Pilchuck Furnace Builders

Days 4 & 5: Wiggle Wiggle Slam Wiggle — Refractory Revelations & Electrical Adventures

There’s a rhythm emerging in this rebuild—one that’s equal parts physical labor, technical learning, and the camaraderie of shared effort.

Wiggle Wiggle Slam Wiggle. That’s not just the method we use to seat bricks—it’s our new motto!

These past two days were heavy on preparation. We cut and welded the metal supports for the cage that will house the fan and electrical elements above the furnace. It’s slow-going, exacting work. We also prepared the furnace floor, which has two layers of soft refractory bricks (for insulation), and a third layer of hard brick.

We also cut and installed microporous insulation and frax, packing it between the outer furnace wall and the brick lining. This is the unseen but vital insulation that helps everything hold temperature efficiently.

This morning we had a 2 hour lecture on refractory. What a treat to be in this class! I will make a more technical entry, but for now, I am happy learning that the harder the brick, the less insulating it is. The yellower the brick, the more iron it has, and this needs to be separated from any contact with the molten glass (or it will turn green).

In between all that brick and metal work, Fred gave us a fun challenge: in pairs, we had to guess what the controller’s panel layout would look like based on the electrical schematics we've been learning to read. Each team ordered the components and snapped a photo of their proposed setup. Tomorrow we find out who came closest to the real thing. It’s a brilliant way to learn—not just theory, but applied knowledge. Reading schematics used to feel like deciphering a foreign language; now it’s starting to make sense.

Tomorrow is Day 6, and I suspect we’ll be picking up the pace. But for now, I’m grateful. I’m covered in brick dust and having so much fun!

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