My first attempt at building a kiln was very rustic. I wanted to start at the beginning of the wood fire process and so decided to dig a kiln out of the clay enbankment! With the help of my wife and a friend we dug a hole that was 7 feet long and sloped up to make the body of our kiln. We then dug straight down into the hillside to join up with the body to make our chimney. And in front of the clay hole we built a 3 foot long brick firebox.
To load the kiln, you had to crawl in through the front firebox (which measured 3 feet tall by 2 1/2 feet wide) and load the work on your belly. Not the most comfortable position to work in...
But I have to say that there was a really wonderous feeling I would get when laying in the kiln working with the clay bank to make pottery. It is that feeling that I want to embody in the soul of my work...
Pictures documenting the building of the kiln can be found at : http://www.flickr.com/photos/stefflthompson/sets/72157600224896425/
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