This book is a guide to the principles involved in firing kilns. In The Art of Firing, Nils Lou reflects on his lifetime passion for kilns, helping us to understand how kilns work, and giving us access to that chamber of mysteries. He also discusses the structure of various fuel-burning kilns and explains how kilns work. While he accepts that potters tend to fire kilns by 'the seat of their pants', he firmly believes that a sound knowledge of the science involved is necessary to underpin the intuitive approach. Looking into the spyhole of a kiln through a safety lens is a captivating experience. At temperature, molten glazes can reflect as mirrors do. For predictable and reliable results we need to know how pots react to atmospheric changes both inside and outside the kiln, how to diagnose problems so results can be improved and how to eliminate poor firings. Inconsistent reds and other fugitive glazes, stalling just before maturity, propane gas freeze-up, and inefficient fuel consumption are among the common problems, but all are solvable. In this book you will find the kind of working information you can use to make your kiln perform properly and efficiently. Nils Lou's unique curiosity about the behaviour of kilns makes this book a treasure trove for a newcomer to firing, as well as to an experienced potter with a yearning to push past old myths and blind spots about kiln firing.-- 9. Lan.

Fire can fascinate, inspire, capture the imagination and bring families and communities together. It has the ability to amaze, energise and touch something deep inside all of us. For thousands of years, at every corner of the globe, humans have been huddling around fires: from the basic and primitive essentials of light, heat, energy and cooking, through to modern living, fire plays a central role in all of our lives. The ability to accurately and quickly light a fire is one of the most important skills anyone setting off on a wilderness adventure could possess, yet very little has been written about it. Through his narrative Hume also meditates on the wider topics surrounding fire and how it shapes the world around us.

This guide to using an outdoor oven “skillfully guides the reader” with photos, directions, and recipes for everything from pizza to poultry (Alice Waters). Andrea Mugnaini has spent over twenty years perfecting the craft of wood-fired cooking. A pioneer of the industry, she founded the first cooking school dedicated to wood-fired cooking—and her oven importing company has brought the Italian style of cooking and living to America. The Art of Wood-Fired Cooking begins with detailed instructional information on the ins and outs of the wood-burning oven. Mugnaini reveals the methods she has been teaching through her classes—and shares delicious recipes for pizzas, breads, fish, poultry, meats, vegetables, pastas, and desserts. Fire up the oven and enjoy: Butterflied Shrimp Zucchini Gratin with Tomatoes and Gruyere Tuscan-Style Pot Roast with Herbs and Chianti Focaccia with Onions and Thyme Limoncello Bread Pudding with Fresh Blackberries

Demonstrating four different clay-firing techniques, this book illustrates the diverse results that each can produce.

This book covers techniques of firing and finishing at low temperature without using glazes. Many ancient cultures and contemporary potters use methods of low firing, adding slips and burnishing pieces to create a more natural finish. The advantages are that it can be done without a kiln using old dustbins, pits dug out of the earth, or bonfires, meaning that providing you have outdoor space, it can be done on a low budget. This book is a step-by-step practical approach and beginner's guide, which focuses on how to do low firing and natural finishes, with many illustrations of beautiful work by contemporary makers. Chapters include burnishing, terra sigillata, smoke-firing, pit-firing, saggar firing and raku techniques.

Advanced techniques in raku firing; covers production, kiln construction, glaze formulation, tools and more.

Covers such topics as the history and philosophy of raku, types of clay, forming techniques, firing, glazes and decoration. Types of kilns and kiln construction are also fully explained and the book includes a gallery of works from around the world along with updated clay and glaze recipes.