DOWNDRAFT GHS KILN WITH GISQUE CHAMBERS by France Holliger

Since writing previously about kilns, my own has been com-
pleted and fired severel times.

The design is an adaptation from Ahocde's book "Kilns" and
incorporates the space that squares off the buse into a 63"

x 63" surface for the bisque-chamber additions. These have

a content of 3 cuhic feet each, which means thet this space
holds enough bisque ware to be glized for the next glost
Firing. It takes me about two months to pot enough to fill
the two chambers, which is a saving of possibly three bisque-
firings in my small electric kiln.

Most of the kiln is built of insulating brick, with hard
refractory used for the chimney (9'high) and the floor

(2 courses) and the baqwall (appr. 18" high) and the front
support of the cast arch, either side of the bricked-in
door. The lids of the bisque-chambers are also cast and the
chimney cap too. Gver the arch is a blanket, hardware cloth
and concrete final surface.

Arch measures, from floor to bottom of centre bricks, 45.5",
and from skewback to skewback, 45.5", Ware chamber, from
bagqwall to bagwall, 27", from inside door to back wall, 36".
There are & burners, Clachrie mfg., with 4 pilot lights

and one automatic shut-off with thermocouple.

I am considering various suggestions as to how the bisque
chambers could be used for other purposes. Une that appeals
most is that of "primitive smoking" of black ware, such

as described in Ceramics Monthly (Vol.22, mo.3). This means
a temperature of approximately the same as bisque O8, a one
Fire process. My only problem, seemingly, is tn locate the
rosin for the smoking process, but I]'m working on that.
Another suggestion is raku, but I think there are better
methods than adapting a bisque chamber to this. nother,
the burning of ash material, I am afraid might take the ash
beyond the point of eutectics so that it would require
grinding following.

I have adjusted the bagwall several times in firing since

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