Wysing anagama February 07 firing log.

Cones: 07, 1,6,8,9,10,11,12,13,15

Fuel: Slab pine barked off cuts.
Walnut

Thursday:

8am Kiln lit, small fire outside lower stoke hole

Fire kept small for most of the day.

4pm Start to drop wood from upper stoke hole.

8.15pm Lower fire mouth half closed. Stoking half through top and keeping coals up through lower.

8.45pm Pyro (beneath back top cone viewing hole) 500C

10pm 3 bricks in lower fire mouth (1 end brick hole). Half bricks on end in all under grate air. Increased quantity of stoked fuel. Trying to keep from reducing but inevitably smoking a little.

10.15pm Cone 07 over at front.

11.30 Cone 01 over front bottom left. Cone 07 over front top right. (700 Pyro).

Friday

1.30 am (800 Pyro)

2.40 am Cone 6 over front. Alternate stoking between 1 or 2 stokes of pine through front followed by 3 stokes of hard wood slats through side stoke port.

7.45 am Cone 10 over front. Chimney flame view hole closed and damper slots blocked to increase draw from chimney. Pyro removed.

8.15am Cone 11 over front. Under grate air opened. 2 end bricks in lower fire mouth rest of space filled with thin wood to facilitate air movement through coals. Stoking to firebox blow hole. Still quite large stokes.

11.00am Cone 12 and 13 bending at front. Cone 6, ½ over at back top right. Cone 6 back bottom left not moving. Pull out flame viewing hole and continue to stoke to chimney.

3.00pm Back cones still not moving. Adjust lower fire mouth to 3 bricks in (end brick sized hole). Replace chimney flame viewing hole brick. Fully open under grate air (flattening embers frequently to maintain good air flow). Rapid stoking 2/3 pieces of pine through front stoking to flame from fire box blow hole.

5.00 pm Cone 9 over back bottom left. (Above stoking pattern broke back temp. plateau).

7.00pm Cone 10 over at back. Set kiln to tick over night maintaining temp. Close up lower stoke hole. End bricks in all under grate air. Chimney flame viewing hole open and passive dampers out. Alternating side stoking and front stoking through the night.

Saturday

8.45 Replace passives and chimney flame viewing brick, open lower fire mouth bricks to 1 end brick hole and fully open under grate air (again, raking coals flat regularly). Begin fast stoking small amounts (2 or 3 pieces) through the front and alternating pine side stoke through the side. Same set up as yesterday which dropped the cone 9 at the back. Stoking to fire box blowhole.

9.45am Cone 11 bottom left back ½ down. Cone 12 top back right bending. Continue same stoking pattern.

1.30pm Cone 11 back bottom left flat cone 12, ½ over.
Cone 12 back top right flat.

Seal up all front air intakes and 3 side stoke ports. Fill top stoke with pine and seal up Cap chimney. Fill firebox with hard wood slats. When smoke begins to clear refill with hardwood. Continue for 1-½ hours. To reduction cool.

3.00pm End

55 hrs.