I have been having a lot of dreams about failed firings. I’m sure they won’t come true. It has to be nerves because the shows are looming and I have so much work to do.

Just loaded the kiln for another bisque firing. I’ve been working on some large, oddly shaped pieces and loading the kiln was a challenge! Lots of fun stuff.

That square piece in the middle isn’t a pot. It’s a small shelf, propped up on shelf posts. It sits about an inch below the lid of the kiln, where the top port is, and acts as a baffle. It forces the flame to go around it before exiting the kiln, helping to even out the heat between the top and bottom of the kiln. I used to have a real problem with heat difference from the bottom to the top of the kiln. Several experimental firings with the baffle in various positions taught me exactly where to place it for the best effect. Without the baffle, I can have a 2-3 cone heat differential. That’s big, especially in a glaze firing. The baffle brings that difference down to about half a cone, which is acceptable.