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Looking For Book Recommendations For Wood-Fired Kiln For Low-Fire Terracotta.


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I'm exploring making a wood-fired kiln, but all of the resources I am finding are for firing at much higher temperatures than I need and also for generating ash effects. Here are my needs:

 

- Firing to somewhere between 08-04. Traditional terracotta.

- A reduction environment is not needed (and probably not wanted) -- this is for figurative sculpture.

- There will be no glazes, this is just bisque firing.

- Firing box would have to be able to contain an object of maximum dimensions of 12x18x36, oriented in any direction.

- It would be ideal if I could keep the design and fire box as small as possible as it would be preferable in every way to fire small amounts more frequently.

 

Basically I'd want to recreate the firing properties/technology of a 16th-17th century terracotta kiln, but plan size scaled down to the minimum possible size for a small cache of works.

 

Any recommendations on a book that would cover the principles I needed to know (or have ready-to-go designs) for these needs?

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there are an article about wood fired kilns in about 2001 or 2 from old electric kiln bodies. There was very interesting ideas. 

You could search the Pottery Making Illustrated archives through Ceramic Arts Daily in upper left hand corner and follow menu.

If you are not a subscriber, it may cost something to download an article.

 

Marcia

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Guest JBaymore

there are an article about wood fired kilns in about 2001 or 2 from old electric kiln bodies. There was very interesting ideas. 

 

Shana Brautigam here in southern NH fires this way with converted electrics.  She fires hotter.... but you could get ideas.

 

http://www.rootedinclay.com/index.php/woodfireing/

 

best,

 

........................john

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I've heard about converting electrics (whether to gas or wood), but that's another investment to make (though I understand picking up used can be the chepeast way to get good firebrick), not to mention it's suddenly bringing a lot of needless technology and ugliness into what is essentially a primitive endeavor... I would prefer to do something more traditional... part of the desire for wood-fire is because I don't want a lot of external inputs to make the process work. Ideally I would use some (perhaps double-walled) cob-oven type design and not bring any off-site materials (no firebricks)...

 

My suspicion is that 3/4ths of the design choices I see being made in many of these kilns comes from the desire to fire at high temperatures, to fire quickly, or to achieve reduction or ash effects.

 

The raku wood-fired kiln designs I am finding appear to at least be build for the lower temperature, though they seem to usually be designed to achieve that temperature rather quickly.

 

Seems strange to me that if everywhere other than asia rarely fired much above 1750F and rarely used anything like firebricks, and everywhere including asia was without electricity or propane, all the way up to a few hundred years ago, then there should be many established repeatable designs for a reusable kiln for small loads. Perhaps an old out of print book. I have the Cardew book and that's certainly a starting point but he's building large and firing hot... I can extrapolate, certianly, but I'd think there'd be some historical or revivalist book that would be more fitting.

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Interestingly, in the permaculture community there appear to be people creating wood-fired cob forges and rocket-stove forges, which may be a starting point for a design that's not tied to firebricks. Charcoal is also another option if need be for more consistent results, but that's another off-site input. If I do end up exploring a partly cob-based kiln I will definitely report back any results (or failures). It seems like experimentation may be a better choice if no books show up, so long as there is no cost involved other than basic materials.

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