John Butler - Woodfired Ceramics: firing of current kiln

current kiln			somerset kiln			wales kiln
building	packing/ unpacking	firing	building	packing/ unpacking	firing	building	packing/ unpacking	firing

firing the current kiln

the begining of the firing - small fires in each fire-mouth, outside the kiln to prevent the temperature rising too quickly and damaging the pots

the fire slowly works further inside until it is completely within the firebox. The lower fire-doors are closed apart from an airgap. All three of the front fire-doors are counter-weighted on pulleys, enabling them to stay put at any given height.

flames from the rear stoke hole, as a gloved hand feeds in more wood

Immediately after a stoke the kiln reduces

flames from the dual chimneys

yo preparing wood for side stoking (feeding thin pieces of wood into spaces between stacks of pots, to bring the back of the kiln up to temperature and increase flame effects)

speed cooking piza in the front fire-door

much later in the firing. The kiln is hot enough to cook pizzas in seconds in the top fire door

a pizza going into the oven on the back of the kiln. It did cook but very slowly...the oven needs some improvements

flames from the firebox during stoking
a hot moment. Flames pour from the side door of the firebox as I stoke (photo: Yo Thom)

flames curling out of a spyhole
flame curls out of a spy-hole towards the end of the firing

looking into the kiln at the end of a firing

Will Thom chopping wood to keep the rest of us going

the view from the top firedoor at the end of a firing, prior to filling the kiln with wood for reduction cooling

burning wood leans against large pots on the step at the back of the firebox

Anna and John Butler and Yo Thom piling wood in for reduction cooling (photo: Sophie Ariss)

Anna, Yo and John putting in the last pieces of wood of the firing (photo: Sophie Ariss)

the end of the firing, reduction cooling

at the end of the firing the kiln is over-filled with wood to achieve reduction cooling effects. This is the smokiest moment in the firing and only last this dramatically for a few minutes: shortly after the chimneys are both closed and then capped with a kiln shelf