FrostPotter Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Hi friendly pottery community! I am in the process of building a raku kiln from an oil drum, and I have been scouring various sources online and in books to try and answer some questions but have had no luck! I thought it might be easier to just ask. 1. What kind of burner should I buy? The raku burner kits from pottery suppliers seem prohibitively expensive, and I wondered if they are putting a big mark up on something which could be bought cheaper from a builders merchant or similar. However, as I am new to this and don't really know much about burners, I don't want to cut costs and get the wrong thing. I gather from my various sources that the best fuel to go for is propane. 2. Fire bricks - what do I need to go for? I think I need to get some to build up a 'combustion zone' at the bottom of the drum, which a kiln shelf will sit on top of, and the burner will be aimed between them to build up heat. The options I see on the supplier I am currently browsing (Vitcas) are refractory and insulation. Are these the equivalent of hard and soft, as I have seen them referenced elsewhere? And how many should i need? It is a 55 gallon oil drum. 3. Am I right in thinking that the hole for the burner to enter the drum should be approx 2 x the size of the burner, and that the vent at the top of the drum should be double the size of the burner hole? 4. Should I get fire bricks for the oil drum to sit on? Or will it be ok just on concrete floor? I expect I'll have more questions as I progress with the build, but thats it for now! Antonia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 Others will chime in with the specifics of building the base for the kiln, but I can tell you that you should never ever put a kiln directly on concrete. Put down a single layer of cinder block first, and build a floor of soft bricks on top of that. The floor should be 3 layers thick. I assume you'll be lining the drum with fiber blanket? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted November 3, 2019 Report Share Posted November 3, 2019 You can line the drum with fiber blanket instead, and use a weed burner torch. That will save a lot of money. Here is a link to someone who made many kinds of raku kilns this way: http://www.ian-gregory.co.uk/kilns.html You really don't need fancy burners for it, a raku kiln is never unattended because it's fire in short cycles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daoud Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 How do you secure Fiberfrax blanket to the interior wall of the steel 55 gallon drum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 1 hour ago, Daoud said: How do you secure Fiberfrax blanket to the interior wall of the steel 55 gallon drum? Buttons / wire. Here is one example. Lots of vids, google / you tube is very helpful. https://thepotterywheel.com/how-to-make-a-raku-kiln/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 You can pressure fit it too, just be precise when cutting it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 Heres a how to on the buttons and gaskets-the kiln is high fire but same deal with a metal drum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 17, 2020 Report Share Posted August 17, 2020 Here is a older post on how to make your buttons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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