Wood Fired Raku

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Dorian Beaulieu with the assistance of David Beaulieu put on a two day wood fired raku workshop in Deerwood, MN on the 8th and 9th of October.

The air was filled with excitement when we showed up with everyone bustling to get things ready for the first day of workshops. Dorian and I started unpacking the kiln from the van. The entire kiln fit easily into the mini-van and within a couple of hours we had the kiln all setup and ready to fire its first load of pots. The kiln is extremely simple and with little knowledge can be built just about anywhere. We hunted for dirt to level the ground and if you look at the last picture on the bottom you can see the area after we cleaned up on the third day. Not a trace was left!

The kiln heats up very fast and within a couple of hours we had the first batch of raku pots out and soaking up the carbon. After the first firing it only took about 45 minutes for each additional load to come out. Nothing like using free wood to produce heat! Pallet wood is easy to find and free which works very well with this kiln design. Contact us if you would like additional information or if you would like us to put on a workshop at your location.

Happy Firing!!!

-David Beaulieu

Mini Kiln Firing

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I built a small simple wood fire kiln in my backyard that fits about 7 small pots. It is built similar to a Ken Olsen fast fire but it is much smaller and easier to fire. I decided to try a single fire and I am pleased with the results. It took 9 hours to get to cone 8 and I started with a wet kiln since it had rained the previous two days and the tarp fell apart letting in a lot of moisture.