How to Pit Fire

People have been creating pottery for millennia and only more recently have kilns become popular. Here’s how to pit fire your pots at home. It is worth noting to take care when firing and do so in a cleared area away from buildings. It is also advisable to have some water, either a hose or a bucket, or an extinguisher to put out any fires that get out of hand.

The Pit Fire Method

If your pottery is already bisque fired you won’t have to worry as much about breakage or getting the fire hot enough. However, if you are making primitive pottery and are firing ‘green ware’ then you need to be aware of the following:

• Make sure the pottery is fully dry

• Create a bed of coals first, then place the pottery over the coals and stack firewood over it all. This will completely envelop the pots with fire ensuring a good firing temperature is reached.

Once the fire has started sit back and wait, let the fire burn all the way down to ash before you take the pottery out. If your pottery isn’t fully fired (rings like a bell) then you did not use enough firewood.

You can repeat the process to achieve a better firing result.

excerpt courtesy of Ancient Pottery by Andy Ward