What other ways can you "bake" or harden clay besides putting it in a kiln?

Question

I want to start making pottery but I can't buy a kiln. Can you put real clay (not the cheap kind you buy at craft stores) into a regular oven?

Answer 1

there are lots of people working with clay that do not have commercial kilns. a lot of them will tell you that a home built is better anyway. i have actually seen a kiln made from a trash can!

this is one done by elementary school kids!! you will want something more predictable, but the concept is the same.
http://www.canterburytrust.co.uk/schools/kilnexp/kilnpg01.htm

here's info on a sawdust kiln.
http://www.teachingonline.org/lessonpdfs/SawdustKiln.pdf

the following link is to a site for potters. at the end of their discussion is a long list of books on how to build your own kiln.
http://www.potters.org/subject01264.htm

another site with info on building and clay in general.
http://www.claystation.com/technical/studio/equipment.html

you can also google "home build clay kiln" or "how to build pottery kiln" or things like that. and find lots of other stuff.
there are LOTS of different kinds of setups.

Answer 2

pitfiring (or any variation thereof) will not reach as high temperatures than a kiln does. It is suitable for some clays, but not all clays, so if you try this out make sure you get a low fire clay, otherwise whatever you make will be still fairly breakable.
You definitely don't want to mess around building your own gas or electric kiln unless you have experience. If you don't do it right it's dangerous. Also it won't be cheap to build, and it won't be cheap to operate. Be aware that a SINGLE firebrick (the heat resistant brick you would need) costs around $2-$5.
Pitfiring also will not be an option if you live in a city. But a lot of schools and universities have kilns. You can ask around if they fire things for you. In addition most larger towns have pottery studios which will fire whatever you make for a fee.

Just look whereever pottery classes are offered, they will have either their own kiln or have figured out where to fire it. Most people who do pottery don't have their own kiln. It's not only expensive to buy, it's also expensive to run.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

Building a kiln and pit-firing are both complicated, and risky, to do without really studying up on it. And using natural clay you dig yourself can be tricky too, because the chemical composition of "clay" can vary, and affects very much the temperature at which the clay "matures" and vitrifies into ceramics. So I have a suggestion: post another question asking what ceramics classes, artists and studios in your area might fire your pieces. You might find university or community, adult ed or other schools; workshops; festivals with demonstration potters; professional artists or shops who would rent kiln space... Because maintaining a kiln, and a glaze room, is not fun or safe for a beginner; and it's not necessary!

Answer 5

Home ovens don't reach a high enough temperature to sufficiently harden kiln-fired clay (over 1,000 degrees).

Many clays can be "fired" in pits fueled by wood fires. Raku pottery is made in this fashion. You'll need to research the clay's "cone" designation as wood fires at a lower temperature.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pit_fired_pottery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raku

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pottery#Firing

Answer 6

no i dont think it could get hot enough or long enough but you could actually build one on your own out of bricks and what-not then learn how to build and maintain a fire hot enough to fire the clay. im actually trying to do this myself because where i live there is an over abundance of natural clay. and it will be a million years before i make enough money to buy a kiln. so if you find a solution could you tell me?plz?! my email is [e-mail]

Answer 7

If you are planning to start on your woodworking project, this isn't something you should use, it's something that you would be insane not to. Go here https://tr.im/PT6uB
Truth is, I've been a carpenter for almost 36 years, and I haven't found anything like this for less than 10's of thousands of dollars.

Answer 8

You could build a Raku kiln here is a web site that shows you how its cheap and easy and you can get some really great effects. ck it out and let me know how your stuff come out.

http://grahammercer.com.au/raku%20bin%20building.htm