SASUKENEI SMOKELESS KILN
In 2007 my kiln building project finally began.In the past I have built several train kilns of various sizes but this next kiln was to be a major project.
3 years ago I bought 10 pallets of fire bricks with fellow potter Ian Dowling at an auction, so I had plenty of building materials to work with.
The considerations for the kiln were ease of firing and loading without being too big and most importantly not to create vasts amount of smoke. The design would need to be as enviromentally friendly as possible and enable me to fire on my own and be versatile enough to fire for longer with the help if needed
Initially I did have visions of building an anagama as I have several years of experience in firing this type of kiln.I had discussed building various types of kilns with many experienced wood firers over the years but I did not have a definite idea about which type to build for myself.
The final decision was to build the Sasukenei smokeless kiln taken from 'Japanese Wood-Fired Ceramics' by Mazakazu Kusakabe and Marc Lancet.
I had met Marc at the Tozan 21 Conference in Flagstaff Arizona and was interested in looking at the kiln design.
The measurements set out in the book I found to be somewhat of a challenge so looked at the proportions and built from that. There have been a few adjustments to the original design but only a few and my kiln is now completed.
It has an interesting arch with drop down bricks that divert the flames and hopefully send them in different directions it is also a means to collect ash and when molten to drip onto the pots.I used a double sized arch brick for this which fitted perfectly.Although I did have to cut holes in the arch former after it was in place, something I hadn't thought of initially.The curve of the arch is not obvious from the outside because of the infill used to bring the exterior up to the horizontal level.
The chimney is 6 metres high, the first 4 metres above the 'secret chamber' are brick with the last 2 metres being metal.
The bracing surrounding the kiln was constructed by my husband Peter who also built the kiln shed.
I am fortunate to be surrounded by blue gum and pine plantations. There is an abundance of wood after the harvesting of these trees and being within a short distance my supply is plentiful, all within 3 kms from the kiln site,the use of this waste timber off cuts makes little or no impact on the enviroment.
The first firing was a bit of a disaster with the temp reaching a little over a 1000*C after many hours of firing and a huge amount of wood.
I did console myself with the idea "I was drying off the kiln" as the kiln had been exposed to some very long awaited rain.
The second firing was somewhat better after removing a grate bar to give wider spacing for the ambers fall. This certainly helped.
The bag wall was also removed ( after a wise man from Gulgong had suggested)it is by the way for sale!.
The results from the 2nd firing were far more acceptable which is encouraging, there was a melt on the surface of the work at the front but not to much in the back stack although there was a good coating of ash.
The kiln is very quiet while firing and the only small amount of smoke that appeared was when it was in heavy reduction.
I also use soda in the firing to enhance the surface of the work. This is introduced at cone 8. Gail Nichols (Aus) developed a method of mixing soda ash, bi carb and whiting and when water is added it forms into a crumble mixture.This is introduced into the kiln through a stoke hole.The use of test rings to gauge the build up of the soda is essential. This method of introducing the soda for distribution around the kiln to be very easy .The information about this method can be found in 'Soda Clay and Fire 'by Gail Nichols, published by The American Ceramic Society.
2008 will see several challenging firings and no doubt a few more adjustments to the kiln. I look forward enthusiastically to the challenge.
