GAS KILN FIRINGS for 2023 - COOKING WITH GAS

First firing for 2023, loading 9am Saturday 18th March, firing 8am Monday 20 March, unloading 2pm Wednesday 22 March.

The weekend loading has been scheduled to allow the involvement of members who are not normally free during the week.  I hope some members will come to the loading to assist and learn for the future.  There are more learning opportunities with the Monday firing and assistance with the Wednesday unloading is also appreciated.  

The most underused facility at the club is the gas kiln installation.  Over 2021 and 2022 we tried to set up firings 4 weekly, seldom achieved, and have often had to reschedule firings out to 8 weeks or more apart.  The reason for postponing firings is simple, about 200 units are needed to fill the kiln and that volume of work has seldom been available.  I am sure the long delays between firings have disappointed members who have put forward a small number of pots only to see them languish on the shelves. There are just 4 members who contribute a good number of pots on a regular basis and there are just 3 members who have been assisting on a regular basis with loading and 2 with the long all day firing.  

The club wants to get more member involvement with gas firing.  This would reduce part of the heavy load on the electric kilns and the members who run those firings.  The big advantage I see in more member involvement is in developing skills and collectively advancing both knowledge and the excitement of reduction fired glaze finishes.

I am setting up a gas firing group, under the title COOKING WITH GAS.  Other than club membership, there are no prerequisites to joining this group except that you should have pots available for each firing and share in and learn the firing duties on a rostered system.

ALL CLUB MEMBERS PLEASE NOTE there will be no restriction on the general membership putting pots forward for any of the firings, these will continue to be welcomed.

COOKING WITH GAS will feature a series of Saturday morning instruction sessions covering

• a general explanation of the operation and results to be expected from a downdraft kiln
• a discussion on the varying visual effects from the different clays stocked by the club
• a discussion on the use of the mixed club glazes
• a discussion on the form of the pots made, and on faults in throwing and glazing that have produced flawed results sighted over the past 2 years of operation 
• a question and answer session on the results members may have already experienced
• loading and firing the green FE downdraft kiln; loading, firing the kiln-2 sessions, start and finish; unloading.  These sessions leading to members becoming proficient and able to fire the kiln without direct supervision
• ongoing work, developing, either as a group or individually, new glazes suited to reduction firing

The group will be established with a manageable number of up to 10 members.  Additional members may be invited to join once the group is established.  Initially firings for the year will be scheduled at about 6 week intervals.  I am asking for a commitment from the members who join to provide a minimum of 5 pots for each firing.  

We can get COOKING WITH GAS underway on Saturday 18 March with the kiln loading, on Monday 20 March, split attendance 8am to 12 pm for start of kiln firing or 1pm to 5pm finish of kiln firing, on Wednesday 22 March unloading, then schedule our discussion Saturdays after Easter and the club raku firings in the first half of April.
Please register your interest through artandceramics@xtra.co.nz or by mobile 027 443 9796.  Please also contact me if you can assist with any part of the March firing.
I look forward to starting this journey with interested club members.
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Neil Hey - Kilnmaster