The work coming out of the first firing of the new Bourry box kiln was fantastic. It was just a wonderful group of people who will stay in touch. Mike Astill has his own wood kiln in Ile des Chenes but joined us (he is a fabulous former student from the School) and entertained many of the crew while they were here from out of town. Thanks, Mike and Maria!
The firing survived the old soda shelves that oozed soda and are so brittle they could cut someone’s arm off if broken. We love Markus’s wadding recipe because it flakes off easily. His glazes were amazing as were some of the ones the crew brought. There is good biidoro at the lower level which reached well beyond cone 13. And the kiln fires like a rocket. Might have said, we had to slow it down by soaking the poplar logs. We will modify the bagwall, use a smaller shelf on the top and not load the pots so near the roof to even out the temperature. Everyone was happy! What a way to end 9 days together – not wanting to leave.
