xavier & lucy becquer on mon 8 mar 99
I am currently working out of Miami. And none of the potters that I know
recycle their clay scraps. The buckets just keep getting full and I have =
made it
my mission to recycle every little bit of clay I can get my hands on, =
presently
I have over a ton. I started throwing pots with it and it works great but I
have to pay for both bisque and glaze firings and I just don't want to =
continue
throwing so many pots to use up the clay. My idea is to use the clay to =
somehow
make a kiln. Is this possible? The recycled clay fires nicely to cone 6 =
and I
suspect even higher. Can I make bricks out of the clay and then build a =
kiln
with the unfired bricks? How long could such a kiln last? It would be =
propane
fired with homemade burners if it got that far. Any ideas would be greatly
appreciated.
xavier in Miami
Donn Buchfinck on tue 9 mar 99
they have been building kilns out of green bricks for thousands of years.
what I would do is mix a quantity of sand and a little sawdust to the clay
the sand should be added to about 25 % of the mix and the coarse sawdust to
about 5%.
the sand will let the moisture escape from the brick and the sawdust will burn
out raising the r value of the brick.
now there is two ways you can go with this kiln
you can build the kiln with green bricks. this means unfired bricks
or you can bisque them first.
a catenary arch kiln is the best design for this. if supports itself and will
shrink as a whole.
it will have to be covered from the elements or the bricks will melt.
there are some great books out there that can lead you on your way
jack troy wrote some good books.
and there is an old article in ceramics monthly about as woodkiln they built
at alfred out of homade bricks.
also David Shaner built a great woodkiln out of brick he made with a sinva ram
press.
or you can add some portland cement to the mix and make a castable. that is
in the jack troy book also
I like making up a brick clay and forming it into bricks and building a
catenary arch kiln with the bricks.
good luck
I will look for the name of the book
maybe someone else on the list can help with the name
Donn Buchfinck
San Francisco
Don & Isao Morrill on tue 9 mar 99
At 10:14 3/8/99 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I am currently working out of Miami. And none of the potters that I know
>recycle their clay scraps. The buckets just keep getting full and I have
made it
>my mission to recycle every little bit of clay I can get my hands on,
presently
>I have over a ton. I started throwing pots with it and it works great but I
>have to pay for both bisque and glaze firings and I just don't want to
continue
>throwing so many pots to use up the clay. My idea is to use the clay to
somehow
>make a kiln. Is this possible? The recycled clay fires nicely to cone 6
and I
>suspect even higher. Can I make bricks out of the clay and then build a kiln
>with the unfired bricks? How long could such a kiln last? It would be
propane
>fired with homemade burners if it got that far. Any ideas would be greatly
>appreciated.
>
>xavier in Miami
>
Xavier, Certainly! Make a few dozen,thin=walled, bee-hive shaped,hollow
forms with a round bottom and a smallish hole at the top. Fill these with
Vermiculite,Mineral wool,or other mineral material. Stack these forms as a
kiln and fire the form. Voila! A kiln.
Or: Use common red brick,not over 1700 of. The used,
light-colored brick will fire somewhat higher. Don't forget that many of
the original kilns of the Carolinas' were constructed of sandstone.Many of
these kilns lasted for years although there was,(is?) always some
'spalling'. Don M.
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