Emerald Green Flame

I fired Lucille for the second time last Sunday, a week after attending the Britt & Bailey workshop.
I candled the kiln overnight because it had been very damp in our area for a while and I just wanted to ease into the heat. I packed the kiln better this time...maybe too much?

 

At 6:30 a.m. I lit the right burner and after an hour lit the second one. This time I understood the importance of letting adjustments take place- gave them time to show an effect...unlike the first firing when I was relentlessly tinkering with ALL the adjustments, ALL the time.  Heat built up at a good rate and the kiln did not stall. I was able to shut it down- with a 30 minute hold- at 4:30 p.m.

John Britt described firing a gas kiln as dealing with a race horse- you don't let a race horse just go all out, no, you control the power and ease it into full force. So, when I got anxious I thought of the race horse analogy and it helped me think more clearly!



 This was taken before the green flame occurred



Thank goodness for the oxygen probe- LOVE IT!! Worth every penny, for sure, especially for this reduction beginner.

During the firing I checked the chimney and the flame was green~ remarkable! I was told, at the workshop, that this can occur with reduction- though I have absolutely no idea why it happens. I should have gotten a photo~ but I was so excited I stopped taking pictures.

I have no idea how the green flame occurs and tried to do some googling on it, but found no great explanation- can anyone fill me in?

During this firing Lucille fired hotter on the bottom,  significantly hotter, which I need to work out. It's my understanding that to drive heat to the top of the kiln (downdraft) the damper needs to be opened more (yes?)...but the predicament is that then I lose reduction. Any advice out there? I think I also need to move the target brick to help with heat flow- putting it closer to the flame to drive the flame up... right?!



Malcolm Shino



Regardless I was thrilled with the results and I learned a lot *again*. During the next month I will make a bunch of new glazes for reduction and will experiment with various combos.  Additionally I need to work on the gravity levels of the shinos...they were a little thin this time. Have you read the pages on Shino glazes in Britt's book~ wow, so many variations and possibilities!

                     

 Thanks for reading and any input you have would be greatly appreciated!