By wood firing pottery, a great variation in the glazing effects can be achieved on the same pot. The pot always shows the direction that the flames travel as they head to the chimney. Glazes can be applied to the pottery so that all the clay isn’t covered if you wish. The burning wood creates an ash that can accumulate on the pottery to form a glaze on the side facing the fire. With the buildup of ash, this formed glaze starts to run down the pot. Exposed clay is affected by the flames that can work their magic and add color to the pot. Also, with the combustion of the wood, the pots are in an oxygen starved flame path.

The flames attack the glaze and clay as it tries to find oxygen to burn. This reduction process gives wood fired pots a special attraction.

Wood firing is labor intensive. A few days of breaking apart pallets gives enough wood for a firing. The wood is fed into the fire a few pieces at a time to get up to required temperatures. Starting at the ambient outdoor temperature, you rise slowly to about 2200 degrees Fahrenheit (1200 Celsius) where the pottery is completely fired. It usually takes 14 hours of feeding the wood to the kiln and then a couple of days for the kiln to cool.

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