Soda Firing 5-20-25

This will be our 18th Kiln Firing. Follow along with the firing as I update this page on the hour.
Cones in our cone packs 012, 010, 06, 1, 4, 5, 6, 7

This firing is FULL, FULL, FULL. We had a great kiln loading crew with Chris, Alison, Alex, Charlotte, Anika & Myself.

I will be firing overnight with two burners. As we get closer to the end of the firing I will start forecasting when soda introduction will be. Hopefully it will be around 1-2pm, but it’s hard to say at this point.

Chris adjusted the target bricks by moving them a few inches back toward the door. This was a better setting from previous firings that we are returning to.

We will be spraying in 4 pounds of soda and reducing the kiln while we spray it in at peak temperature.

Kiln Log:

I will log at the top of the hour here what temperature, gas, damper, and notes pertaining to the firing.

  • 7:00pm - 62ºF, KILN START TIME - South pilots & burner lit, gas at candle (not reading on dial)
    Damper at 1”. It’s windy and the burner is sputtering.

  • 8:00pm - 277ºF, South pilots & burner lit, gas at 0.5, Damper at 1”

  • 9:00pm - 558ºF, Both burners lit. Sout burner at 0.5, Noth burner candling.

  • 10:00pm - Top Temp 981ºF, Bottom Temp 500ºF
    Air and Low/Medium, Damper at 2”

  • 2:00am - 1335ºF/ 1118ºF, Air bumped a touch, Damper at 2.5”

  • 3:00am - 1495ºF/1255ºF, Gas at 1#, Air bumped a touch, Damper at 3'“

  • 6:00am - 1758ºF/ 1559ºF, Gas at 2#, Damper at 1.5” Air at Medium.
    Cones: 012 down top n bottom. 010 down top. This is body reduction time. Reducing the air helps give the clay bodies a toasty coloration.

  • 7:00am - 1762ºF/ 1624ºF, Gas at 1.75#, Damper at 2” Air at Medium.
    Cones: 012 down top n bottom. 010 down top and bottom.

  • 8:00am - 1844ºF/ 1715ºF, The kiln climbed slower during body reduction. The damper is more opened up now and we are setting a good pace. Gas at 2#, Damper at 1.5” Air at Medium.

  • 9:00am - 1916ºF/ 1811ºF, the bottom is catching up while we climb.
    Gas at 2#, Damper at 2” Air at Medium.

  • 10:00am - 1971ºF/ 1874ºF, Gas at 2.5#, Damper at 2.5” Air at Medium.
    back pressure/ flame on top, but not the bottom
    Cone 1 down top, bending bottom

  • 11:00am - 2010ºF/ 1933ºF, Gas at 2.5#, Damper at 2.5” Air at High.

  • 12:00pm - 2101ºF/ 2013ºF, Gas at 2.5#, Damper at 2.5” Air at High.
    Cone 4 bending on top

    I am guessing we will introduce soda around 1:30pm this afternoon. Stay tuned as the firing progresses for updates : )

  • 1:00pm - 2144ºF/ 2067ºF, Gas at 3#, Damper at 2.5” Air at High.
    Prepping soda for introduction. Cone 5 soft top, cone 4 soft bottom

  • 1:30pm - Soda intro starting.
    Cone 6 soft on top and back peeps. Cool in the front bottom.
    4.5 pounds soda

    First 2 rounds of soda I did on my own at 10 sec. sprayed into each port.
    20 degree drop. Not spraying in far back bottom peeps nearest to burner ports

    Right after soda introduction I pushed the Damper into 1” for more carbon trapping in soda

    Flames coming out by door/ all peeps. Top temp holding

    2127/2053 Bottom temp slowly climbing

    Charlotte (one round @ 7 seconds), Jody (two rounds @ 7 seconds), Me (three rounds @ 10 seconds)

    We took soda slower and it was nice. We finished soda at 2:30pm.

    I turned the burners down to 2# and soaked the kiln trying to get the bottom hotter.
    2127/2053 Held it at around this temperature for 20 minutes and then shut off the kiln.


    While firing I wired up the kiln pad to have a GFCI outlet near the burners! ⚡︎ So no more long extension cord to fire the kiln. And we will have an overhead light just for dark winter firings as well. Hurray. That has been on the list for a long time.

  • 3:00pm Shut off the kiln.
    🟠 GREAT firing! Great help! Thanks ALL! 🟠

The darker line is the top of the kiln temperature, the lighter grey line is the bottom temperature