See our Mud Kiln we titled the “Europa Mud Kiln.” Built entierly out of mud, this kiln was fired with propane and wood. Just a fun project!
25 Replies to “Europa Mud Kiln, by Aurora Pine Ceramic Arts”
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very nice kiln i like it very mutch ill have to make one now
Yo Neil! Very cool man. Seemed like a really worthwhile experiment. I like the Dome concept. Could be a lot of fun. Nice vid.
thats great man that was awesome im inspired to maybe build a smaller version of yours ๐
Nice video, thanks for sharing!!
Waaaay cool Neil- some local potters built a wood fired kiln, and its primitive looking, but they host a 3 day firing event each year- keep on man…
You Rock. Seriously — what an excellent attitude — just build it, burn it, and see if it works.
We did fire a couple pieces in there for fun. The first (and only) firing was supposed to be just a test. So we didn’t put much in it. All it really did was dirty bisque. Turned out grey from the carbon. If you want to build a mud kiln, I recomend building a simple dome shape. like an Igloo. As you have seen and heard, this design just didn’t survive. Perhaps more straw and sand would have worked. Some additives to the “mud” would have been nice too. Glad you enjoyed it and have been inspired!:)
This is excellent, and I’m inspired to try one of these myself. Did you end up trying to fire something in it?
That must have been fun. Great clip.
Thank you for the compliment and inspirational comment. You’re right, I do need to make some new videos. I haven’t been able to upload my videos due to my firewire cable input breaking on my computer. More videos coming soon, I promise. ๐
Hey get busy putting up more videos! You do good work and I’d like to see more. You have a creative mind and are going great places.
Thats great! I wish I could get some fire brick donated to me. Someday I will build a couple of wood kilns. Glad you enjoyed the video. ๐
35+- yrs ago I decided to build a wood kiln.I was young & experimental like you. I talked a brick factory into giving me some fire brick & tried to build a kiln. Was missing some important parts like a blower and gas input-tried to use just wood. I had a great time & reading about your experiment brought back fond memories. Keep working at it! I’m sure you’ll be a great pottery. PS I still have the fire brick just in case–maybe I’ll try it again now. Thanks!
cool ๐ maybe you can find a group/club/organisation/college/guild/etc that have a shared studio space, mostly they have large kilns and love new members
I did consider pit firing larger pots. I’m just about certain that the handles would snap right off if not high fired though. I did bisque my 2 foot vase, now it just sits awaiting a larger kiln.
That’s a great start ๐ Have you looked into other methods of firing your larger pots? There’s always pit firing (if you can get them bisqued) bonfire firing, black firing, sawdust firing, dung firing, paper kiln, teepee firing, bbq/fireplace, there are all kinds of fumeable materials that add colors to pots in those sort of firings. Second hand housebricks can build a good low fire kiln. Pit firing is my fav for large pots at the moment ๐
Yeah, it was a blast to build! Forgive me but Mark is my youtube buddy, I’m Neal.:) By the way I have seen your wood fired kiln…Excellent!
Hey mark I wish now I had a video of my first “kiln” great job looked like fun. its the best way to learn. you you ever have question or want some advice there are many people that would be willing to help you out.
About the flue on the mud kiln. It did have a decent draft but it wasn’t enough to pull the flame through the kiln. If you look the kiln, It has CFB as the door. I had to crack it open at the top to pull more air through.
This kiln was tons of fun building and firing. Like I said above, it is now unfortunately a pile of dirt again. I did go buy a few fire brick to maybe build a small gas reduction kiln. The greenware did bisque without any fractures. The total firing time was about 5 hours.
Neal! Just get yourself some used exterior or chimney brick – they should fire to around ^1 or 2. If the inside melts a little, who cares, right? How was the draugh on your flue?
Did the greenware bisque?
I didn’t actually fire any pots the first time around. Well, I put two pieces of greenware in to see how they would bisque. Other than that it was merely a test firing. Unfortunatly, 48 hours after the firing a small portion of the roof caved in. The Europa Mud Kiln is now back into its original state, a heap of dirt… ๐ The entire project was an absolute blast though. The entire inside of the kiln did fire into an earthenware! I am experimenting with throwing clay from this same mud mix!
Excellent! Lack of supplies is usually the point when real creativity can emerge ๐ I couldn’t see if you fired actual pottery in the kiln…if so can you share the results of the adventure?
Thanks Mark, we were actually talking about making and firing bricks from the mud. I tested the mud in my electric kiln and it fires similar to terracotta! That may be a little much though. I wish I could get some real refractory bricks! In time…in time…
Great job Neal and Lacey! Marley ending is a nice touch. That was exciting to see the process. What’s next for the experiment? Bricks you say? lol