Dave/Janice Schiman on thu 15 oct 98
Our club spent a weekend a few weeks ago building and firing a
paperkiln. I thought some of you would be interested in how we did it
and our results.
On Saturday morning we brought our already bisqued pieces and applied
different oxides, salts, copper wire, fresh banana peels, marigolds,
corn husks, orange peels whatever we thought would create color. We
held all the organic material on with thin copper thread and cloth
string (I dipped mine in sea salt). We set these aside and started to
build the kiln.
First you need a layer of hard brick placed liked sun rays coming out of
the center. Create 4 ports at the edges with bricks so that the air can
get in and where you start the fire. Place briquettes (coals) in
between the bricks. It takes a bag or so. Pour salt over the bricks.
Take an old kiln shelf and put in the center. On this shelf start
stacking the pieces. Larger at the bottom. Put combustibles and coals
inbetween. Also, we made little balls of clay and vermiculite to place
as a buffer between pieces. In the end, you have a pyramid looking
stack. Throw salt and vermiculite on where ever.
Use dried branches of trees and other pieces of wood to stack around
your pyramid. Starting to look like a teepee. Take chicken wire and
wrap around. Put an old coffee can with both ends cut off at top for
chimney and secure with wire.
Now the fun part begins. Take previously torn apart glossy magazine
pages (takes forever so do it before), and dip them in clay slurry that
we mixed up in a couple of wheelbarrows. Place them on the wire,
starting at the bottom and work your way up. First layer horizontally
and the next vertically and overlapping. We were told that 10 layers is
best, phew! it was messy. We ended up using over 4 - 50lb bags of dry
clay to make out enough slip.
Once your kiln is completely covered, you can start it up.
RESULTS
It was hard to start up. Maybe because if was windy and cold or maybe
our coals were bad. Once it was going it was alright. It took about 5
or so hours to reach peak. Once the flames died down from the top, we
left it to cool. We unloaded the next day at noon.
The kiln started out at about 6' tall and ended up about 3.5' tall, some
major slouching.
We got some interesting colors, but we figured that the kiln didn't get
hot enough. Alot of the oxides never melted. Next time I think we need
more wood and maybe some soaked coals in lighter fluid. There were
quite a few coals not burned.
My pieces were very nice. I had burnished vases in blue colored
porcelin and they had a wonderful variety of colors.
All in all it was a fun group project. I would not tackle it with less
than 4 people though.
Janice Schiman
Moose Jaw, Sask. Canada
d.schiman@sk.sympatico.ca
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