Wood Kiln Firing

Last week there was a wood kiln firing in Lexington! Wood kilns are more rare than other methods of firing - they go on for about 4 days, during which someone must constantly feed wood into the kiln and monitor the temperature, 24/7. The result is unique, though; the ash from the fire creates a beautiful glaze on the clay, and you never quite know how the pieces are going to come out. The ceramics department here at UK built this kiln not that long ago, out on a farm where the university does agricultural work. I worked one 6 hour shift, hauling wood, throwing it into the kiln, and eating pizza and marshmallows cooked over the fire (yuummm). By the time I left, the kiln was up to about 1200 degrees, right on the brink of when you have to start wearing special clothing for the heat. It was wild getting up close to the door and experiencing such intense blasts while throwing in the wood, and I went up a couple times with my camera to try to get a view of the inside. A real inferno! The goal was to reach about 2200 degrees at it's peak. After the four day firing, it cools down for about a week, and we are unloading on Monday. I can't wait to see how everything looks!