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Technical Information

Three pre-prepared clay bodies are used; Spencroft AWS/IG grogged buff, Scarva Earthstone Original smooth white, Potclays Original Crank. Clays are thrown and wall plates are slab formed. All pieces are biscuit fired in an electric kiln. Numerous glazes have been developed for both electric and oil fired reduction kiln. Currently up to 12 glazes are in use, often overlapping or layered to give the most exciting or unexpected results, especially in reduction firings. Cobalt or copper/rutile based glazes with a chun glaze on top give particularly vibrant and striking results, especially when contrasted with tenmoku, dry ash or shino glazes.

Most of the work is produced in the oil kiln which is fired to Cone 9 under moderately heavy reduction for about 10 hours. The oil is then turned off, firebars are introduced, and the kiln is fired with soda-coated wood for about 1 hour. The long flame of the wood distributes the soda (1Kg) to pots placed along the sides of the kiln and highlights the shino glazes. The copper glazed pots further away from the fireboxes which could be damaged by the soda, are relatively sheltered. At the end of the firing Cone 10 is down and the kiln is crash cooled for about 20 mins.