18/04/2026
Suddenly last month we woke up to a crisis with gas supplies. At Mantra we had switched from wood firing (1981-2004) to gas from 2004 onwards. We built a small wood kiln mainly to use firewood for bisque firings as there’s always a supply of dead wood, pruning etc. Our old workhorse wood kiln was dismantled but we managed to keep most of the old firebricks and now are happily repairing our fireboxes in anticipation of getting back to wood firing. I’d actually got fed up of too much ash everywhere in the kiln especially at the top and had even been interviewed for a publication that sought a counter view on Anagamas which have somehow become the ‘fashion’ of late. But the mischievous gods were listening and here we are planning to wood fire again. Whatever happens out there Mantra is not going to declare a CEASE FIRE!! 😎..the images above are of making our own refractory channels, spy bricks and hollow door blocks (2 parts fireclay, 1/2 part coarse grog, 1/2 part Med grog). Fortunately for us in this corner of South India, casuarina pine is grown as a crop and easily available so we’ve got 3.5 tonnes drying out and young supervisor Khabilan is absolutely ready for action!
