Things are warming up

“The great appeal of anagama firing is its total unpredictability so that each piece is unique in its character and can never be repeated.  Deliberately inefficient and taking considerable amounts of wood, an anagama kiln will reveal the effects of flame, ash and vitrification that make the wares unique.”  (Chester Nealie, one of Australasia’s greatest exponents of wood firing.)

The 6th firing of the Wellington Potters Association’s Te Haunui Anagama kiln in Horokiwi, Wellington, from 17-21 March, 2010, concluded with the unloading of the kiln on Sunday 28 March.  This marked the 6th anniversary of the commencement of the anagama project in March 2004 and the 4th anniversary of the first firing in March 2006.

Shige Ohashi, who designed and assisted in the building of the club’s anagama kiln, was the firing master.  A veteran of many anagama firings in Japan, he was the firing master for the first firing of the kiln in March 2006.

Dry firewood is essential to the wellbeing of the anagama kiln and its contents.  Wood cutting and splitting got underway in October 2009, a little later than I would have preferred because of competing demands on those involved.  As in recent firings our source of firewood was a Horokiwi forest (previously used by the former Petone Gear Meat Company to dispose of offal) where we harvested fallen pine trees to meet the kiln’s voracious appetite. 

Wickets Away

Memories of the hard work involved in preparing firewood evaporated as the loading of the kiln began.  It struck me while watching Shige Ohashi loading the kiln that it was like attempting to complete a 3 dimensional jigsaw puzzle.  Hundreds of pieces were carefully placed on the shelves and, upon reflection, frequently rearranged to ensure that they would be caressed by the flames to maximum advantage.  Shige agreed with my jigsaw analogy but observed that there had to be gaps between the pieces to let the flames through.  Some 50 people (a record number) submitted an estimated 370 pieces. The mammoth task of loading the pots began on Monday 8 March and was finished on Tuesday 16 March – twice the planned duration.  With the exception of Friday, Shige worked 12 -13 hours-a-day loading the kiln.  This dedication culminated in the wicket (door) being installed on Wednesday the 17th and the kiln lighted at 10 am that day. This honour went to Vivian Rodriquez, the WPA’s potter in residence, who had plied Shige with food, humour and balls of wadding.

The commencement of the planned 100 hours firing was the product of months of work by a dedicated group of people.  Hundreds of hours were spent cutting, transporting, splitting and stacking wood.  Additionally, the kiln site was tidied, the kiln cleaned to receive the pots and wadding prepared.  A shed was also installed and weather proofed to store anagama materials which had previously been housed in an adjacent green house.  Apart from this there was also the task of receiving and transporting pots to the kiln.  Particular thanks are due to many people, principally Graeme and June Houston (on whose property the kiln is located), Roger Pearce, Mike Atkins, Gwyn Williams, Mal Sole, Mauritz Basson, Murray McGaughran and Mike Turner.  Without their work and commitment the firing would not have occurred.  In addition to the involvement of WPA members, a number of members of the Otaki Pottery Club also made valuable contributions.

First Layer

To assist those actively involved in the firing Shige wrote to them sharing his philosophy on such firings:
“‘Inevitability’, ‘Accident’ and ‘Time’. These are my favourite key words. Nature and Life on the Earth were born from these key words. If I could feel them in something, it would touch my heart. Anagama firing may give it to me, although it is very, very small compared with happenings in the universe. 
It’s a fun time. Things we can do are not so many. Stoke pieces of firewood believing in the power of the Anagama kiln for about 100 hours. If you believe in the kiln, it may give us a beautiful “Accident”.
A time of 100 hours is long. During stoking firewood, we not only increase the temperature, but also make up the natural glaze with wood ashes and apply it on the pieces little by little. It’s “Time”.
We can’t control everything happening in the kiln. I want to have the kiln fire our pieces without human’s petty thinking. However, we have to feed the energy of the firewood to the kiln effectively. We need to understand the current situation/condition of the kiln. Sitting just before the kiln, listen to the kiln and communicate with the kiln. It’s a delightful time.

I want to go back to the ancient ways. When I said this to someone, he said that it would be strange because I watch the exact temperature of the kiln by a modern pyrometer. I agreed with him. We will not use a pyrometer at this firing.  However, we will be using two sets of cones. We can see many antique, beautiful pots which the ancient potters fired without a pyrometer.  I want it to be as if I were in a time machine and go back to an era without modern machines.  I want to forget our current busy world when I sit before the Anagama. To the team members, I say believe your instincts. (May the force be with you.)”

One of the challenges Shige faced in loading the kiln was accommodating a mixture of glazed and unglazed pots.  Glazed pots can’t be stacked one upon the other unlike some unglazed pots.  He thinks that glazed pots are better suited to gas kilns than to anagama kilns.  Perhaps that’s the traditionalist speaking but it does offer food for thought.  Maybe next time the firing should be restricted to unglazed pots? This would leave the kiln free to work its magic without chemical additives.  However, an important factor is the type of clay available.  However, Shige qualified his views with the observation that he doesn’t want to impose a Japanese approach on New Zealand potters.  These are matters for the WPA to address.

Vivian Rodriguez - the Fire Lighter

Another challenge faced during the loading phase was that of accommodating large voluminous vessels that occupy a lot space in the kiln chamber.   In an article I wrote in the December issue of the WPA newsletter I deliberately suggested that members “Avoid making large voluminous pots as they occupy a lot of space and if space is at a premium we may not be able to accommodate them.”   A small number of pots were not included in this firing as Shige simply ran out of space, time and stamina.  That he managed to include a record number of pots is a tribute to his perseverance and skill.  He also unselfishly chose not to include many pots of his own as did some of the others involved.

There were some interesting distractions during the loading process, notably a minor feast of excellent Japanese food prepared by a group of Japanese pottery students tutored by Shige, and the extraction of Vivian Rodriquez’s car from a ditch at the entrance to June and Graeme Houston’s property.  By Vivian’s own admission the accident was caused by cell phone distraction.  Fortunately she was uninjured and her car unscathed.  A less welcome distraction was the so called “weather bomb” that hurled itself upon Wellington on late Friday the 12th of March.  This was Shige’s “rest” day so neither he nor I were on site.  We had concerns about the state of many pots awaiting their inclusion in the kiln.  We had visions of the weather wreaking havoc on the pots.  We needn’t have been concerned.  The pots were perfectly protected by the open-ended kiln shelter and one of the banks against which it was built.  However, to give you some impression of the strength of the storm, the roof of a nearby implements shed on the property was completely ripped off.

Alan Ross Cleaning Shelf

While this firing attracted a record number of submitters, disappointedly this was not reflected in an increased number of people offering to assist in the firing process.   I generally try to have 3 people per shift but on this occasion struggled and failed to achieve this goal.  The rationale behind this number is that particularly at the hot end of the firing cycle stoking can become an exhausting task if the work is not shared.  Another consideration is to try and build up a cadre of people competent to participate in such firings, thus in the future reducing the workload on some of the club’s stalwarts. 
The shift leaders for the firing, apart from Shige and me, were Murray McGaughran, Gwyn Williams, Andy Hope (a former firing master) and Roger Pearce.   The firing went smoothly and was generally uneventful, and was accompanied by a lot of socialising and sharing of life histories.
Shige wrote some notes for shift leaders including his thoughts on “Managing the Fire” which warrant reproducing here:

“This really depends on what the potter wants to get from the Anagama. Without saying what he wants, it must be a very strange thing to say how to fire the Anagama.

 I like natural feeling pots. It may be the painting by the flame without much ash, the green colour of the rich natural glaze, or the black rough surface.  And we may be accidentally able to get various colours, that is, white, yellow, blue, purple, and so on.

• For the above, the kiln should be in reduction atmosphere.
• It is not necessary to get very high temperature over 1300°C.  I like the sticky natural glaze, not running too much.
• The temperature should have phases of a high temperature and of a low temperature like the wave.
• I want to build up and maintain a large bed of embers.  In this tough situation, like suffocation, the chances to get beautiful “accidents” with various colours can be born.  But too much embers may make the kiln suffocate.

In order to control these things above, we have to understand how the kiln is going.  Any action should be done according to what we want to get from the kiln. This can be based on many experiences.   Here, I can’t mention how much/degree it is.  However, basic actions are the following:

• To get higher temperature, increase the air suction by enlarging the air inlet at the front, and/or closing the air damper at the chimney.
• To lower the temperature, do the reverse of the above.
• To control quantity of embers, control the number of pieces of firewood to be stoked at a time. Don’t rake the embers out unless there is an emergency.
• Side Stoking should be done after good firing in front has been almost done.  It should probably start in shift 12.  Side stoking is basically for adding ash, not so meaningful for the temperature in the back of the kiln. The temperature is controlled at the front fire box. It is the Anagama. The side stoking and the front stoking are mutual. Never open the front door when the side stoking is occurring. Be safe!

Mauritz Basson: Wood Cutting

In this firing, I have opened a vent at the top of the kiln arch. The front stoking makes the flame come out from that vent. When the flame can’t be seen, it may be a good time for the next stoking.”

Fully rested after its 96½ hours (not much short of the planned 100 hours) of heated exertion the anagama kiln’s wicket (door) was removed on Sunday 28 March and the kiln unloaded.  The speed of unloading the kiln was in marked contrast to the meticulous and time consuming care that Shige took in deciding the placement of each individual piece. 
The kiln functioned extremely well, without the benefit of a pyrometer, with all cones being down at the front by 5:00 am and at the back by 8:00 am on Friday 19 March, the third day of the firing.  There was a fairly even distribution of pine ash throughout the kiln.

A few observations for the record:

• Two types of wadding were use labelled “soft” and “hard” by Shige.  The soft wadding was used on kiln furniture and the hard on the pieces themselves.   The recipes for the technically inclined are:

• Soft – Alumina Hydrate (1 part), China Clay (1 part) and flour (1 part); and
• Hard – Alumina Hydrate (8 parts), China Clay (2 parts) Ball Clay (1 part) and Grog (medium) (1 part).

• Side stoking through one rear port started at 6:00 am on the Saturday, it having been decided that starting side stoking earlier in the piece would probably contribute little to the eventual outcome.
• The chimney dampers were closed throughout the firing and were partially open during the cooling phase.
• Most of the wood was used except for 2-3 pallets.  We estimate that in excess of 43 cubic metres of wood were used.
• Embers did not appear to have been raked from the kiln during the firing.  This observation is not based on conversations with the shift leaders, rather on the lack of charcoal and ash found outside the kiln when the wicket was removed.
• Some pots were dislodged probably because of overly enthusiastic stoking.  Shige had deliberately extended the length of the firebox (by having the wicket protrude beyond the front wall of the kiln) in an attempt to avoid this happening.  Another reason was that he wanted to create sufficient space for a large bed of embers to be maintained.  He also wisely refrained from loading pots as far forward as was possible.
• As the pots were removed they were photographed by Ron Knox before being placed on pallets for viewing and later removal by their proud and eager creators.  Based on past experience the practice of erecting a barrier to separate the potters from their creations until all pieces had been extracted from the kiln continued.  This practice was instituted to avoid the melees that had accompanied some of the previous firings resulting in some pieces being damaged.

While there were the usual disappointments most participants seemed happy and in some cases ecstatic with the results.  As Shige observed, if 30 % of the pots in an anagama firing are acceptable then the firing can be deemed to have been successful.  In his thoughts on the anagama firing that he penned and sent to participants before the firing he remarked on expectations:

“Do not expect a good result on your piece before the firing. Such expectation will disappoint you. The results on your piece will never be like what you expect. Please expect the unexpected. Please try to find a beautiful face on your piece after the firing. Your piece had been standing in the massive flame for 100 hours long. It must give us good hints for the next firing.”

Shige’s contribution was tangibly acknowledged and Graeme and June Houston’s unfailing support applauded.

The day had started with less than inspiring weather.  It improved as the barbeque was lit and the sausages and other food and refreshments circulated amongst the 25 -30 people who were present for the unloading.  We also briefly enjoyed the plaintive sound of Paula Weir playing a flute she had committed to the firing.
Apart from the photos accompanying this report Ron Knox’s excellent photos of the firing and the pots are available by going to http://picasaweb.google.com/ron.knox and then clicking on the Anagama album.
The 6th firing may have ended but there is an obvious reminder on site of the next firing.  It takes the form of a large quantity of pine trees, supplied by Graeme Houston, to be cut, split and stacked during the next few months for use in the anagama and the adjacent Mad Hatters’ (long throat/train) kiln in which some of the anagama enthusiasts, me included, are involved.
Thanks are due to all those who gave so unstintingly of their time in making the firing happen.  To me it illustrates the communal ethos of the club.

Alan Ross
Anagama Coordinator