I am very new at this. Please forgive me. I love firing like this, what kind of clay is used for this kind of firing Pottery and how do I know what temp it has reached and for how long. Thank u so much, love this. Please Keep it up. Need all the info, I can get
Hubby just built me a downdraft barrel kiln, just like yours! I can't wait to try it. To what cone do you bisque fire your pots before putting them in the downdraft kiln? I am using medium fire stoneware clay (Laguana B-Mix & Plainsman M332 red clay). I burnished the pieces and will not use T-sig. I am also wondering what you did when you loaded the kiln. Do you allow chips or sawdust to go through the grate to fall on either side of the slotted pipe inside? thanks in advance
Hi John, Is there a way with the primitive, non insulated firing like pit fire, barrel fire,... that the pots are gonna be waterproof? Because i like these ways of firing very much but its never usable for a vase or such, wich holds water. And am i right that the chimney will olso increase the temperature in the barrel? Last question: does this way of firing bake the pots more than bisque? Or is it just for the colors? Thanks a bunch! Greeting from Belgium
Is this going to give you pottery that can be used or is it just for looks? I know some fired like this are toxic and unusable as dishes or usable bowls for food.
They work really well, an dI like your work, good job, I have a question, For the orange pink bottle, You said you put salt and whar else on it, to get the pinky orange colour ?? Thank you.
hi. I´m crazy for this fire. Tried it a few times and once a got a really cool orange color but coundn´t get it again.... Do u know what creates it? Is it the red iron oxide? the salt?.... anyway if u could give a hint I really appreciate it!!! Nice kiln this one with the chimney!! TY . Adriana
Do you have a video on how to load the pots in the barrel kiln and how to position the wood on top? Also talked about putting sig on some of your pieces. What is sig and do you put on before the firing?
congratulations for your inspiration! I would like to ask if there is any book or manual in order to learn how to fix all this equipment! for example i would like to see how you put all the pots and the fire in the barrel. thank you.
Wow ,good pots! I have been playing with barrell and aluminium foil firing. You gave me inspiration to keep going. Does the chimney help with the stinky smoke? It fills our yard much to my husband dismay.
Thanks! I am in New Jersey , us. The pieces where bisque fired in an electric kiln first to cone 06. Barrel firing is a type of pit firing which a low temp about 1500f
yes the chimney make a lot of differants. it help with the burning as a down draft more even burn. when i opened the barrel there was no combustable mat. left. i have fired without the chimney it makes a big differants to me. thank for you comments john
@wphlea thanks for you comments. i fired to 06 to bisque i use a standard clay #182 which is white and a #205 which is a red both cone 10 clay. the chips do fall down through the screen and it most likely helps the firing. just don't pack it to tight.. and back it with some straw, sticks. and wood chips, and long rolled up newsprint. don't be afraid of putting to much wood on top in fact i even fed the fir before putting on the lid... good luck john
Very informative! I'm thinking of doing this with my students. About how long does the fire burn? Less than 8 hours? Also, how necessary is the terra sig?
@HugeGene wrap it so there is no air able to get out the atmosphere what help to create the colors. never tried earthenware but as long as ther is a grog in it it should work. and watch your temp does not go over cone 04 unless your clay is higher...john
@cdjames42 thank for watching. no the sig is not necessary. but it helps in the polishing. you could also use a polished stone when the clay is leather hard on the wheel to burnish.. john
@ckhansen19 sorry i didn't do a video on loadingi was going to when i do another firing. backing the barrel is't hard. layers straw, sticks, pots, saw dust, rock salt, and other colorants. and start the fire on the top.no the chimney doesn't need to be 14' high its just what i had laying around but you do want to have a good draw and hight is whatgives you that. the sig is terra sigllata which take the place of burnishing. i put it on before bisque firing.
@theprettypotter its simple you need= 55 gal drum {better if you have a removeable lid}, 4" or 6" stove pipe, metal grate for the bottom. because it works like a up draft kiln a pit won't work as well. the trick is stacking packing it with sticks, newspaper,sawdust,and hay. then building a fire on top get a good bed of coals before putting the lid.. john
@adrianataba iron oxide is most likely what created the red. if its in the right atmosphere. if you would like more reds try ferric cloride you can buy it a radio shack its a copper etching ...spray it on dont use any metal sprayer if check out my saggar firing video it will work in this type of firing... john
Terra sigillata is an ultrarefined clay slip that can give a soft sheen when applied to bone-dry wares and, if polished or burnished while still damp, may give a high gloss.
Terra sig can also be applied to leather hard clay as well . I made both white and red terra. There are many recipes on internet. Apply a layer and let dry throughly before doing a 2nd coat or a 3rd. Then it can be polished with a plastic bag or plastic wrap which is wrapped around your fingers. Adds a beautiful sheen.
Most of the color comes from the chemicals I added to the pots as I was loading. Rock salt, miracle grow, iron oxide, exc. not sur of the temp. To guess 1500. It fires to its done..thanks for watching
I fired my new downdraft kiln last evening. I used sawdust, "used" straw cow bedding shredded paper and for wood I used old fence posts. I topped up with more wood as the fire burned down then put the lid on as per your instructions. After 3 hours, I still didn't have a downdraft. so went to bed. This morning the kiln was smoking slightly from the stovepipe only and when I peeked in I discovered all the combustibles had burned up. See results at playsinclay.blogspot.com. Thanks 4 your help
