Second firing

Flames billow out of kiln,
bursting with brilliance.

Firing number two went pretty well, as far as I can tell. My wife, Mary, and I stoked from 6 .m. until 9:20 p.m. We were exhausted, as we had spent the previous day loading (and last-minute glazing) until 10 p.m.

We attempted to fire the same as the first firing, stoking every 10 minutes or so, with a neutral environment, then heavy reduction the last two or three hours. We slowed the firing down for the first 1,000 degrees as we had a large raw pot inside. Cone 13 was tipping in the front and cone 10 was tipping in the back when we sealed up the kiln, which we did more efficiently than the first time. I was a bit worried when flames started forming as in the picture above, but they slowly subsided and they weren't near any wood.

Peaking inside tonight, I believe we had cooler pots toward the back than the first time. I saw one pot with a heavy coat of terra sigilatta that looked interesting. We'll unload Wednesday, clean up the pots and pack them up for taking them to Seagrove Thursday for the Celebration of Seagrove Potters.