Made-From-Scrap Outdoor Kilns

Image Gallery ROD ANDERSON

Some of the worlds mpost beautiful ceramic ware has been—for centuries—produced by an effective firing technique, using...

In 1909 the head of an archaeological expedition in New Mexico asked Maria Martinez—a member of the San Ildefonso Pueblo—to duplicate several types of ancient pottery . . . with nothing to go on but a few shards the team had recovered. Well, Maria not only accomplished this task, but was able to fire the reproductions by means of a very old technique that has been used, with slight variations, by primitive potters all over the world.

An outdoor kiln like the one Maria constructed (to keep her reproductions as accurate as possible) is perfectly suited to the needs of today's rural craftspeople, too. In fact, it can be built by anyone who has access to an open space, some dry cow or horse manure, twigs, scrap metal, and a supply of broken pottery.

SCAVENGE A KILN

The necessary quantity of each of the above kiln-making materials will be easy to determine after the first firing, since any "recipe" mistakes made during the initial attempt can be adjusted the second time around. Needless to say, you won't want to start with your best artwork ... fire only your expendable pieces on the trial run.

For a small firing of 10 six-inch pots, you should gather at least a large shopping bag full of twigs and one of manure. The scrap metal can be rusted roofing, large flattened cans or old stovepipe, and so forth . . . and, if no pottery shards are available, cracked ceramic dinnerware can be used as a substitute. Just keep in mind that you'll need enough shards and scrap to prepare a layer of each under the to-be-fired pottery and over it.

PATIENCE MAKES PROGRESS

It's best to process your wares on a cool and windless day (early mornings are often the best). Otherwise, the smoke—instead of going straight up—may be forced into the kiln's interior, where it can discol or the clay. Furthermore, of course, wind adds to the difficulty of safely tending an open flame.

After first clearing away any brush or grass that might be sparked into an accidental blaze, use a generous quantity of twigs to build a camp-sized fire in a shallow hole in the ground. Set the pots around it, making sure they don't touch one another or become directly exposed to the flames.

The preliminary heating should be very gradual, so begin by placing the ceramics about 12 inches from the fire and thena step at a time—move them closer, turning the pots so that they grow uniformly warm. (This process is extremely important, so be very patient ... a rapidly heated piece of earthenware can suddenly pop and break. If one does shatter, pull the others back a little from the flames and take more time in heating them.) When the pieces become too hot to handle, move them carefully away from the fire, using gloves or a stick.