Here is the firebox length wood...with a goat on top. I need to remember to shut the door behind me when I go to the barn. That shorter stack on the left is 1/2 - 3/4 length for stoking if the kiln is uneven. This wood goes into the kiln above the grates once it hits red heat...12-1300 degrees.
These short blocks are 10-15" and are split into smaller pieces while the kiln is firing. They are used for the beginning all the way up to about 1200 degrees and are stoked below the grates to keep the flame from touching the pieces before red heat. The first half of the firing is fairly boring when you are by yourself so I keep a stack of wood to chop to keep myself occupied. I have a chopped stack ready to go so that I don't ever get short on wood.
The kiln has been walking a bit...about 3/4" so far. I was able to put clamps on the kiln and move it back about 1/4". I've heard that sometimes these kilns walk out and then walk back in, but that doesn't seem to be happening here. The kiln isn't an arch all the way to the ground...the firebox is a vertical wall about 3' tall with the arch on top of that and no bracing, so I should probably fix that.
I haven't fired in about 6 months so I thought I would start a small fire to be safe in case there is any moisture. I took it up to 250 degrees in about an hour and then clammed it up when the temp started to fall. It should be just over 100 when I go out in the morning and then I'll let her rip.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Cheers!
6 comments:
Good Luck, Brandon.
I'm interested in the 1/2 and 3/4 length pieces. Do you stoke from the hot side when you use this shorter wood?
A few questions... About how many pots can you get in your kiln? And about how many cubic feet of stacking space do you have?
Fingers crossed. You are going to have to start drawing goats on your plates, you know!
m-i use this stuff on the cool side(i stoke from the hot side and throw it onto the cool side so as not to let more cool air in on the cool side)...i'll stoke 1 or 2 full length pieces and 3 or 4 half length on the side that needs it, what i'm really doing is not giving the hot side enough fuel to gain temp as fast as the other side. i only do this if messing with the dampers can't fix the unevenness. i learned this from the r&r article in studio potter. they presented about a dozen different scenarios of the kiln firing uneven and how to fix it. most have worked for me.
sheridan- it holds about 200 pots, it's something like 72cu ft...but only 2/3 of that is stacking space.
i think ron has gotten the goat market covered...though i'd love to see a plate with a goat on top of a woodpile.
I can't wait to see the results, good luck.
I'm loving the goat interactions also.
Ron: sounds like a challenge!
Brandon: thanks. Those are great issues of SP (R & R) I'll have to dig them up and check them out again! Best of luck!
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