About 4 days after we completed the new kiln's maiden voyage, it was cool to the touch and ready to unload! Some of the stacks were a little precarious, and the front chamber was packed quite a bit looser than the soda chamber was. We were all pretty curious how everything would look.
Below are some photos of the loading process:
And, here are some of the results! Lots of ash deposits in the front and great soda work in the back, although some work at the top of the soda chamber did look a little less fired than the bottom of the soda chamber, which was expected.
What a fun firing with a great crew, hard to believe that we built this thing last fall with our bare hands, you know? It's a great feeling, and I hope this kiln gets fired in the future (at least a few more times!) A fun and invaluable experience!
Photos by Jason Wang. Main chamber (left), and soda chamber (right).
Ash build-up on the inside of the first chamber / stepped firebox.
Zeynep Uner is the current kiln and wheel repair apprentice at Bracker’s, working directly with David Sturm (the head tech) on repairs large and small. She has been repairing kilns for approximately 3 years now, and has been absorbing everything she possibly can from David’s 30+ years in the field.
Zeynep enjoys atmospheric firing, taking film photos, and throwing on her old Brent kick wheel.
