Intro: The Kiln

Rob Harvey designed and built the Creek Bend kiln. Its design was inspired by the ancient Noborigama kilns of Japan and Korea. The kiln has a catenary shape, an internal firebox, and is fuel by wood. The heat travels form one side of the kiln to another allowing for directional patterns in the ware. It has approximately 67 cubic feet of stacking space.



In the photo below, the door is being closed by stacking bricks.



The fuel for the kiln is hardwood scrap obtained from a local lumber mill. It takes approximately 20 to 22 hours reach the desired temperature. Stoking takes place about every 5 to 10 minutes within that period.



The wood burns held on grates above the ash pit. The amount of air entering the kiln is controlled via holes in the side of the firebox. These can be seen between the two stacks of wood



Dampers in the chimney control how fast the hot gases pass through the kiln. There are two types on this kiln, active and passive. The lower active dampers are plates which physically block off the chimney. The passive dampers are removable bricks directly above the active dampers. When these bricks are removed, the hole in the chimney slows the flow of hot gases down but in a more subtle way.



The progress of the firing is monitored by the watching "cones". These cones are designed to bend when a certain amount of heat has been added to the ware. Typically, the firing is done when cone 10 bends down at approximately 2350 degrees.



The flames reach all the way through the kiln and up the chimney. A awesome site.

Intro: Jody Windus
Jody came to the Highland Rim to study ceramics at the Appalachian Center for Craft, bought a “fixer upper” and has been renovating the house and building a studio for the last 6 years. His background is in engineering with a 2 year degree in drafting, a BS in Civil Technology and a BS in Ocean Engineering. Jody met Rob at the Center for Craft and through Rob, Amy. Jody’s interest in ceramics includes both functional and art pottery. The firing process attracts his engineering leanings and he enjoys both wood fired and gas fired kilns.



He is in the process of building his own natural gas kiln at his studio. You can follow his progress through his blog at 2nd-Chance-Art.

September 6, 2009

Looking forward to it! If White Oaks is the 12-13th, then we'll be unloaded by then. Woodbury. Tn.!

Intro: Amy Potter

Since 1997, Amy has made architectural ceramics and functional pottery and raised her kids in the Liberty and Dowelltown, TN area. Her work has been mostly mid-fire, oxidation custom tableware, ceremonial vessels, art tile and wheel thrown sinks. She uses a lively glaze color palette to create ware that adds warmth and character to living and working spaces.

Working in the same studio as Rob Harvey, she has been extending her work into wood fired, salt glaze processes giving even more depth to her creations. See more at http://www.amypotter.com/

Intro: Rob Harvey

As an introduction to the kiln firing, a brief bit of background to the kiln and the potters. This post will start with Rob Harvey. Rob is a long time resident of Dowelltown, TN. He lives on and works the Creek Bend Farm and Pottery on Dry Creek Road.

Rob came to Dowelltown with his wife, Nora after getting a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History. They bought a farm, started and ran a dairy, raised a family and became solid members of the community. Rob's interest in art and the traditions of Appalachia lead him to close the diary and study ceramics at the Appalachian Center for Craft. Studies at the center refined his interests in traditional salt and wood-firing processes. Rob produces functional wheel-thrown stoneware decorated with ash glazes.

As you can see from his smile, Rob has a warm and welcoming nature and he loves to talk about wood firing, turning pots and salt glazing.

The tentative date for the next firing is September 6th. Look for up-coming posts to follow this firing.