Pit Firing

At the end of May, in our camp in the Swell, we put some of VSO's primitive pots into the campfire.  The firing failed.  There were problems with the clay that VSO mixed, but also we didn't achieve ceramic status because the fire was too cool.  Yesterday, we tried again.

We did a few things differently.  First, we dug a pit.  Second, I brought the saw so we could cut a good pile of wood.  Third, VSO used her new pyrometer to ensure that the fire reached 750F.  When the flames died down, we covered the whole thing with dirt and went to bed.  This morning we dug it up.  Success was mixed.  But, there was success:  Intact ceramic!