FRANCES HATFIELD'S KILN IN THE OKANAGAN

This propane kiln was built over a period of about two years.
Through inexperience and lack of a totally coherent plan we did
waste money. A good example being the welding of a frame
which was obviously too small and which had to be knocked
down and finally re-welded into long uprights to brace the cor-
ners of the chimney. Having got that mistake behind us we
managed to blunder into a few minor ones, but not of serious
cost or consequence.

After pouring over the few available books we could lay hands
on, we set forth during hot August with the willing help of
Jean-Marie Weakland, Walter Dexter and Wendy Birch. A good
foundation had already been laid up, of concrete block going
down four feet to avoid the chance of deep winter freezing get-
ting under the works. In one week of heat and beer our foursome
laid up the walls, built the arch form and laid on most of the
arch, Inner brick is first quality skagits but the outer are fire
brick seconds which gave us more trouble than the saving was
worth because they were warped and cracked. But, with fire-
clay mortar up she went. Later the angle of the arch had to be
changed so we tore it down and re-built it three times before
we were satisfied (or is one ever satisfied 7). The kiln is
about forty-two cubic foot capacity and fires with 4 burners
built by Jack Wells. The local gas firm did all the lines and
connections back to the 1000 gallon propane tank. Burner
ports are about 4x4 inches each and are staggered, in other
words, not facing directly at one another across the kiln. The
baffle walls are 26 inches high at the back and about 23 toward
the door of the kiln. They are made of old kiln shelves, to-
tally overlapping one another and are set 4 inches inside the
inner walls. The kiln door is quite large, has to be bricked up
each time, taking well over an hour and is an infernal nuisan-
ce, so that is due for a change after I take a good look at some
of these new space age materials. The whole beast is caged
ina welded frame, of course. The chimney, built of fire brick
for the first 4 ft. and then old commons up to 14 ft. is probably

going to prove the weakest link, as the commons have cracked

6,