Last time, we showed you how we loaded up and prepared our salt kiln; now it’s time to fire it up and get these pottery pieces cooking!

Once the kiln is fired, our team brings it up to a temperature of over 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit before adding salt to create the unique glaze of these hand-shaped pieces.

Over the course of several days, we monitor the process by checking draw rings – special clay rings created and placed strategically throughout the kiln to show us how dark the glaze is getting – and by occasionally peeking into the kiln through little peepholes covered by removable bricks. Watch the full video here to see how we do this.

Now comes the hardest part – waiting to see how the finished products will look! Stay tuned for the final step of unloading the kiln…we can’t wait to show you how they turned out!

Ryan Forrey is lead potter in Greenfield Village’s Pottery Shop, where throwing pottery is a fun and rewarding job – but nothing like the movie Ghost.