susieblue Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 This old well pipe came with my house when I bought it. It has been obviously used as a fire pit by previous owners. It was left filled with trash and woodland debris, covered with vines and unmovable without significant cost.I just cleaned it out and created a temporary "hearth" from the pot shards and rocks that were inside of it. I wish I could at least turn it upright, partially bury it and use it to barrel fire but, alas, my boyfriend will have nothing to do with that. Can this be used to do some kind of pit fire or are the physics of the horizontal shape too small? It's about 30-36" dia and 5' long (haven't measured it yet). Any ideas? Or should I just relegate it to being a social fire pit? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 For pit firing you really need to have some air flow in the pit or the barrel. Otherwise, nothing will burn continuously. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhPotter Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Alternative idea... We had several of these on our property. I had the backhoe man dig a deep hole near a live spring head then bury 2 of them in the hole vertically standing on top of each other to create a cistern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rakukuku Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 Is this made from concrete? I have heard that concrete always retains some moisture and is therefore not good for a kiln base or walls - will crack. But its a cool thing. Could become a nice piece of yard art! we used to have an old metal refrigerator shell on a metal dolly with about 8 inches of sand in the bottom. we used to pit fire in that thing and it worked great. eventually it rusted apart. rakukuku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alabama Posted May 11, 2015 Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 bury 2 of them in the hole vertically standing on top of each other to create a cistern. My vote is for the cistern. I wish I had one to catch water from my roofs. I'd put a hand pump on it....the kind with the lever to fill buckets for my pitiful garden. Alabama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susieblue Posted May 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 The pipe is made of steel reinforced concrete. There is a hole in the back end plus the lid is only propped against the back with rocks so cross ventilation isn't a problem. Stillnot sure I can get it hot enough for a firing. Rakukuku - I remember in college using an ancient fridge for a raku reduction chamber. That brings back memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted May 12, 2015 Report Share Posted May 12, 2015 Rakukuku is right about concrete cracking or worse, exploding. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.