Second firing in Manabigama underway

Sparks fly during early stoking.

I packed my pots a little tighter in the second kiln firing in my Manabigama, preheating overnight with one burner just because of all the rain we had recently. I'll have plenty of wood-fired pots for the second annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters this coming weekend.

I've participated in many wood firings, but this is the first kiln I've fired by myself that wasn't an electric kiln. So, I'm still learning. Thank you John Thies for answering all my questions and guiding me through the process of building the kiln. Following John's suggestions on firing the kiln that he and others designed, I fired my first load successfully and the results were excellent. Being color challenged in red, green, browns, I've had to rely on others to tell me about the beautiful subtle colors on the pots. I can see them, but I don't know what color they are.

I'm firing this load of pots in the same manner as the previous firing, hoping for similar results. We'll see soon. Like the first firing, most of the pots are only glazed on the inside, allowing the flame and ash to decorate the pots. I'm looking forward to many successful firings.

Hope to see some of you at the Celebration.