Logan Utah Salt Fired Pottery | Utah Salt Kiln Project
Search for salt fired pottery in Utah and you will not find much. That is part of why I am building a salt kiln in Logan.
I fell for salt firing at Utah State University, where I was part of three salt firings. The surfaces were marked by flame and vapor instead of painted on, and I knew I wanted a salt kiln of my own. After years of saving and studying kiln design, I am building one here in Logan.
- Salt goes into the kiln at around 2,300 degrees and vaporizes instantly
- Sodium bonds with silica in the clay to form a glaze made by atmosphere and heat
- There are not many active salt kilns in northern Utah, which is part of the reason to build one
If you search for salt fired pottery in Utah, you will not find much. That is part of the reason I am building a salt kiln here in Logan. The real reason goes back to my time at Utah State University.
Three firings at Utah State
While I was studying there, I got to be part of three salt firings. I still remember the first one: the heat rolling off the kiln, the rhythm of feeding in salt, the waiting. There is a moment in a salt firing when everything feels suspended. The kiln is sealed, the temperature is climbing, and you know something irreversible is about to happen.
When we unloaded that first firing, I was hooked. The surfaces were not painted on and they were not controlled in the usual way. The flame had marked them. The vapor had moved through the chamber and left evidence behind: a soft orange peel texture, flashing where the heat hit hardest, variations that could never be repeated exactly. It felt alive.
How salt firing works
Salt firing works differently from most electric kiln firings. At around 2,300 degrees, rock salt goes into the kiln and vaporizes instantly. The sodium bonds with silica in the clay body and creates a natural glaze surface formed entirely by atmosphere and heat. The kiln does not just fire the pots. It finishes them.
Years of getting ready
After those firings at Utah State, I started thinking long term. I knew a salt kiln would not happen overnight. It meant planning, saving, learning, and committing to a process that does not offer quick results. So I did that. I spent years dreaming about it, saving for materials and studying kiln design. I paid attention to flame paths, stacking patterns, burner systems, and how local clay bodies respond to sodium vapor.
Now I am at the point where I can build one, and I am.
Why it matters here
There are not many active salt kilns in northern Utah. Building one in Logan feels both ambitious and necessary. If I am going to make salt fired pottery here, I want it rooted in process, not convenience.
This kiln will not just be equipment. It will shape the identity of the work. There will be failed firings, adjustments, long cooling cycles and learning curves. That is expected. But every time I think back to those three firings, I remember why this matters. Salt firing is not just a technique I admire. It is the process that made me fall in love with clay in the first place.
If you ever get the chance to help with a salt firing, take it, even if all you do is carry wood or watch cones. You learn more about atmosphere in one night beside a kiln than in a month of reading about it.
The kiln is going up one decision at a time. When it fires, the pots that come out will carry a little of those first three nights at Utah State.
