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The First Layer Nearing Completion
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The Journey
Project Résumé
- Construction of the anagama kiln started in March 2004. Instigated by Richard Stratton and Andy Hope. Original kiln design by Shige Ohashi, a veteran of some 50 firings of anagama kilns in Japan before emigrating to New Zealand.
- The kiln is being built by the Wellington Potters’ Association (WPA) on the property of June and Graeme Houston in Horokiwi about 5 km from the Hutt motorway that links Wellington and the Hutt Valley.
- The name “Te Haunui” is the name of June and Graeme’s property and means “the big wind”.
- The kiln is 3.76m long.
- The application for funding from Pub Charity, which was pending when the first article on the project was published last year, was unsuccessful.
The Past Year
Much has been achieved in the past year. The large shelter built to house the kiln and provide an area for storing and drying wood is complete and has survived unscathed a storm that damaged other buildings on the property. Our policy of over-engineering its construction paid off. Most of the wood needed for the first firing has been collected. The kiln has been built.
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Rear Section Under Construction
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Some of the supreme optimists amongst us had thought that a firing early in 2005 might be possible. However, the small incremental steps, which go to make up a project like this, were many and more time consuming than most of us had anticipated. Optimism, of course, does have its place as it helps to sustain enthusiasm and spirits when progress is slow. While there have been some periods of inactivity prompted by the weather, illness or competing commitments generally there has been work on the site at least one a week and often twice.
A major challenge we encountered and successfully overcame was that we had too few bricks to build the kiln. Our initial estimate was that approximately 2,200 bricks would be required. While a large quantity of bricks had been collected prior to the project starting, kiln design changes and insufficient bricks of the right type for our purposes meant the hunt for hoards and stashes of kiln bricks continued.
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Shige Ohashi and Wayne Blackburn Checking The Alignment
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We were extraordinarily fortunate that once word about the building of the kiln got around and our need for more bricks became apparent, offers of bricks began to trickle in. John Lawrence, who had demolished a brick kiln at his pottery in Dannevirke, contacted Graeme Houston and offered the remnants of the kiln. His generous offer was accepted and thus a convoy of vehicles and trailers departed for Dannevirke on the 16th of October 2004. This date just happened to coincide with a major storm that grew in intensity during our journey north. Fortunately the storm abated as we arrived and thus we were able to collect several hundred bricks without becoming sodden in the process. Leaving behind the hospitality of John and his partner Ann Verdcourt we encountered flooding and, for some of our party, road diversions. While it is not my intention to record in this article all the acts of generosity, in particular the donation of bricks, that have enabled the project to progress, special mention has to be made of the contribution of John Wells. John, who works at the Massey University School of Design in Wellington and is not a member of the WPA, provided a large quantity of bricks and ceramic fibre. He also built the formers for the kiln roof and will shortly install angle iron to reinforce the chimney.
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The Second Layer Advancing
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A substantial number of the bricks at our disposal had to be cleaned. Water blasting and angle grinders were used for this purpose. The angle grinders were sorely tested. I’m now onto angle grinder number 5 and, from memory, Wayne Blackburn who did a lot of angle grinding as well is onto number 3 or 4. We are both grateful that they were under warrantee!
The kiln is constructed of two layers of bricks with extra insulation being provided by ceramic fibre. A coating of adobe adorns the structure. This is cracking beautifully as it dries out and will be repaired once the formers have been burnt out and the kiln dried as a prelude to the first firing.
We had some debate about the construction of the roof of the kiln. In the event we agreed that the profile shapes would be semi-circular (as per Shige Ohashi’s original design) rather than catenarian. We thought that it would be touch and go as to whether we had sufficient arch bricks to complete the roof. In the event we had to fashion a number of bricks to shape and became adept at transforming standard H 35s into the likes of S12s.
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The Author At Rest
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To buttress the kiln approximately 2 tonnes of rock were obtained from the Horokiwi quarry. Loading and unloading large rocks by hand is an excellent fitness regime; one of the many bonuses of building a large kiln.
A substantial amount of firewood has been cut and stored. This has come from three sources; off-cuts from a timber mill operated in Horokiwi by Graeme Houston and disused wooden pallets obtained by Graeme. Demolition timber for use in burning out the formers and drying the kiln has been gathered from a pile near the kiln site. Shige has been at pains to stress to the uninitiated the importance of having wood left over at the end of a firing. This none to subtle message has been taken on board.
Once the chimney has been secured with angle iron the shelter will be extended to encompass it. This extension will afford the rear end of the kiln greater protection from the elements. Tarpaulins have sufficed thus far but are not a permanent solution.
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Roger Pierce Applying Adobe
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Were it not for the generosity and hospitality of June and Graeme Houston this project would not have been feasible. While the WPA has made a major financial commitment to the project, substantial savings have resulted from Graeme’s resourcefulness. A couple of examples. Concerned about the cost of buying new or used angle iron to reinforce the chimney, we hunted for cheap sources of iron with no success. Then Graeme reflected on the fact that he had a disused windmill on his property supported by angle iron struts. A few cutting torch strokes later we had most of the iron required, the balance coming from his timber mill. Bricks have to be cut to make kiln props. Expensive quotes for brick cutters from hire firms had been obtained. In seeking direction to a business in Alicetown in Lower Hutt Graeme by chance popped into a tile shop. He took the opportunity to ask about the cost of hiring a brick cutter. End result, the tile shop generously offered to cut some of the props required at no charge as a useful exercise for their apprentice and as a means of honing their diamond cutting blade. Enough said.
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And Out Of The Rubble It Emerged
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We are now definitely on track for an initial firing early in the New Year. Some of us will get a great deal of satisfaction even from such modest steps as burning out the formers. At least it involves fire.
Some of the literature on wood fired kilns attempts to dispel any romantic notions about the process. While such sober observations are probably born of arduous experience, a measure of romanticism certainly helps to sustain enthusiasm and interest when building such a kiln. Once the first firing is under our collective belt then we will be better placed to reflect on the validity of such observations.
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