Insulating Blanket Coating

The kiln now has a coat of Kaowool, a spun clay material that has an insulating quality and can withstand temperatures in excess of 2000 degrees F.  This material is similar to the tiles that cover the surface of the Space Shuttle and keep it from burning up during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.  You can see from the photo that on the kiln it is held in place with wire which will also act a surface to grip and hold a coat of A.P. Green refractory stucco insulation that will cover the outside of the arch and further help to retain heat in the kiln during firings.   

Finishing the Chimney

The chimney is done at last.  You can see by this photo that the structure rises 14 feet above the level of the kiln floor and required using my neighbor Dave's scaffolding to put the upper parts of the stack in place.  Cody and I came up with the brick detailing at the top for a little fun at the end of a challenging part of the kiln's building process.  We also finished attaching the last elements of the roof in place and made flashing for the space between the roof and the chimney.  The damper is enclosed in the stack(where the chimney corbels in to a smaller diameter) and will help control the amount of draft the kiln will draw during a firing.