Manor Oaks Wood-firing Group

5^th September Meeting Part Two

There was some confusion over the bricks and building materials for the kiln – we learnt that we needed to be very specific about the types of brick necessary – it wasn’t enough to talk about soft and dense firebricks, as everyone seemed to have a different understanding of what that meant. We realised that we needed to point out that it was necessary that the materials used would be able to expand and contract with the firing cycle, eg large components made of castable materials which might withstand great temperatures, may crack with the strain of repeated firings. In effect, we became aware of the extent to which kiln building and firing is a very specialist area and therefore we need to be very clear in our communication of the subtleties involved.

The meeting was inconclusive – we all had some further research to do.

It is worth noting that everyone at the meeting had different expertise and priorities; despite this there was a shared vision to succeed with the project; everyone was keen to exchange knowledge and to learn. It did become apparent that the kiln build was going to be more difficult than envisaged, but nobody gave up on the idea. Although anxious about the technicalities, Penny and I were excited that the project had begun.

5^th September Meeting with Sue, Andy, Mike, Sarah and Penny

Part One

We met to discuss the building of the kiln. The restoration of the buildings was proceeding rapidly and the time had come to renovate the roof structure. Andy and Mike were looking at ways of incorporating the kiln chimney which would have to be built at the same time, as the plan was for it to come up through the roof. The height of the chimney was a concern for Andy and Mike who wanted to ensure that it was safe and complied with Building Regulations. Given the tight schedule it became clear that their thoughts were to build the chimney first, with the kiln being built subsequently to fit in with this. Penny and I were beginning to feel a bit alarmed at this point, as compromises were being made to the design, although we could see their point of view. They needed to build the chimney as a solid structure on a base – they were not happy with the idea of the kiln structure itself supporting the chimney, as in the Kusakabe/Hungarian design. Andy suggested placing the chimney at the side of the firing chamber. This would mean a change in the draught through the kiln. We wondered how this would affect the efficiency of the firings – being aware of how the slightest change to the design can mean the difference between success and failure. If we proceeded with this idea the challenge for us would be to ensure the structure would be flexible enough to expand and contract with temperature fluctuations and have modifications that would allow us to experiment with airflow through the kiln by having a couple of dampers and air vents in the base of the chimney.

Meeting tomorrow to discuss details of the kiln. Green Estate have not yet seen the new design for the kiln and we have not seen the progress made at the site, so its going to be exciting to see what’s new and to plan the actual building of the facility. We are hoping to have the kiln built by mid November at the very latest, in time for Open Studies (18th and 19th at Persistence Works and 20th at Manor Oaks.) Lots to do though – considering it took 10 – 12 people 9 days to build the kiln in Hungary. That’s quite a lot of manpower but we are hoping for NVQ students and volunteers to help out. We need to source the materials and equipment and start thinking about where we will source the wood which will ideally be very thin and well-seasoned. The wood in Hungary was offcuts from a flooring company and ideal.

We also need to start planning out our schedule of workshops and firings. We are of course hoping we will get a couple of firings in before Open Studios too but that may be optimistic – especially as we have to make sure we have the time to make some pots to put in it! We are not quite sure of our exhange with the North Wales potters at the moment as things have been rather quiet so we are trying to find solutions to that.

I have been trying to collate the photos from my trip but its been quite an onerous task – with digital one tends to take far too many photos! Still it means I do have photos of almost every step of the way. The problem then though, is to isolate out the particularly important relevant ones!

More updates after the meeting.

Much to report! I have recently returned from a five week stay in Hungary – three weeks on a masterclass building a smokeless kiln and two travelling around Hungary seeing the richness of the arts in Hungary and in particular the ceramic tradition.

The Masterclass was at the wonderful International Ceramics Studios in Kecskemet in the Great Plain in the middle of Hungary which is flat and sandy despite the country being landlocked.The studios are an oasis of ceramics and ceramicists from all over the world – Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, USA, Mexico, Latvia, Lithuania, UK and of course Hungary. The collection of pieces from artists of repute who have passed through its doors is astonishing. The common language was, luckily for me, English – Hungarian beng well-nigh indecipherable!

Working with Sensei Masakazu Kusakabe, a group of about ten of us built a new design smokeless kiln every step of the way, sometimes in temperatures of near 40C. The kiln was constructed in 8 days, then packed and fired three times in 7 days. Careful mangement ensured it was smokeless. The kiln was extremely efficient and easy to fire, although the bottom of the kiln reached temperature very quickly, far ahead of the top of the kiln – which did result in some over-firing in some places – still, every kiln is different and it will take time to get to know it. Results were generally very good, with some beautiful glaze results throughout the kiln and really crusty effects on pots on the floor of the kiln and in the firebox.

Some of us couldn’t get over how big the firebox was in relation to the chamber – however, Kusakabe explained this was necessary for good combustion to take place to minimise smoke. Other important factors were the proportions of the firebox in relation to the length of the chamber and chimney, the dryness of the wood and careful management of the stoking. The chimney needs to be about six metres but interestingly, above 7 metres there is no discernible increase in efficiency or smokelessness.

The kiln drew the flame through beautifully – but this did rely on careful stacking of the kiln shelves to manage the direction of the draw. The placing of the side stoke hole was altered with each firing according to the packing of the kiln.

In addition to building the kiln, the three weeks were extremely sociable, with artists from around the globe getting to know each other. Several of the more established ceramicists gave slide shows to share their work, as well as the recently graduated young Hungarian artists. There was much exchange of cultural and artistic ideas and practice, and links were formed. It is my hope to follow this through with action, maintaining links and organising future exchanges.

Whilst I was on the course, work on the Manor Oaks site began, and Sue France wrote to Penny and I, eager to forge ahead with the kiln-building. So we are now straight into planning with that, and thinking about the structure of our enterprise. I am still collating all the information I gathered and will be posting more as I organise my vast collection of photographs.

We are still awaiting a date to visit the smokeless kiln in Wales. In the meantime it looks like the original date of March 2012 for completion will be brought forward to the autumn – Sue is keen for the kiln to be complete by Open Studios in November 2011.

Penny and I have been having numerous conversations about how the Manor Oaks Wood-firing Society will run. Current thinking is to have the two of us running it as a Creative Enterprise, managing the timetabling and use of the kiln for the membership and other artists and setting up a programme of activities for members of the public which might include training courses, working with local schools, setting up masterclasses and ceramics festivals, and tapping into the already existing Corporate team-building activities at Manor Oaks. We are building up a database of contacts and thinking of ways in whcih we can attract participants. Mir Jansen of Yorkshire Artspace has suggested that we invite the Frith’s to run our first Pilot Project firing the kiln – Yorkshire Artspace may be able to part fund this. In addition my grant from the Arts Council includes an amount for a Pilot Project. It looks like the kiln might be built well before the original March 2012 prediction, so the Pilot Project may happen much sooner than expected. WATCH THIS SPACE!