Why I need a Pottery Firing devil

What a pottery firing devil is? That’s the spirit who protects the ceramic kiln from dark influences. It’s the protector of pots who are about to endure the hellish fire.

Why do I need one? Well, I can explain that to you. But let me begin with a potter’s prayer from almost 3,000 years ago to Athena, goddess of crafts:

“Grant that the potters may get great gain and grant me so to sing to them.
But if you become shameless and make false promises, then I call together the destroyers of kilns, Syntribos (Shatter) and Smaragos (Smash) and Asbetos (Char) and Sabaktes (Collapse) and Omodamos (Melt) who can bring this craft much mischief.”
_{From: Homer’s Epigrams, Fragment 14 (Greek epic, 8th or 7th century BC)}

Threatened by the five devils of pottery disaster, I had no choice but to take protective measures. It’s about time I made my own ceramic firing devil.

Pottery firing devil or kiln goddess?

I do not feel threatened by the five “Daemones Ceramici” like the potters in classical Greece of Homer. But I’m no stranger to “shattered,” “smashed”, “charred,” “crashed” and “crudebaked (fused together)” ceramics. I think every potter will come across this once when he or she opens the kiln…

What the cure is for this adversity is always in dispute. These days, I read very conflicting advice on Facebook when ceramists share their misfortunes. In the past, this was no different. But what everyone agreed upon is that you’d better appease the gods before firing the kiln.

In the world, this happened in different ways. Sometimes a flower or a glass of sake was sacrificed (or was it drunk?). In China, kiln gods and goddesses were made for protection. And I scare off the evil spirits with my own made pottery firing devil.

Not superstition but Murphy’s law

I made my last firing devil at least 15 years ago, so it was high time to make a new one. I made my devil out of white-stoneware clay. Great fun while making and in the bisque firing no problems.

But after glazing, things went wrong. During the glaze firing, the kiln stopped at about 1100 ^oC (2000 F). That is well below 1280 ^oC (2336 F) at which my glazes melt. Hey, what was going on? The revenge of the Daemones Ceramici?

When the kiln had cooled down I could find out, the lower coil completely burned out. That’s the coil that’s most difficult to replace. No evil spirits, but Murphy’s law.

“Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong (at one time)”.

Measures against Murphy

Fortunately, I have already taken action against Murphy’s law. In addition to an electric kiln, I also have a gas kiln, of the same size. I transferred all works from the electric to the gas kiln, including my pottery firing devil. Fired again, now up to 1280 oC (2336 F: cone 10) and ready.

Okay, it took a little longer than I hoped for, but finally I got my hands on my own firing devil. Yes, with gloves on. This devil protects my kiln, but not my hands when I take it out of the kiln too hot.

Oh, what about the electric kiln? I have repaired it already. I had a spare coil to be able to replace it immediately. A firing devil is a good protector against evil spirits.

Spare materials on the shelf is the protection against Murphy’s law.