Ceramic Firing In A Campfire

As a ceramic major in school i was looking for ways to fire pieces at home and finally decided to try doing a fire pit firing the piece.

Ceramic firing in a campfire.

Smoke firing in a dustbin this is the method we tried. When there is no equipment to measure such burning temperature here is the simple trick to know. Pit firing is the original method for baking clay. This is the first firing i have ever tried to do at home.

When you first make a model it is called greenware. Understand why clay needs firing. A first firing of this creates bisque or biscuit ware. An ordinary clay can only be turned into a pottery masterpiece at a temperature of more than 1000 f.

It is a sign that the fire is super hot up to. A pit fire is the oldest known method of firing your pottery dating back to 29 000 bc. This is far hotter than a household oven will reach but a well built campfire can get that hot if you have a place where you can safely and legally build a fire. It dates back nearly 30 000 years ago.

Initially you need to set a campfire that has glowing red heat. Pit firing is an atmospheric process all of the colors and patterns are derived from the process and what is consume in the fire. Pit fire clay a traditional method of firing pots in a pit. Although individual clays vary in their maturation temperature most clays will become earthenware ceramics at around 700 celsius or about 1300 fahrenheit.