Down Draft Barrel Firing a Simple Set-up for a Cool Effect

This week I made a down draft barrel kiln, as per Alternative Kilns and Firing Techniques: Raku, Saggar, Pit, Barrel (A Lark Ceramics Book). A pretty easy design, considering I had everything I needed lying around the yard. I had planned on taking more pictures of the process, but the cold weather kept me occupied with getting it built.

 After building the kiln I loaded it by placing the ceramic wares three inches above the bottom metal grate in a sawdust nest. Next, I sprinkled red iron oxide, yellow ocher, and copper carbonate on three pots that were not wrapped in aluminum foil for a saggar firing. These pieces had ferric chloride (used to clean electronics) poured over them, then they were each sprinkled with 1 tsp of sugar and salt.

 I added more sawdust and some lighter fluid soaked kindling along with scrap paper. Building up more sawdust I topped the barrel with kindling and let the fire. It took several hours to get the convection going. I eventually heated the elbow with a weed burner. After that, the down draft started in earnest. I let the fire go over night. In the morning I was rewarded with some great colors.

 The pot on the far right was in the aluminum saggar. These colors remind me of the southwest sandstone in the United States. With that idea I am going for a similar firing with the pot below, which is coil built. I hope the Ordovician brittle stars and trilobites slip trails come through after I apply a slip to the piece after it is bisqued. If I apply it now, I think it would only streak the red iron oxide color in the slip trail. I will keep you posted.