Sheryl Leigh Posted October 29, 2017 Report Share Posted October 29, 2017 If this is the wrong place to ask, my apologies. I'm not sure which forum I would use to find people who are also doing wood firing. ??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergusonjeff Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 Here is fine. Not much discussion on wood firing on this site, but I look forward to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 Hi. Another wood firer here. Been woodfiring since 1969. Literally finished leading/teaching the firing of my college's anagama last night at about 10 PM (12 hours sleep in the last 4 days, not counting 8 hours last night). I have a 40 year old noborigama here at my studio. Like fergusonejeff above says... not a lot of other woodfirers here (that are active in any discussions). best, ...............................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 30, 2017 Report Share Posted October 30, 2017 I used to wood fire a lot, but it's been a long time. I think part of the reason we don't get as many questions about wood firing is because there are far fewer glaze questions, since most don't use a lot of glazes, and there are fewer kiln repair questions because most wood firers build their own kilns. Also, it's tough to give advice about specific firing questions since each kiln is so unique. That said, we would be happy to do our best to answer any questions you may have. There are a few people here who currently wood fire or have experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biglou13 Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 I love wood fire!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curt Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 Yep, wood firer here, in season anyway... and it’s good that you asked because I also have some questions that I would like to post in due course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 7 hours ago, Biglou13 said: I love wood fire!!!! holy smokes. I thought you had disappeared! good to see your name back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 17 hours ago, neilestrick said: Also, it's tough to give advice about specific firing questions since each kiln is so unique. Important point, Neal. Thanks. This is a HUGE point I make when teaching workshops and classes on woodfiring! Currently, here in the US, when someone says "woodfire" the minds of most involved immediately go to anagama style tube type kilns, to heavy natural ash deposit works, and works that are clearly influenced by a kinship with Japanese aesthetic sensibilities. "Woodfire" encompasses a HUGE possible range of kiln types and fired work results. Heck.... everything was "woodfired (or at least solid fuel fired - like brush and weeds-) at one point in time. Earthenwares, maijolica, glazed fine porcelain, overglazes, Persian lusteware, ....the list is literally everyhting made with clay. Kilns were designed, refined, and used to produce the types of wares that the local potters made. Example: The "Fast Freddie" (Olsen Fast Fire) wood kiln was designed during the long ago first big "energy crisis". It was not "about" lots of impact on the wares from wood ash and the volatiles in the wood ash. It was about wood as an inexpensive and renewable heat energy source. It was intended to fire quickly on minimal wood consumption. Any ash impacts, that are light in that particular design, was an incidental benefit. best, ...........................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 All I know is that from the ash on the clay, to the smoke in the air, to the soup for the overnight stokers, my limited exposure to a single wood firing has been quite spirit-lifting! Programming an electric kiln , while super fun and can be nicely simple, just lacks a certain element of vigorous, yet zen-like, up close and personal interaction with all kinds of "atmospheric" presence and process. I know nothing about wood firing, and the various types of kilns and wares, that would be of any use to anyone but would love to eavesdrop on the conversations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted October 31, 2017 Report Share Posted October 31, 2017 A fire in general is zen like. I burn one a lot in the winter months in my fireplace. Nothing like wood crackling and the allure of the flame drawing your eyes in as you begin to get lost in its color and flicker. Of course it isn't Zen when you forget to open the damper. Woopsy. The fire alarms take away from the zen stuff. I imagine a lot of the zen of wood firing is seeing all that work then opening it to see completely new things each time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biglou13 Posted November 1, 2017 Report Share Posted November 1, 2017 I'd love to see pictures of your noborigama! Joseph F ......I've be lurking a bit .... now trying to get back to more clay! here is a wood fire kiln question... Is it possible to have to large or too tall a chimney, making kiln / flame movement too fast or too much draft? or too large exit flue/sutema (sp)? i've only fired a few different styles of wood fire kiln, the active damper (kiln shelf) was only open from less than inch to 2 at best and was drafting fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 2, 2017 Report Share Posted November 2, 2017 On 10/31/2017 at 8:26 PM, Biglou13 said: I'd love to see pictures of your noborigama! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted November 2, 2017 Report Share Posted November 2, 2017 I think we a re addicted to gathering or a t least Reading everything about pottery. I cook, heat home, and water using only wood as fuel, have pitfired and raku ed but never woodfired pots.weird. I'd love to do this, maybe next life.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 17 hours ago, Babs said: but never woodfired pots.weird. I'd love to do this, maybe next life.... Babs, don't procrastinate, do it!. I did, this summer, and can't wait to have another go next summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheryl Leigh Posted November 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Very strange, I didn't get any notifications on this post - I thought no one was interested! I was just involved in a rather large group firing of an anagama, and I have to echo LeeU's comments - next time I'll bring soup! The people who knew what they were doing tried an alternative stoking cycle that made the firing go *really* quick - now to see the results! <insert Sheryl impatiently tapping her fingers...> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Do you have notifications turned on? That seems strange. There likely is a rational cause... we just have to track it down. How much faster was the firing than normal? best, .........................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Haven't, but hope to some day! best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheryl Leigh Posted November 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 14 hours ago, JBaymore said: How much faster was the firing than normal? best, .........................john The previous owner liked really long firings to increase the ash deposits, that was about 10 days. These two usually fire for around 5. If you don't count Sunday for candling, we were done late in the third day to all apparent indicators - cone 10 was bent and 11 was starting in the back upper corner of the kiln. We used pine and oak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Generally speaking, on a given kiln, the amount of ash deposit is directly related to the amount of wood burned. So less days typically would result in less ash deposits (and coal buildup to give sangiri and youhen and koge effects). But there are ways to increase the pickup of ash on a given kiln like running the damper more open for a stronger draft impact, or shaking up the firebox coals often, that can alter this general equation. So there are no absolute answers without a LOT of information about how both firings proceeded. A guess...... lighter ash deposits, more "flashing", and less really "gnarly" crusty pieces. But that is totally a guess. best, ..................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheryl Leigh Posted November 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Indeed.... well, I'll try to post some of the results out of the fire box and beyond, should be interesting. They did take meticulous notes, so we should be able to get a good handle on why we got what we got. It's all very much a learning experience for me - I guess for everyone, lol.... Are you firing much, John? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 10 minutes ago, Sheryl Leigh said: Are you firing much, John? I am in charge of the firings of the college's anagama,... and we are firing at a rate of about 3 firings a year now. My own noborigama I am down to about 2 firings a year. When I was at my "peak" (much younger) I was firing about every 2 months. So ........... 5 firings a year now, give or take. Sometimes 6. I've ben wood firing since 1969. A lot of firings over the years! best, ..............john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fergusonjeff Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 Short firings are not necessarily a bad thing. You can still get nice flashing and just use sprinkled ash/feldspar mix on a dampened pot surface to create ash buildup similar to longer firings. Some university folks I fire with here like to use gas to get pretty high (university pays the gas bill but does not split the wood) before finishing with just 5-8 hours of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 The longest wood-firings I've done were about 20 hours long. This kiln was fired with pallet wood, which burns hot and fast, but doesn't produce much ash. We would use bagged bark mulch from the hardware store to create more ash. At certain times in the firings, we would pile mulch onto the planks before tossing them in the kiln. Bark ash is the best ash IMO. It melts into a clear green crackle glaze. Beautiful when it pools in the bottom of a cup or bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 30, 2017 Report Share Posted November 30, 2017 It all depends on the type of wood kiln. I once helped fire John Balistreri's anagama, which took 8 days. He could get it up to temp in less than a day, but we had to burn a lot of wood to get the ash buildup. In grad school I always fired a cross draft catenary, which took 12-14 hours and gave a lot of ash. It took about 8 hours to get to temp, then 3-4 hours to build up more ash. It was a much more efficient design than an anagama, though, in terms of burning the wood and delivering ash to the pots. Anagama pots don't look like cross draft pots, though. Each type of kiln delivers its own effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biglou13 Posted December 1, 2017 Report Share Posted December 1, 2017 two small burns on right forearm.... healing nicely..... battle scars/souvenirs i've participated with catenary, anagama, train, and manbigama wood firings... i love them all. have found kilns have different "personalities", they also respond to firing leader's emotions, good progress when well rested, up and down when nervous, up hill battle when tired...... it always interesting to participate , zen like, when firing team is tune with each other and the kiln Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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