A Summer Kiln for All Reasons

We've had a couple of cooler days so I took advantage of the break to construct a small, multi purpose gas kiln to use this summer. The air conditioner, in the house, is keeping the electric meter spinning and I don't want to add to the load by using the electric kiln.  I thought you might find it useful to see how I built it. 

This kiln is constructed from a 20 gallon trash can lined with ceramic fiber. You don't want to wrestle with that fiber when you're hot and sweaty.

This is a medium sized kiln built with a 20 gal. trashcan . It will fire a pot that is about 10" wide and up to about 20" tall with room to spare. Most of the jugs I fire are 16" or less and less than 10" wide.I only fire one piece per load so I have time for post firing treatments without worrying about dealing with a second pot that needs immediate attention.. With the addition of a chimney it will fire to at least cone 6 in little more time than it takes to get to Raku temps. The can provides some heat retention and it can be down fired if fast cooling is a problem. With practice it should fire in oxidation or reduction. It is built so the kiln is lifted off the piece. If necessary a reduction container could be placed over the pot and it could be reduced in situ.

The Raku Configuration

The High Fire Config.

The fiber  lined chimney will increase draft in the kiln allowing it to fire to higher temps. Many small kilns stall because they can't exhaust the burned gases efficiently. Most raku burners are capable of much higher temps.

I'm using 1" 8lb density Ceramic fiber rated at 2300f. I cut two circles and made a double thick top. Pre-fired ceramic buttons made from a heavily grogged stoneware are used to secure the fiber to the sides and top of the kiln. Kanthal element wire is used to secure the buttons to the kiln body.

The element wire is  poked through the hole in the tab I made on the back of the buttons and twisted. I like to use tabs as opposed to two holes (like a button), The tabs act as a stop when pulling the wire tight against the side of the kiln.

I pull the wire through a hole (punched with an icepick) then twist it back against the side in a loop. This loop gives some when the heated wire expands. I can adjust the tension with needle nosed pliers as needed. The buttons are easily replaced if broken.

Excess fiber is folded over the bottom and secured with some large clamps hooked together.

Plumbers pipe hanger strapping or wire cable can be used also. I had the clamps handy so that's what I used.

After securing the fiber I sprayed a couple of coats of a Ceramic Fiber Rigidizer with my glaze sprayer. It is blue (Smurf Pee?) when you spray it on but dries and fires clear. It is a Colloidal Silica. Some use a product called ITC. ITC is a fine product but at $38.00 a pint I find it a little spendy compared to Ins Tuff at $39.00 A GALLON. Nothing wrong in using  ITC  but personally I would save it for a more permanent kiln that gets less rough use. Even with the best care raku kilns will need the blanket replaced sooner than later.  You don't have to use a rigidizer at all if you don't want.

The flue hole is made from a heavily grogged thrown stoneware collar. I think it makes a smoother exit for gases and helps to get higher temperatures.

Handles are repositioned from the bottom of the can to the top the kiln and reattached with sheet metal screws. This allows me to lift the kiln off the fired pot.

The removable chimney  is not needed for raku and would be in the way. but it is invaluable for attaining higher temps. The height should be at least as tall as the firing chamber to get good draft. Kilns  must be able to exhaust burned gases efficiently to reach higher temps. A piece of fiber across the top can provide control for reduction and regulate temperature climb. The chimney is made from a 7" diameter 24" tall section of duct work from Lowes ($3.98). It is lined with 1" fiber that was glued in place with sodium silicate giving a 5" diameter chimney. That should be sufficient for such a small kiln. A larger kiln might require larger chimney. I can attach the fiber with buttons but I don't think it will be necessary once it is rigidized.

I use two old kiln shelves for a base. The floor will be covered with a layer of fiber before firing. The firebox is made of insulating firebrick and is stacked dry. This allows some adjustment to fuel/air mixture. I can pry the bricks apart to allow more air if needed. A tight kiln is not necessarily an efficient kiln. The flame travels under the bottom shelf and rises through the kiln. I raise the shelf off of the floor allowing about 6" for combustion.

Tip: Using two pieces of shelf with fiber between helps keep the bottom cooler and makes the kiln fire a bit more even.

This is a standard adjustable propane regulator. The burner is an Air Mixer  that uses 2" pipe for the burner.  Part number FS-125P at Laguna Clay. I have powered large and small kilns with this one since 1972!! The venturi is cast iron but the burner body is pipe that is replaceable.

Old Dog New Slick

I made a house call today to the home of  one of my biggest  sculpture collectors (thank you Cheryl)  to spruce up one of my dog junk sculptures. He was a bit crusty from being in the sprinkler often, while doing his job of greeting guests outside the front door. A little wire brushing and a new coat of  spar varnish and he was looking like a young pup again. I called him "Beamer," when I made him, because he was cut out of an old I-Beam with an Acetylene Torch. The ball is steel, the nose is a trailer hitch and the butterfly on his spring  tail was cut from a stainless steel shelf. The ears are an antique hinge. It was fun seeing him again. He shares yard duty with several other pieces of my  sculpture.

Beamer

"Garden Lady". Old lawn mower and other parts.

John "Hoppin Good Listin". (hoppin' on one leg and listin' to the side) one legged, left handed guitar picker. All antique parts.

Weathervane made with antiques that were important to the collector.

Long Dead Fred In Progress

This is a jug about Long Dead Fred.
With a stone for an eye
and a tree in his head.
He might be sneaking 'round under your bed.

Scared yet?

No???

Well you ought to be !

Midsummer Moon and Maddening Tree Frog Racket!

The usually peaceful country evening is now filled with the deafening cries of thousands and thousands of lovesick Tree Frogs. They start at sundown and croon all night. Luckily, we have the windows closed. It's noisier than New York City (without the gunfire). They will settle down in a few weeks and the only sounds in the evening will be coyotes, owls and whiporwills.

Not Saying It's Hot Here But.....

Not saying that it's hot here, but... I had to take the socks off the clothesline before they spontaneously combusted! (Maybe it was just the sweat fumes.) 102F.

Raku Troll Finished

Raku Fried Troll Face Jug  Fired in Skorch, my handmade Raku Kiln.

See other post for details and story
HERE Corky Troll In Progress

Skorch, My Raku Kiln

Sultan of Sauce

 Freshly  harvested, home grown vegetables and herbs and  the "Sultan of Sauce"  

The "Sultan Of Sauce" prepares to do his magic.

Fresh onions, peppers, tomatoes, squash, garlic, basil, oregano, rosemary, and Thyme 

All simmered slowly. served on a bed of pasta, and topped with cheeses. Accompanied by fresh garlic bread and all on a handmade plate.

Now I remember what I like about Summer!

Corky, Troll in Progress

I named her Corky, because of the cork in her head. I could have named her Horny, for all the horns, but didn’t want the image of a horny troll in my brain. (Oops! Too late!)

Trolls are not very appealing to humans but on the Troll beauty scale (10 being gorgeous and 1 being monstrous) Corky is an 11! How do I figure this ? Well, Janine Turner, Cindy Crawford and Julia Roberts only have one “Beauty Wart” each, Corky has about 40 of the little beauties!

Legend has it that if a human gazes on a Troll that is rated as a 1, all of their childrens children for 10 generations will be born naked.

Harvest and Box Turtle

Today's harvest from the garden, green beans, tomatoes, peppers and okra. The menu possibilities are almost endless.

I found this box turtle in the studio  happily munching on the cat's food. I took his mug shot and put him outside in the shade to continue his (or her's) pilgrimage.

Perfecto

" Perfecto, Magnifique !!!"
On Ebay. Only one more day!!! (click here)

Whatever this guy is cooking it must be just right. He has sampled it with his wooden spoon and declared, "Perfecto"! His snobbish demeanor marks him as, "Maestro" of his realm. (I’ll bet he'll get his own cooking show!)
He is made of clay shapes that are hand turned on the potters wheel and sculpted from stoneware clay . He's pretty cool from his pinkie toes to his wild hair and snobbish expression. . The glazes came out really nice. The insides of my jugs are always glazed with food safe, lead-free glazes. He is high fired and fully functional. 

Shotgun Boogie Man

(For sale on Ebay Click here)
"Shotgun Boogie Man"

Using something destructive in a creative way.
Hand-thrown stoneware. Gently sculpted with a 12ga. shotgun.

Process Photos 
(Not the jug that is shown above. For demonstrating the process only)

Boogie Man sculpted and covered with a red clay slip. The jug must still be quite damp throughout. Dry clay simply disintegrates when shot. (Think Skeet Clay Pigeons).

After a single shot from about 40 feet with #4 shot.

The trick here is not to aim directly at the jug. A full head-on shot would probably blow him away. You need to aim about 16" from the jug. One side sustains the most damage. The intact side adds structural strength for firing.

The Ballistics of Shooting Clay:

Forget what you know about how bullets act on animals or people when dealing with clay.

Clay at this stage is more like a liquid than a solid body. When the shot hits the clay it created a back-splash that looks more like an exit wound.(Think about dropping a rock into a mud puddle). The exit side has the smaller and less jagged hole. Since there is nothing inside a hollow pot to distort the shot and it has slowed since entry, the exit wound is small. Thicker parts like cheeks noses and horns are distorted most and size of the entry is much greater than on thin parts.

Blasted Cactus (sold years ago) click pic to enlarge.