FIRING, cont.

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Wood-Fired Kilns

 

Wood-fired kilns are often large, Japanese-style anagama kilns that take up to 7 days or even longer to fire, and might require a half a ton or a ton of wood for a single firing. Since the kiln has to be constantly tended, these mammoth firings are usually group efforts. Some traditional potters will fire these kilns only a couple of times a year, putting half their yearly production in each firing.

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Pit Firing

 

Probably the oldest method of firing is pit firing, in which a pot is placed in a pit dug into the ground or sand at a beach, lined with wood, and cooked like a barbecue. The pots aren’t glazed, but organic substances and chemicals can be thrown into the pit, and their fumes put random, interesting colors onto the surface of the pot.

 

Raku Firing

 

Raku firing uses a typical gas or wood-fired kiln—usually a small one, but the method of firing is different. “Raku” is a Japanese family name and refers to the firing method developed by that family. It was brought to the west decades ago, and modified somewhat.

 

With most other firing techniques the pots are brought to their final temperature over a 10-12 hour period, and then allowed to slowly cool in the kiln over an additional 12-15 hour period. A raku firing is much more dramatic—and risky! In a raku firing, the pot is brought to temperature (a relatively low temperature, around 1700 degrees Fahrenheit) very quickly (in an hour or less). Once the pot has reached the right temperature it is taken out of the kiln directly into the air by the potter who is wearing protective garb and handling the pot with metal tongs​