Pit Fire Pottery In Your Backyard | NO Kiln!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 มิ.ย. 2020
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/ tinkerandthink
I haven't been able to throw or fire pots in the studio because...pandemic. So I've been teaching myself handbuilding and alternative firing techniques--specifically, pit firing. Here's what I've learned so far! You can do this anywhere you're able to build a fire, and you don't need any equipment--just the clay.
Sorry the video is so long--it contains all the information I think is necessary to have a successful pit fire and to understand what makes the difference between success and breakage. If you don't know what you're doing, all your pots will blow up. If you know what you're doing, things turn out beautifully. If you watch this video, you'll know what you're doing!
0:41 What is clay
1:33 What happens when you fire clay
2:49 Making pots--what to consider
4:55 After the pots are made--prep for firing
5:43 The pit
6:29 The fire--initial fire, fuel
7:11 Warming the pots
8:16 Colorants
www.upinsmokepottery.com/colo...
ceramicartsnetwork.org/potter...
10:25 Adding pots to fire
11:40 Bonfire!
13:02 Covering the fire
14:19 Using your pots
14:58 Pit fire reveal
Music by Jake Shane: / jakeshanemusic - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
If you are interested in another way to fire your pottery in your backyard, check out this simple gas kiln you can make: th-cam.com/video/XTh86PrXayM/w-d-xo.html
Thanks
I use microwave kiln and so far very happy with it but I make miniature pottery mostly so it's easier
@@damlasminiatures2526 how do you proceed?
What percentage of grog should I add.
We started raku firing in my 2nd year of fine Arts pottery class, and I have to say, it was my least favourite of the whole 4 years. LOL. But I'm a bit of a control freak, and hated not having control over the colours and textures. my style is sgraffito, not really workable with Raku.,
"I'm not an expert by any means" and then proceeds to teach me more in 18 minutes than my art teacher did in 5 years
Yeaahh...hahaaa..
You don't pay attention to your teacher, thats why.
@@VespertilioGiganticus not all teachers are good at their job. Just like not all idiots who reply to comments on TH-cam are as smart as they think.
@@justinthiessen7266 I agree.
Ha same, I have a degree in ceramics and this video is super helpful
We had some Native American potters come show us how to make pottery their way. I was in 4th grade... 45 yo now. They had us rub the pottery with a smooth rock and I remember they burned our pottery in a dug pit behind the school. My mother still has my pot. It is the most beautiful color I've ever seen.
That's so wonderful.
My school did something similar when I was a kid, (Not native americans though, I am not in America). Unfortunately my mother chose to use it as an ashtray and it disappeared a year or so ago, over a decade after I'd made it someone probably broke it :(
I also like to use the back of my fingernails like they use the rock, "burnishing" it.
The smooth stone is called a varnishing stone they are any flat stone typically river rocks or smoothed quartz. and are used to finish the surface of ceramics. clay is platelets, stacked and parallel ontop of eachother and between them air and water molecules. it’s good to condense the surface by smoothing it, think of buffing a surface of a car with wax, you’re filling in microscopic gaps to get something foe the goal of it being more resistant to damage. Smoother =finer surface= microscopic protection. It also looks shiny and pretty
And pockets and scratches in ceramic is decorative because gashes and holes on a surface are just habitats for bacteria to grow if not well maintained
ah was gonna mention that they do that in africa too i think... its and old technique used in a bunch of places probably... i mean its kind easy to re-discover...
That's awesome. The 80's were a great time to grow up.
Melt beeswax, and rub it onto the pots as you take them out. This gives a wonderful, soft lustre or sheen to the work, especially if it has been burnished.
Great work. Your video is succinct, easy to watch and learn from. Cheers from an old potter in Australia 🙏
Does it also provide a filling in of the pores, so that the items can be used for food making/ eating from?
So far as I know, the carbon trapped within the body of clay fired to a high enough temperature that it “ rings” when you flick it should be okay food wise. The beeswax does absorb into the pores, so can be used for eating, drinking. In Latvia there is a heap of potters who make reduction fires black ware, and they do the beeswax thing. Cups, bowls etc. burnishing can disappear at higher temperatures, so the wax can replace that sheen to a degree. Hope this helps, in any case, worth a try!! Cheers 🌈
@@baibalowther2503 It helps a heap, thank you very much:)
I have even taken low fired burnished wear and applied beeswax to the pieces while heating in my oven. Pure beeswax is quite durable and I have used some of those bowls every day for over ten years.
@@justinweaver7543 did you refinish with beeswax in those decades? Because even if it is durable I doubt it wouldn't need regular refinishing. Even wood needs to be re-waxed.
As a ceramic major I can say you’ve approached this in the most accessible wonderfully educational way! Would love to see more 😊
Wait. Ceramics is a major?! What do you study? Like historical/ archeological? Or the art/ hands on/ sculpture ? Or some other variation im not even aware of. (Actually very interested lol)
@@sam.nothanks admissions.wvu.edu/academics/majors/ceramics many universities have programs.
@@amyeff7279 great. Thanks. But I'm actually not going to check out that link. Im not American, and I was actually asking what a cermerics major does. Not bc I'm interested in taking the course, but bc, as a 40 yo adult it wasn't common (in my country 20+ years ago)
@@sam.nothanks thanks for sharing. Yes, it's a major and while all universities don't have programs besides art and art history there are also engineering programs. I know of one program where ceramics artists have even gotten involved in conservation projects for wildlife creating durable nesting cavities for birds.
@@sam.nothanks at my university our ceramics classes involve some lectures about history but most of it is creating art from clay. Every project we do is different. Sone projects are for functional objects like cups, bowls, or plates and other projects are for more sculptural pieces. My university gives us glazes to paint on our pieces but we can buy our own glazes from a clay store. We have hand building ceramics classes and ceramics classes that uses the potter's wheel. There is a lot of variety with clay.
The calmness in this video..no music...no anxiety.. just peace..I love it❤️🌻
I as well 🥰
Excellent lesson!! Items for color in firing: seaweed, banana peel. hemp twine, eucalyptus leaves, copper shavings or small wire scraps.
I like your approach and screen presence. No frills or click baiting nonsense. No over the top fake personality.
A genuine representation of you and your knowledge/ experimentation. Thank you for being sincere.
But did you SMASH THAT LIKE BUTTON??!? Haha thanks for the appreciation 🙏
I don’t know hey………. I think his left eyebrow is fake. It’s drawn in…….
I love this... I teach High School Ceramics and am honestly considering leaving this for students to watch when I am out. Nice job.
Thanks! You’ve got my blessing 😂
I did ceramics at both college and university level, and wish I'd seen this video first.
He really does cover all the basic understanding one needs to understand the whole process.
I mean, were never taught the process behind the firing....and to this day, I cant work out why. We just handed stuff to our teacher to fire .
I think this is concise and to the point .....and adds reality - things do break .
I wish my teachers had been able show a video like this .
I have shown this video to my HS Life Skills students. They LOVED it!
Yes!
Back on the commune in Western WV in the 70's we fired local clay in a similar way using sawdust. There were many mobile sawmills that worked in the area and we would gather large burlap bags of sawdust and dry it out on plastic tarps, it was a mix of hardwoods but largely oak which gave beautiful earth tones to the fired pots and plates. The pottery was stacked in the greenhouse to dry for months over the summer than we built dry brick kilns spacing the bricks an inch or so apart for airflow during the burn. Everything was stacked on a layer of sawdust, each item filled with sawdust and layered with more sawdust and pottery ( about 3 maybe 4 items high) finished with about 6" of packed sawdust on top. We would start a fire on the top and let it burn to coals and spread the coals around evenly to get all the sawdust burning than cover the brick pile with tin roofing so it would just smolder. Started in the morning it would often smolder all night and into the next day. the whitish clay would take on all different beautiful colors. I don't remember a lot of breakages although there were some. Thanks for bringing back those old days.
Great video!
Hey Sam...what commune did you live in t WV? I am a potter born in WV. Always fun to learn something new about where I grew up.
@@michirhythm I was one of many from the DC suburb of Wheaton, MD. Our place was outside of Middlebourne, WV in the Northwestern part of the state, South of Wheeling and north of Clarksburg. It was called Marjorie Run. I bought a couple of other places in the area in the early '70s. It was a really beautiful place, there was not strip mining or mountain top removal in Tyler or neighboring Countys, although the timber people did a good job of tearing up the land. It was hard to find work unless you were related to someone local, I was lucky because I started a construction business and made my own work. There was a Japanese potter in the area I would see at craft fairs that made really nice stuff, I can't remember his name but recall he lived in a place that had free gas and it cost him nothing to fire his kilns, I think He got his clay locally also I bought a piece or two from him whenever I ran into him, I have one of his first porcelain pieces, He didn't want to sell it but we were kind of friends and he remembered that I always bought pieces from him. What part of WV are you from? samcanoes@yahoo.com
@@samTollefson Thanks for all this background info Sam! Recently retired at 56, I am looking for fun projects to throw myself into and as pottery has always appealed to me, making pots and stuff is at the top of my list! Videos like this, and helpful commentary like yours, give me great insight and ideas!. PS I am a caver as well, have been to WV several times from my MA home for caving. Love Franklin, WV, great caves there, as well as Greenbriar area!
Hi Sam Hi Tom. Western NC here. Come check out John C Folk Schook in Brasstown NC. They have a great assortment of classes. Also, the area & its surroundings have abundant of outdoor activities. ✌
In the past non vitrified pots were used to hold water. As it leaks through the pores and evaporates, it cools the water inside (a lot) so it's perfect for cool water in hot climates and no electricity.
I love this--one of those things that makes sense when you hear it, but not something I've ever thought of before! I'm definitely going to try this out some time this summer.
Still done in India
❤ widely used in Brasil known as "Filtro de barro and "moringa"
Fire Safety Tips, Make sure the pit is 10 feet + away from all structures and trees, also make sure the ground you dig your pit in is not made up of roots, debris and other in ground burnable materials, you can have ground fires happen in certain areas, be mindful that just because you are in a hole, that doesn't mean it is fire proof!
Another tip is if you have a hose, spray the surrounding ground and trees so they won't catch if things get a little wild
And fire can travel out of sight under ground via old vegetation, then flare up away from the starting point.
I don't think I can do any of the steps required in this process without my neighbors calling the cops on me, but this was very informative and it seems like a fun and rewarding hobby.
Digging that rectangular hole would have been my neighbour's first red flag. 😁😁 And then looking shifty...
I used to be a skilled artist with pottery when I was a kid and had access to unlimited clay and a kiln. Waited my whole adult life to get a kiln, I don’t want to wait anymore. Hoping to make some pieces in my backyard (even if it blows) without a kiln.
stop waiting what you what in for!! ahhhahahaa
So... How'd it go!?
So did you do it? I wish I could. As things open up more, I sure am going to try.
Very cool, going to add it to the list of a 1,000 other things I would like to do.
Lol
Fantastic video - I love your calm, clear explanations
Any suggestions for cold weather? Like Chicago winter?
Sir, you are everywhere. I tip my hat to you.
Agreed, it was very well made
Mr. Barrister John Barosa?
skunk
I have loved and worked with ceramics for most of my life and coming from Africa, I especially love traditional methods of making and firing. I am so very pleased to have come across your caring and clear guidance aimed at those who are attempting these beautiful old and creative methods. All too often details are skimmed over and small but important considerations and proceedures are left out, leaving learner to discover the hard way and often disheartened. Thank you for putting in all the extra effort and info. Parabens! from Portugal
wonderful video. if you use wooden pallets, make sure they are marked HT (Heat Treated) and not MB (Methil Bromide) which is toxic.
the gorgeous pottery you've made resemble your gorgeous kitty. coincidence? I think not. carry on
Wow, I’ve been looking for a video like this. I have a vain of natural clay here in the mid-Willamette Vally in Oregon. This stuff is weirdly clean and fires into a dark burgundy color with sparkles. My friend made a small sculpture from it and fired it in a small dental kiln and I was very surprised it looked so refined. Thank you for the data, I’m all in!
Hi, did you end up firing any clay ?
A tip, use a large terracotta pot turned upside down, and stack your pottery inside, build a huge bonfire above and around this pot, and let burn for about 12 hours.... or if you are able to, get a couple of sacks of cinders to burn the pottery with.
I was wondering about just this the other day!.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saggar
Would a saggar prevent some of the wonderful coloration associated with pit firing?
@@lesliehowells probably, it is designed to protect the ceramics inside. But a small gap would let smoke etc in and perhaps colour your goods.
I will never be a potter, but I enjoyed learning all this. As a birdwatcher, I'm intrigued by the bird I can hear in your yard.
Great video. You're a calming teacher.
Hugely appreciated this video. My dad was a well known artist (he taught pottery at a few different colleges and university) eventually the silica dust from all his years doing pottery gave him COPD. He died in 2017. I didn't know him well and never had the chance to learn from him, and so I'm learning now. When he was dying, and I was scared to lose him and all his knowledge he told me to learn "from TH-cam"
Went into this video not expecting much, was pleasantly surprised! Good pacing, nice delivery, no excessive filler, and even a payoff of seeing the fired pots at the end. Very cool. Subscribed!
This video was really wonderful and helpful, thank you! :)
This was such a great, informative video, and the final results are gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank you for excellent tutorials.
this was on my bucket list... thanks for being there!
Thanks for sharing...loved the end products!
Beautifully filmed and easy to understand! Thank you for this incredibly helpful video
This is amazing!. A lot of good tips! Thank you very much
Thanks for taking the time share! I came across your video by chance. I am thrilled to have learned something new. I at least saw something new, thanks to you.
Great video! The pots turned out well. Love your diy approach.
Thank you so much for the video! please keep making more on pottery, you are so good at explaining stuff!
thank you for sharing!!! The pot is beautiful
So nicely done. Well explained and genuine.
Simple video,well explained and a ton of vital information herein.thumbs up for you bro!!
Best video I have seen on this subject! Thank you ❤️
Love your instructions great job very informative
very well explained! thanks. i learned a lot from this video
Excellent video! You explain all of the most important aspects of pit firing in clear terms with great DIY images. You've anticipated what viewers will need to know for them to try it for themselves. Great job!
Thank you so much for this. Your explanations are clear and incredibly informative.
This is so smart! Thanks for sharing
It’s beautiful! Excited for you, like unveiling a secret treasure!
You are a really great presenter of information, I have been interested in learning more about pit firing. This was really clear and helpful! Thankyou for this video!
Helpful instructions, thanks! Looking forward to trying something like this as an early retirement project. And a big thank you as well to all the helpful comments people have added, suggesting various safety tips and other materials to add colors, etc.
Excellent video! Enjoyed watching and great that you've given a time-stamp for each process, too. Tfs.
Thanks for a great summary! I'm saving this one on a playlist for future reference
Thank you so much for this video, just what I was looking for. I learned more from you than from a Raku course I had taken in the past.
Thank you for your hard work and patience this was the most informative comprehensive video on this subject I've seen thank you
YES! THANK YOU! This is so straight forward and informative. Thank you for that.
clear and concise, excellent teaching. Thanks.
Well done, my man, well done. Very clear, precise and understandable explanation of all the different chemical processes clay goes through in firings.
Excellent video. I love the useful information delivered in a simple and straight forward manner, without all the fluff.
Well done.
Excellent video, concise and interesting. Thanks, I learnt a lot and will try to put it into practice.
This is something I've got to try. Thank you!
Beautifully executed instructional video. Thanks for making it. It may be something I will try someday because you make it look achievable!
Love that you think your pot matches the cat. Pleasant slow, very informative video to watch. I'm gonna try it soon!
Thank you for your continued commitment to excellence.
Good job Man~ nice video, especially for those new to clay/ceramics.
#1. Pre-heating pots in your oven should NEVER be over 212F or 100C. This is the point at which water is driven off as steam, and it is the internal pressure of expanding steam that causes pottery to explode. This is especially true for smoother, finer-grained, un-grogged clays (grog opens the clay body and helps steam to escape). Thicker ware is most at risk of steam explosions, so dry it longer, but two hours in a 200F oven is plenty for most pots. Higher heat in your oven does not add any additional strength. There remains some chemically-bonded water that gets driven off at about 1100F, but your kitchen oven won't cure that problem.
#2. Too much grog will reduce the plasticity of clay to the point where rolling coils may be difficult because the coils split or crack when bent. Grog stiffens the raw clay, but you can compensate for this by dampening your fingers, or by rolling coils on a sightly-dampened cloth-covered surface. GOOD PRESENTATION OVERALL!
Beautiful pottery it has a natural look to it that isn’t found in thrown pottery! Gorgeous ❤️
Love this, and the birds in your neighbourhood too. Thanks and well done!
What a lovely young man, thank you for sharing.
Great Video. I like the way you approach teaching. You broached many of the pitfalls of such a technique and told us WHY that cant happen, not just the dos and don'ts. That gave me a better sense of what's really going on in the fire and in the clay and that makes me happy.
Please, would love to see more like this.
Now Ill go watch another. :)
Great tutorial! I’d be willing to give this a go. Your explanation is understandable.
For that, I am grateful! Thank you~
Great color on the big pot! Love that black!!!
This is very well explained and easy to follow - very well-made video!
Very satisfying to watch.. well done.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and showing how this can be done. I now have a better, though basic, understanding which I hope to use making jewelry components.
beautifully taught, i'm a beginner and found this completely informative. well done.
Thank-you so much , loved your presentation, very informative, many thanks
Youre so clear and calming!!
So lovely. I’m just getting into pottery, starting with air dry clay :) thanks for sharing I hope to do this one day when I have a house with a yard 🥰
Very cool ! My wife has done lots of conventional pottery firings, including wood-fired, but hasn't tried this one. I'm not a potter, but watching your video has inspired me to try this. When the weather improves, we're going to give this a go! New subscriber to your channel!
Just a beginner...learnt so much! Thank you.
this creative proces and your calm voice is like meditation to me! Love it.
This was an comfortable video to learn from. Great job!
Literally HOW did anyone press thumbs down.. I'm 2 minutes in and LOVE this so much. Thank you thank you for all the super useful, easy to digest info!
Very good explanations . Very helpful to understand what's going on.
Wow incredible, you really gave it your all. It's imperative. You are a very good teacher. I would love to give it a try. Thanks for explaining your process.
Brilliant... Wish I had a patch of ground to try this out in!!
Fascinating and on a side note ; In shot near end of video Tilly has amazing colours.
I am glad I found this video. Thank you. I look forward to trying this out. It is very informative.
Very nice work... Man! 😀 Love it!
Thanks a lot for this sharing
Excellent description of this process! I've done trash can firings with some success, but this gave me more details and info for what was actually happening to the clay, and how to get colour variation.
Thank you so much for sharing this process and explanation very well done and beautiful pots! I was thinking at the end "it matches the kitty"! Then hear you say the same thing haha!
Time to get pottering!
Beautiful results. Easy to follow instructions. Thank you.
You are an excellent teacher. This is very useful and totally accessible.
I'm a retired art teacher. This video is well done and informative. Hope you do more that's ceramics related.
This was very interesting, thank you...I've learned lots...🙂🙂
I'm so glad!
This is fascinating. Something I've always wanted to get into, now I can - thank you. Your pots are really nice btw :)
Thank you for sharing your knowledge 🙏 😊. Your ceramic pieces are beautiful!
I used to work at Shapes Of Clay in Graham Wa and still have many pieces that I’ve made. Great video on the firing process,I didn’t know it could be done without a kiln… I’d love to make a few more pieces…
This video was extremely helpful as someone whos new to both ceramics and pit firing, thanks for the informative video!
So glad I could help! Hope you have fun with it. And please share your process and results!
Great video. You are a wonderful teacher!
This is the most informative video on this topic I could imagine. Wow. Well done, man. 👍
Really nice explanation...very clear and approachable. Love the coloration you obtained on the round pot with the small hole. Any updates since you first made this video? Love to see an update if your down for it. Also, I wonder how native peoples achieved the high temps needed to make their pottery items. Thank you!
Great tutorial thanks really clear guidance. Been wanting a guide to how to do this. One thing I’m curious about, I saw traditional pots fired this way in New Mexico made by Felipe Ortega. Beautiful pots! He does use the final pot for cooking beans, and also for bowls and cups to use. Totally fine and safe. I think this is because the clay is micaceous , which may mean it’s less porous when fired.
This is amazing content! Thank you so much!