My friend Fred Gregory built a gas fired kiln this winter, so I thought I'd put up some photos of the process. It's a copy of my kiln, except that he built it on cinder block instead of a steel frame, and his is a couple of inches taller (for bragging rights). He figured that since mine fired so nicely, he might as well build the same thing. Fred did all the brick work, and I helped him out with putting up steel, and I built the burner system. He did a beautiful job on the construction, which was expected since he is an engineer.

The first firing was great- about 1/2 cone difference top to bottom, with nice even reduction. Couldn't ask for better on the first firing. I know kilns that don't fire that well after years! Here's the photos of the building process:

Cinder block layout     

 Floor and start of walls                                                                
Walls going up

Steel up, skew bricks and arch form in place
                                                     

Arch bricks going on

Removing the arch form


Burner system


Loaded up and ready to brick the door. For now, Fred's just bricking up the door by hand for each firing. He may build a rolling door later. I love my rolling door, however I fire a lot more often than he does, and I have a lack of space to store a bunch of bricks. His kiln is in his barn, so he's got plenty of room, and he's only firing every couple of months (he's got a real job during the day).

So that's Fred's kiln. Go take a look at it next time you're in Wisconsin, and buy some of his pots. He makes really wonderful functional ware. For those of you from Lake County, just go north on Hunt Club Road into Wisconsin. His place is on the right, just a couple of miles north of the border.

Bristol Pottery
Fred Gregory
11227 136th Ave.
Kenosha, WI