Photo: Heather Forberger
THE ANAGAMA: 180 c.f.
This is the first kiln I built on our property during the summer of 2014. All of the bricks and castable were salvaged from other kilns or bought second hand from industrial sites. The arch and chimney were built from replacement bricks from a rotary lime kiln. Much of the straight walls were erected with bricks from dismantled kilns trucked in from Baltimore and Northern Virginia. Over 25 tons of soil, stone and large rocks were used to butress the arch. The size and shape was designed based on my need to fire larger work and my desire to eliminate bisque firing from my making cycle. It has been fired three times a year since 2014, usually with a group of students and local potters. We typically fire for 65-70 hours and then wait a full 7 days for it to cool. The back 1/3 receives between 10-12 lbs of sodium bicarbonate at the climax of the firing.
