Frank Colson on wed 6 sep 06
Matthew- For cheap and inexpensive, packing the right goods for firing
sculpture or pots, I would advise a catenary kiln. No obligation, but you
can see for yourself the simplicty
of building a cost efficient one if you ck. the spec's of my catenary kiln
plans at www.R2D2u.com
Frank Colson
www.R2D2u.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mars Chapman"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 12:59 PM
Subject: Kiln or cheep building tech.
> I'm going to a school international boarding school in the Santa
> Fe/Las Vegas area of New Mexico. I have been interested in ceramic
> sculpture for some time and have worked in it for about 5 years.
> Unfortunately this school does not have a kiln and the nearest kiln is
> far away and expensive for our use. Plus moving large sculpture is a
> very difficult thing. So, the school has a small budget for spending
> in the art department and I was hoping that someone would have some
> advice for building a kiln for 'cheep', whatever that means in ceramic
> terms, that would be easy for students to use. I know how to build a
> small Raku kiln but I and the instructor pf the class are hoping for
> something larger and more versatile. Thanks for your time and I will
> try to reply promptly.
>
> Matthew
>
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Mars Chapman on wed 6 sep 06
I'm going to a school international boarding school in the Santa
Fe/Las Vegas area of New Mexico. I have been interested in ceramic
sculpture for some time and have worked in it for about 5 years.
Unfortunately this school does not have a kiln and the nearest kiln is
far away and expensive for our use. Plus moving large sculpture is a
very difficult thing. So, the school has a small budget for spending
in the art department and I was hoping that someone would have some
advice for building a kiln for 'cheep', whatever that means in ceramic
terms, that would be easy for students to use. I know how to build a
small Raku kiln but I and the instructor pf the class are hoping for
something larger and more versatile. Thanks for your time and I will
try to reply promptly.
Matthew
Megan Mason on wed 6 sep 06
I have fired student work as ''VISITING ARTIST IN THE SCHOOLS'' in a
redbrick and sometimes some firebrick dry stacked ''kiln'' with a tin roofing
tin or trashcan [metal] lid using a packing of a combustible materials such
as wood shavings from a local furniture shop or whatever would burn.It was
enough to get a soft bisque with flasings, depending on the clay and firing.Just
make sure you get the piece real dry for the thickness of the clay, which
can be a couple weeks to a month depending on your wall thickness[I suggest a
hollow form with air escape holes] and clay type. Earthenware works well
since it is not so likely to have thermal shock problems as porcelain or fine
stoneware bodies. Some grog or fireclay or ground firebrick in the body
could aid in this but consider the style and image style you desire.No glaze
was used or appropriate for this low fire processes, but you can do
burnishing with a sewing product called "Pellon" cloth ,on an almost bone dry
piece in many cases, although try this on your clay on a sample first to test the
result if the desired piece will be large. You might wish to search for''
primitive firing'' on the intranet as there are many ways to stack and fuel
used [like the dung used by native cultures] and much has been written on this
subject.Good luck.
Margaret
Snail Scott on thu 7 sep 06
At 01:59 PM 9/6/2006 -0600, you wrote:
>...the school has a small budget for spending
>in the art department and I was hoping that someone would have some
>advice for building a kiln for 'cheep'...
Castable refractory can be easy to use and relatively
inexpensive, and a catenary arch shape is self-
supporting. Simple wood skills and a few tools are
needed to make the formwork, and even students with
no experience can help mix the materials and lay it
up. Don't skimp on the materials, though. The
expensive stuff (like alumina) is the most important.
(Outer layers of insulation can be cheaper.) A kiln
like this can be built almost any size, without
complex plans. Check the standard kiln books for
the essentials, like refractory mixtures and
burner/flue ratios.
Another option that's worth considering for large
sculpture is a paper kiln. It's a one-time use item,
custom-built around the individual piece, but perhaps
that's suitable for your situation. Paper dipped in
refractory materials can be laid up like papier mache
over a framework of wire, and a portable propane-and-
burner rig hooked up. There have been a few articles
on this method lately; consider a small trial run
and see if this method might be useful to you. School
is the time to experiment!
-Snail
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