Prepping the soda kiln

Here are the results of my lackadaisical approach to the wood kiln, not bad. For those of you in the 'know' the outsides of these pots were sprayed with a Bauer flashing slip with the addition of 25% Mason Stain. I am treating these as maquettes. How big, you might be thinking......well take a close look at my soda kiln.

I spent a good part of my day preparing the soda kiln for another voyage. Last year I had an awesome intern who was kind enough to do all this dirty work. This year I had the help of studio elves, aka friends of clay who are as determined as I am to see pots come out of this kiln! 

This is my 20 cubic foot cross draft kiln, it was designed by Vince Pitelka of the Appalachian Center for Craft. For those considering exploring the realm of ∆10 soda or salt firing this is a great starter kiln and Vince will send you a great set of plans if you merely ask.

Now this is what a truly dedicated friend of clay might look like. Not only dedicated to seeing the kiln getting prepped and readied to be fired but also a big reason why this kiln even got put together. Some folks have tireless energy to bring to these types of endeavors and for that I am very grateful.

For those of you who might have spent time wielding an angle grinder this picture might make you cringe. For the rest of you, there is still time. 

The white pads on the shelves and bricks is called wadding and is a mixture of clays, sawdust, and alumina hydrate. It is designed to not stick to the surface of whatever it is on. It does work, although from the photo and the recount of many a potter with hammer and chisel in hand that 'stick' is a relative term.

By the way rock dust has this smell that is very hard to describe.....let's just say you will never forget it. What we are mainly trying to remove from these silicon carbide shelves is the accumulation of soda which has turned into silica and yes, I wear a mask.

Now this makes me feel much better. Next step is getting the propane tank refilled as it is down to 30% and I never like feeling rushed when firing the kiln. I can only hope that the cost of propane has dropped to a low enough level to not break the bank. 

By the way we are currently accepting donations for all things studio related, including the occasional six pack of fine IPA.