Kiln work continues and Fired the calcine kiln

It rained this morning, but I was still able to put in a good chunk of time working on the kiln. Working on the foundation for the rest of the kiln. Finished digging it out (the rain had made it sooo humid!), set bricks in level on the sides, and spread gravel to help with drainage. Next I need to clean more brick and then I will be ready to set the back floor....

Also spent the day calcining a young fox that we found dead along the road the other day...

Kiln Building-Firebox Floor set!

I returned a month ago from the workshop in Oregon and, finding myself without a job, really spent a good chunk of time working on my own Ohio Anagama Kiln. I decided not to use the Fox Hole Kiln, so I sealed it up and continued digging out the foundation.

The actual kiln foundation is a 2" bed of gravel with a 2" bed of sand/portland cement. I level the first course of bricks onto the dry bed of sand and then wet it down real well to set the portland cement underneath. The gravel should help keep any water from settling under the kiln.

The pictures above show my finished Firebox floor and the first step up in to the chamber. Pretty exciting to be actually setting the floor down!!!!

The big toad I found under my first pallet of bricks that I used...