Ancient technology is more fascinating to me than 21st century technology. Despite spending most of my working life plugged in, there was always something missing. Maybe it’s the time spent outdoors, maybe it’s the spark of creative play ignited, maybe I just like getting mucky. Ancient technology is all of these things and more.
It’s pretty easy in many areas of the UK to find a decent bit of clay to slop in a bucket and take home to process. If you’re very lucky, you can dig and shape the clay straight away.
Dry your pot before firing
All you need to do now is dry and fire your pot.
Making Primitive Kilns
I’m not going to go into the ins and outs and whys and wherefores too much. I recommend you get yourself down to the woods and try out the course. But if you did want to have a go yourself* this is a simple guide from which to start experimenting.
1. Warm the clay slowly to minimise thermal shock and breakage. Keep turning pots to maintain an even temperature.
Start of the firing process
2. Split ash logs to necessary size.
Guy and Adam set to with froe and axe
3. As clay warms, move pots to centre of fire on top of split ash logs. Begin with bottom layer of split ash for kiln wall.
4. Spread embers around the outside of the kiln and add next level of split ash wall. Keep turning pots.
5. Keep feeding embers with small shavings to maintain heat and add next level of split ash.
6. Place smaller ash sticks as a roof over the pots.
7. Build a pyramid around the kiln walls to create the oven
8. Keep feeding the fire until pots glow bright red
About 1000 degrees Celsius (you can just see the pot glowing red)
Leave to “cook” for about four hours or so and cool pot slowly. If you’re lucky and the fire gods are on your side it won’t go pop (or later bam), sounds you do not want to hear when firing primitive pottery.
I’ve written a bit more about my experience of Primitive Pottery.
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*At your own risk. I recommend you try Guy Mallinson’s Primitive Pottery course before going it alone unless you have experience of managing an open fire.
Awesome! My little sister makes her own pottery, I’ll pass this primitive kiln advice along.
Hey Addy
Nice to see you over here
Let your sister know – as she’s building the kiln, keep the flames away from the pots for as long as possible before putting the “roof” on top.
Would love to hear about how she gets on.
Good to be here
[...] bowdrill and will teach you how to also. If you ask really nicely, she might even teach you how to make your own clay pots (which you will need) or look at pictures of cute squirrels (’cause everybody needs a little [...]
FAB photos ! Hey these pinchpots look just like mine, fired in a small pot bellied stove. They are great fun to do and can be made with Raku clay which fires at a lower heat, if you don’t want to dig your own. Any chance you could show a session on glazing them?
Thanks Simon.
We glazed the pots before this series of images using the most primitive form of glazing – a small, smooth, round stone. After drying but before firing we carefully rubbed the whole surface area with very smooth pebbles. The more time and care taken over this part of the job, the shinier the pot after firing. This form of glazing also helps with waterproof-ability (the proof was in the cider tasting after the fired pots had cooled). I don’t have any pictures of the process but I think you get the idea that it’s quite simple. Hope that helps.
Can I have the receipe to make the pots please
There’s not really much of a recipe. The clay was dug out of the pond, processed and mixed with some ground shells for temper. Bit of slip was used as necessary when shaping the pots.
Processing the clay is the biggest part of the job. There are more pictures and a bit more of the tale on the Primitive Pottery post.
[...] I dont think I agree with this in a SHTF situation.. we have made LOTs of plastic.. there will always be pop bottles.. If your are concerned about containers in general. Making Pottery may be a skill worth learning. You can build a nice kiln for cheap! . [...]
Hi, really like your kiln idea. Can it be used to calcinate metals? I am looking to build one which can do so but using wood instead of gas and electric. Any help or pointing me in the right direction would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Jonny
Hi Jonny
I was told the temperature was around 1000C in the kiln. But I reckon you’d only be able to do small amounts and it’d probably take a lot longer than firing the pots. It’d take some experimentation and keeping a close eye on the fire to keep the temperature up.
I imagine the earliest metalworkers/alchemists could have used such a set up.
If you do it I’d love to hear about it.