Desperate Potters

Yahel's newly-built gas kiln has declined on 3 occasions to reach cone 8. Sydney and I spent many an hour plotting what might be done to improve the situation -the kiln is well built and looks like it should work. Having checked vital dimensions of 5 other [working] similar kilns,we helped Yahel enlarge the burner entry ports a tad, open the exit flues somewhat,and load a fairly openly-stacked glaze kiln last week.This morning we joined Yahel for the firing,which went gratifyingly smoothly,reaching 1250 in 10 1/2 hours with hardly any effort on our part. All 3 of us agreed that we learned a great deal from the experience,not only about kiln construction,but also about persistence and perseverence,which the late Mick Casson memorably claimed were the main qualities that this profession of pottery requires.