Short Summary
Hi, I am David Voorhees, an artist from Western North Carolina. I've been making
pottery since 1975 and built my wood-fired car kiln in 2009. After 22
firings it became apparent that some structural problems required the
rebuilding of the firebox section. I am now fundraising to help pay for the four-month reconstruction project which has recently been completed.
My unusual kiln draws design components
from historical kilns and industrial applications and is one of a small handful of
wood-fired car kilns in the world. I use waste wood from local sawmills to fuel the
kiln. Each firing lasts 24 to 30 hours, using 1 1/2 cords of wood and requires several helpers to prepare
and fire. I have hosted about 40 regional potters and sculptors as firing
participants over the years. An added feature of my kiln is the built-in pizza
oven which insures plenty of helpers from the community.
With a well-studied firebox redesign, I
have used all new high-heat duty bricks in hot face areas and reused any old bricks where
appropriate. Funding will help pay for these new bricks and steel and welding
costs. I have applied for a local arts grant to fund new kiln shelves to make the
project complete. The original kiln was entirely self-funded at around
$10,000.
With my wood-fired kiln back in operation I
can get back to doing what I love and that is making pottery! This kiln
gives excellent results that only wood firing and soda glazing can do, imparting the marks and path of the flame and fly ash. I am excited to see
what new creations will be coming from each firing in the future and know that more regional artists will benefit as well from the community aspect of my kiln. A "shakedown" firing has been completed recently with good results, so I'm ready to get firing again!
The original kiln construction is documented on my website and is available to the public. I plan to make the reconstruction images available as well, hopefully being of use to other potters considering a trolley version for their wood-fired kiln plans.
I hope you can help with funding; please
check out the perks I am offering, many of the pots coming out of the first few firings of
the improved and rebuilt kiln. Thanks for helping Light My Fire!
What We Need & What You Get
I am hoping to raise at least $3900.
Refractories (bricks, fire clay, castable,
and coating): $3000
Steel and welding: $300
Misc. (blades, cables and hardware):
$200
Fulfillment costs: $400
I have some Light My Fire! items from my electric kilns that are ready to send out on short notice.
Many of my wood-fired pottery perks will be in the first full firing in early November or the following firing.
Other perks feature pizza party, jewelry made by my wife, firing space and "pick of the kiln".
Your funding help will go toward offsetting the cost of the project in the event that my goal is not fully reached. And, if we go over my funding goal, they will be dedicated to purchasing wood from the sawmill for future firings.
Thanks for your interest in my fundraising project, please feel free to share with any interested friends.
The Impact
With my newly improved wood-fired kiln up and running, my focus now turns to making art pottery again. What new creations will come from this fire breathing beast? I can hardly wait to find out! And that is the real adventure of my journey as an artist; the exploration of what has yet to come from my hands, head and heart.
I love to share what I'm learning and am available for workshops and consulting. My interest and research into wood fired kilns has led the creation of two resources accessible to other potters:
Risks & Challenges
With any site-built kiln there is the unknown as to how well it will perform and endure such demanding temperatures. I have learned much from the first two incarnations of this kiln. I actually built a small test kiln and fired it only twice to ensure that I wanted to proceed with the Bourry firebox design, then proceeded with the larger car kiln. I feel confident that the changes I have designed into this one are all improvements but realize that it will take a few firings to "dial it in". I love problem solving and welcome the new learning curve.
Other Ways You Can Help
Thanks for your interest in my fundraising campaign and my kiln rebuilding project. Even if you can't help but would like to keep up with my wood-firing adventures, go to my website and sign up for newsletters and upcoming events. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who might be interested either by sending emails with the link or using some of Indiegogo share tools.
