Hi everybody, I am working on a novel and need some help. One of my characters makes salt-glazed pottery. I was inspired by seeing pictures of old American Stoneware. I have never made pottery or used a kiln, however, so I have a few questions for those of you who could help me make this detail of the story as accurate as possible.

1. The man lives with his wife in an old and cold Massachusetts house in the woods with no neighbors. The kiln is in the basement and the man who does the pottery keeps the windows open in that basement. Can a kiln exist in the basement of a house if that basement is well-ventilated? Is the smoke that emits from a kiln when salt is added thick enough where it would need to be outside?

2. What kind of salt is used for salt glaze pottery? Would you use any brand from your local grocery store, or does it have to be from a craft store? (This is important as there is a character who brings the elderly couple their groceries.) I've been looking for this answer on a couple of websites but seem to get a lot of mixed results.

Thank you for anyone who has any answers and I apologize for my ignorance on these topics! :)

Marnie