WORD OF THE WEEK - 11 May 2015 - KILL

KILL :  Kiln. Oven. Bottle Oven. Enamel Kiln. Tunnel Kiln. Top Hat Kiln. Intermittent Kiln. Rapid Fire Kiln. And more ...

It's where the metamorphosis of clay, during firing, takes place. It's where the irreversible change from clay to pot, upon which the whole of the craft and industry, is founded. The change which takes place in the kill at around 600 Celsius. It's where clay loses its chemically-bound water molecules and can no longer be broken down by water. Once this change has occurred it cannot be reversed. Ever. This ceramic change converts fragile and crumbly dry clay from Mother Earth into hard brittle pottery. This is both a chemical and physical change to the structure of the clay. Magic by fire!