November firing results

Well we did it. We ended up firing on Sunday afternoon. Started by digging a new pit. We eliminated the dung, salt logs, and saggars in this firing. We played with increasing the ratio of bananas, also played with baking soda vs salt. We also had several other "test" in this pit. Luckily we are just firing for a little stock so we did not need a big turnout. The baking soda did not produce or facilitate the colors as the salt did. The bananas did not do as they had in the past. The stoneware did not handle the firing as well as it had in the past. We will add the dung and salt logs back into the mix next spring. We have a few finishable pieces which I will post some of the pics later this week. On the bright side, the new pit design worked wonderfully, burned evenly and created a even bed of ash for the pots to finish in. We had a chance to bury pit #2 so it can return to the prairie landscape. And best of all the cows stayed away this time!