Unloading the Pit Fire

The best part of a big firing is the unloading. Unless you're a pyro and in love with fire.

The kiln was cool to the touch.

Looks a little messy, who's first to stick their hands into the ashes.

Doesn't look like a lot of color with all the ashes.

Cleaned up and on the table. Adults have found their heads. Todd is telling fish stories.

No one was sure where the green came from.

Organic pod of some sort. When washed with water the green was gone.

Surfaces pushed into the sawdust came out black.

A set of extruded pieces.

It wasn't a house party so Jan had to fire a little house.

Diane's little faces.

Wonderful red flashes.

Pit Fire Set-Up

Several members gathered at Ann's farm in east Boulder County to group fire in her "pit". We had all been told to bring some pots bisqued to cone 08. Terra Siged and burnished was best.

Ann really doesn' t fire in a pit but in a built up container of fire bricks about knee high. No crawling around on the ground to place combustibles and ware in a hole.

We put about 3 or 4 inches of sawdust in the bottom added some sulfides, oxides, and salts to the mix and loaded in the ware.

Then we stuffed in lots of newspaper.

Waiting for the momentous moment. We've added a layer of smaller pieces of hardwood and topped it off with larger split timber.

Once lit we chopped off the heads of the adults present. Wait that's a photography term. No blood was spilled.

With the fire progressing a mixture of copper carbonate and sawdust was thrown over the top. More heads rolled.

The fire well in hand with the sheet metal covering the pit. Once the fire has burned down the spacing bricks will be removed and the sheet metal will seal the pit allowing the pots to reach their ideal temperature.

We will return the next day, 24 hours later.