Dragon Kilns

This weekend Studio Link is out to the farm to fire some of my wares in a large wood fire kiln.

The difference between wood fire and electric kilns are vast. The results achieved when firing a wood fire or gas fire kiln seem to be the desired technique (reduction firing) by most, but, that is just my opinion and there are just as many arguments for oxidation firing (electric).

The Dragon Kiln has to be one of the most fascinating Kilns I have ever come across. It was use over 2000 years ago. Not just for creative art but for production as well as the kiln could hold 80 000 porcelain pots.

Dragon kilns originated in south China about 2,000 years ago

The extinct dragons lie with heads at the base of the hill and tails at the top. Each kiln had a fire bore, kiln house, and smoke outlet, and could produce about 80,000 porcelain pieces at a time.

The wares were fired at 1100? to 1200? for forty hours or so, and cooled for another 24 before they could be taken out to produce the exotic gold-accented black-glazed porcelain so prized by the Japanese and Koreans

Dragon kiln

1 Door about 75 centimeters (30 in) wide

2 Firebox

3 Stacking floor made of silica sand

4 Dampers
5 Flue
6 Chimney
7 Refractory arch