Stacking the Kiln

Ken had filled the studio with glazed pots again, so he moved them out to the kiln shed.  There he can place them on shelves in the kiln.  He has a car kiln - rolling sets of shelves (cars or trolleys in England) that roll into the kiln.

I assist in one small task. Since we were dating over twenty years ago, I have offered to roll small balls of clay called wads.  Why do I do this?

Well, Ken places wads on the bottom of each pot and that allows the flame to wrap around the whole piece.  We both believe it adds beauty to the pottery.

 

Sometimes the ash flying through the kiln combines with the glaze.  If the glaze becomes juicy and runs down the pot, the glaze could bind the pot to the shelf.  Lost pot and a kiln shelf that needs cleaning result - something to be avoided.  A wad lessens the chance of this happening.

Stacking the kiln is a solitary pursuit.  It is like a three dimensional jigsaw puzzle - just how many pots can be fit, and the placement of the pots will direct the flame and ash as it goes through the kiln.