Woke up every morning to the company of the anagama kiln right outside the Old Pottery Studio. The kiln is fired two to four times a year as one of Hambidge's ongoing events: http://www.hambidge.org/anagama-kiln-firings.html
I was able to meet with Tom "Tamba" Egan who oversees the firing and he placed a couple of my eggs in the firing.
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© H.Boone.2013
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…“With each additional firing of the Hambidge anagama we try to build on what we have learned from each previous firing. On the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of May we fired the kiln with the largest group we have ever had in attendance, 23 people. The group included a nice mix of new people and regulars who have been to 5 or 6 firings. The loading went smooth and we were able to light the kiln 3 hours ahead of schedule. With the additional 2 hours of firing we would do on Sunday morning this would be an additional 5 hours at temperature which is significant for our length of firings. With all our past experience in place, the one element we would battle all weekend was the weather. From about 8:00 p.m. Friday until Sunday morning it rained. The rains were torrential at times and light at others. But it rained the entire firing. The atmospheric conditions often help the firing but as the bands of the storm moved through we were constantly adjusting the damper to keep the appropriate back pressure. The end result was some hard work that produced some beautiful pots. The back of the kiln was almost 50 degrees hotter than we have ever had it and a more even distribution of heat from front to back. The front of the kiln was dripping with ash. The shinos at the very front of the kiln showed some coppery iridescence that is hard to replicate and the tenmoku did a wonderful job of showing all the variations the ash can produce. The raw bodies and the flashing slips produced good color throughout the kiln. All in all a successful firing with people looking forward to the next one.”
Tom Egan.2013