! I was in the middle of nowhere Georgia, it was going to take time to get to an exit to seek shelter. So I kept my eye on the sky as well as the traffic and looked for a place to hunker down for a few minutes.
Thankfully, nothing seemed to develop and I made it to Roger’s with no issues. We even commented on how “balmy” it felt out on the kiln pad. Of course the tornato warning was because a cold front was hitting that balmy weather and we were putting our sweatshirts and wool hats on after a while.
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| Pots in the Wood Kiln |
The good news is that we got the kiln loaded and will start firing it really soon. The down side is that it will be unloaded on November 30th which is the last day of my Open Studio and Sale so I won’t be able to help or see the pots until after. Luckily, I have several other shows after the studio sale so I can still get the good pots on display.
Check out the gallery page - Future Relics Gallery by Lori Buff
today is definitely a stay inside day, the pot on the upper shelf in the middle looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat is an interesting piece, I'm interested in seeing it too.
DeleteWhoa, a wood fire and big storm wouldn't be a good combo...
ReplyDeleteIt's alway interesting how the air pressure effects a wood firing Gary, of course we also have to think about the people sticking that fire.
DeleteIt was a bit unnerving Cheri, thankfully it was okay
ReplyDelete