The Anagama Kiln
My anagama is constructed of industrial hard brick reclaimed from a steel foundry here in Albion. The front of the kiln is an ovular dome inspired by the industrial design of a furnace in the foundry, while the tail of the kiln is a roman arch derived from the Japanese cave kilns built into the sides of hills, and fired with wood.
The kiln was inspired many years ago by a visit to a local steel foundry, where I was on a trip to collect firebrick. I saw a steel melting furnace that had a lovely, rounded shape, and I thought if I could somehow stretch out the design it would make a beautiful anagama with considerable firebox space.
The length of the kiln is 54 feet (16 m). The dome has a width of 13 feet (4.0 m) and is nearly 6 feet high (2 m) at its highest point. We load with a crew of two or three people at a time, and the load usually takes three or four days. Firings last from nine to eleven days, followed by ten days of cooling. Each firing begins with a very small fire, much like a campfire, that lasts for several days. The middle part of the firing is a steady 10 degree per hour increase until things just begin to melt. During the last few days, the kiln is held at temperatures between cone 8 and 12, manipulating variables to achieve the surfaces we hope for.
The unusually large firebox of this kiln allows many pots to be in direct contact with the coal pile. Such contact leaves dramatic marks on the surface of the pots. The dome is mainly loaded with large jars, platters and sculpture. The tail of the kiln produces more subtle surfaces caused by finer ash. There are dramatic flashing and colors, and the surfaces are more functional.
The Noborigama Kiln
My latest creation is a noborigama style kiln. Noborigamas tend to emphasize efficiency rather than dramatic wood ash deposits. I am looking at the new kiln as a way to work through ideas about glazes, clay bodies and forms. I see it as a test kiln of sorts for the anagama.
A noborigama is traditionally a multi-chambered climbing kiln built on a slope. My kiln is about 6 feet high (2 m) and 7.5 feet long (2.5 m). It has a volume of 60 cubic feet (1.6 m3). It is stoked through a firebox in the front, with one stoke hole on either side. Construction of the noborigama was finished in December of 2009, and it has been fired twice since then. The firings have been 40 hours long.