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Christine Homer Weaving

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Salt Glazing Wood Firing Raku Firing Gas Firing Pit Firing Firing Details

Firing Methods and Results
Gas Firing

Gas Firing

Flames back out of every orifice, when reduction firing.

 Gas reduction firing uses a fuel such as natural gas or propane. The temperatures of gas fired reduction kiln may exceed 2300F.

Gas is a combustible fuel and
 the potter can control the ratio of oxygen to gas during firing. 

Depriving the kiln of oxygen creates a atmosphere know as reduction, where carbon monoxide can be produced. This only occurs in fuel fired kilns.

It is the burning of chemically combined oxygen in the clay and glaze minerals that gives reduction fired pottery its unique characteristics.   

 

  

Gas Firing

Robert bisque fires all his pottery before glazing. Above he is about to unload a bisque firing, note the pots are stacked on top of each other.
This is possible when there is no glaze to fuse the pots together.		 A load of copper red glazes (in the center of the kiln) indicates a variation in reduction between front and rear.

Gas Reduction Firing

Copper Reds

The reduction cycle is responsible for a wonderful and unique pallet of  colors which occurs when oxygen deprived molecules seeks the chemically bound oxygen from minerals that are in clay and glazes. 

 A classic example of a reduction glaze is "Chun Red" also known as
"Copper Red",  that dates back to the Sung dynasty in China. 

    Copper produces a green color when fired in a atmosphere rich in oxygen.

 However in reduction conditions the glaze containing copper can produces reds ranging in color from peach blossom to apple red.

 

Gas Firing

 

    Gas Fired Kilns  may not produce the even & consistent results of Electric Kilns.

 However reduction firings can yield subtle hues in the color of the clay body, and variations in the glazes, which make each pot unique.

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