Hint: dip the bricks in water before laing them up. The wet bricks won't suck the water out of your mortar and thus the bricks will stick together better.

Looked up how much a small kiln was and found out it was wayyyy out of my budget. So, thank you so much for this life saver of a video!!

Thank you for being a down to earth commonsense person and not showboating it like everyone else does

I made my first piece of pottery last night, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

I really love Andy Ward- Such great knowledge of a very specific subject, and he just owns it. He has videos on every subject. Thank you Andy and hello from central Nevada. 😊

I'll be using this kiln build, many thanks!! Great video

What a fantastic video ! Thank you - so glad I found your channel ! Going to binge watch , subscribed and couldn't be happier ! Thx again !

Thanks so much for sharing! I bought a wheel a year ago and got discouraged because I couldn’t fire anything. These last few months it occurred to me to make my own kiln..duh! I just couldn’t find the right plan till now! So grateful! I will be trying this out very soon.

Awesome video I can’t wait to try this thank you!

Thank you so much for sharing this! I will be building one on my new homestead for my hobby shop.

Informative and relaxing to watch. This seems very doable especially for a beginner. I love it!

Thanks Andy! I’m excited to see it in action!

Hey Andy - so glad to have your videos. I'm about to build my first wood fired kiln in northern France, so eagerly watching your video's. 🙂

Thank you for this video! Nicely done! I'm going to build one of these when the weather warms up. We have a little bit more moisture up here in Northern Arizona, so I will have to find a solution to protect the mortor

Loved it! This is going to be my summer project

I just found your channel and I’m happy I did. I live in Georgia, and have clay everywhere. It is extremely wet her, so thank you for the wet climate advice. I can’t wait to get started.

Thanks for all the great videos 👍

LOVE your show thank you !

Thanks man . Real informative , and you seem like a cool dude 🙏

I love watching your videos Andy: so informative and who knows, one day I may build my own kiln and fire some of my pottery using your methods :-)

Thank you for the video. I am happy I found your channel

thank you for such an informative video! like another commenter, i have been planning to build a small wood fire kiln but what i could find online & in books wasn’t exactly suitable for a suburban environment. excited to see how it fires :)

excited to watch more videos of this kinda content

Pulling up my chair on this project! Excited to see a cone test

Looking forward to the inaugural firing, it will be good. Thanks for the video.

Love this vid!

Really great video 👍🏽

Fantastic and inspiring Andy.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Another cool think to do with clay is make pozzolanic cement.

The last comment I made was reproduced from my failing memory when I hit cancel instead of comment on the very first one. So I just realized that I had left out this part. When you are first starting up the kiln, if you place a temporary grate on top of the kiln and build a small hot fire, it will burn away all the smoke coming out of the top. Since smoke is just unburned fuel. This should help with having a stealthy urban kiln, cheers again.

I live close to Tucson. ❤️ This will be perfect for what I want to do. Thanks!👌🏽👍

Thanks for this, my wife and i wanted to get into pottery. I want a more ancient style wheel and she wants one with a wheel. So we will see how much i like spinning it myself.

Thanks for this, really informative. I'm in Canada, hoping to build one once I move out of the city (forget making a kiln in this city, not even allowed to have a fireplace).

Hello, I can’t wait to see the result. How long does firing a kiln should last ? Also How long after pottery looks red hot should the fire continue? Thank you for your videos it is vers inspiring.

Great build Andy, we can't wait to see it get fired up. Great point about protection from rain, here in New England it would need its own enclosure. If you need more heat a few mouse holes in the firebox should do the trick.

Regular brickwork would work but using firebrick and high temperature mortar is the proper method, just use standard masonry for the outer walls or build some type of shelter to protect it from weather in wet or freeze/thaw regions.

great video ty

I'm glad that you addressed ways to protect it from moisture in wetter environments. I live in Washington state and we see a lot of rain where I live. I would build mine on a cinder block platform. Another challenge I would face is the summer burn bans. The burn bans can get so strict that you can only burn in a wood stove and only if it is your primary source of heat for your house.

Hi Andy. I think your kiln looks very functional and quite sturdy. I noticed that your kiln looks very close to your cements block wall. A piece of sheet metal should reflect enough heat to prevent any heat damage to the block. It is amazing how much heat even a little kiln will produce when you are cramming every spar BTU you can find into it. I looked into paper kilns and was surprised at how well they insulate. So, was thinking thin layers of adobe with lots of straw on the outside of the kiln might help retain more heat and shield the block wall. I am wondering what you are going to put on top of the kiln? Two plates of something will allow you to throttle the fire and retain more heat. As well as put the kiln into reduction at the end of the firing. A piece of flue pipe will also improve the draft. But I don't know how far away from your original thought you may want to go. When I referred to your kiln as little I was by no means trying to slight it in anyway. I think your kiln will be a real work horse and you will be able to pull an amazing amount of pottery through it. I hope I don't sound like too much of a know it all with a lot of unsolicited advice. I am really meaning it to have a conversation. Thinking is nice, but doing is better. And you seem to be doing very well, cheers.

I'm very excited to see what temps you can reach,

The discussion at the end is quite important. Most backyard DIY projects I see on the internet don’t discuss modifying how one has to adapt the build to different climates. In my case I would have moisture, snow, and deep frost (=frost heaving) to contend with. So a DIY kiln would cost much more after you factor in the cost of a stable base, and a weather-proof and heat proof enclosure.

Good build . You could dig vents from bottom to the outside you can control. This will definitely make for a hotter fire in small area.

Thank you very much. I watch a lot of these YT walk-throughs and this one was very well made. If I wanted to buy the mortar/adobe by the bag, at say Home Depot or Lowe's, could you give a recommendation as to the brand that I would want?

You are always one step ahead of me (lol). This has been on my "to do" list all winter. I need just a few weeks more for the weather to warm up to build mine. I have built a coal forge in almost the same way. I am going to make a few adjustment to your version and add what I learned from building the coal forge on my kiln. If it works, I share with everyone on Instagram. If not, I'll just remake it the way you have done it.

I am waiting for the inaugural firing, I made some mud mortar 10 years ago and I used two type of mixture: 50/50 sand/clay and the other one was 50/50 sand/clay and added 1 part of cement to 9 parts of the mud/clay mixture. The 50/50 sand/clay mixture got eroded by the elements (rain, wind, hot, cold, sun) and the 9:1 mixture have not eroded at all.

❤ Dziękuję za przekazaną wiedzę.Pozdrawiam z Polski❤

Thank you for this very informative video. I love ceramics. I love pottery very much and would love to make my own pots, mugs, plates, & more. My only problem is finding a way to fire my pieces. We live in an apartment. Hardly no land to the place. Just enough for parking lol. Maybe I can talk with landlord & make a deal?! Thank you sir! 🙏🌹

I like your taste in music

Time to find some free bricks on Craigslist! This tutorial was exactly what I was looking for

nice video

I watched your adobe kiln video and now this one (thanks to Pinterest). The adobe one reminded me of some rocket stove videos that I have watched. Now I'm keen to give this a go. I haven't thrown pots since high school and I'm retired now so I think I had better get to it. Can't wait to go back and catch up on the rest of your videos.

Nice video, I will definitely give it a shot to building my own. Could you recommend a device to measure temperature, possibly one that I could get on Amazon. Thank you so much. Great great video

Great stuff Andy! Finding wood to burn is pretty a daunting task where I live. May I ask if it is possible at all to use gas fire to do the job? I would appreciate a quick reply. Thanks and Regards. Sham Naarai.

If you add a metal grate in the front of the fire box, this would keep the fuel off the ground allowing better air flow. Also if you add a fan or something to blow air into the kiln you'd reach much higher temperatures..(Like a rocket stove.) Good luck with the first firing! )

Hey, greetings from a native Tucsonan!

So if I remember right a long time ago there was product called star set. It was used in firer place construction in the fire box where the flame was the hotest, It came in a pail and was not to be frozen.

Have you made the video of you using this kiln yet? Have just discovered this. Thanks

I like this guy

Nice vidio

Hey Andy, what cones can you fire to? I believe doing a cement outer coating of the kiln would insulate the pottery a lot nicer and allow for a more stable and easier firing method.

Hi Andy, great video. Quick question, if you don’t mind. Sweet dungarees where’d you get them? Look like a sturdy pair, I myself am in the market for a new pair would appreciate a recommendation. Thanks again for the video.

Hi Andy! How high up does the barbeque rack need to be from the bottom of the kiln and can you have two racks for extra pottery? So you can fire items without glaze on the bottom rack and with it on the top rack? How hot does the top end of your kiln get? Any suggestion on how to get it to burn to at least 1,000 celsius? What did you use for a lid on this kiln? Thanks and great video!

Is there a fire brick pre mix mortar for walls I can get?

Hi again Andy! May I ask if it is possible to use clay as mortar to joint the bricks or do I need a special cement bond?

great build, thanks for sharing, do you have a video where you fire up this kiln ?

Hi Andy, your kiln looks a lot like a bloomery furnace for processing iron ore into wrought iron. Those get to 1,000c or so. Have you considered putting in a tuyere below the pottery you can use to force air into the kiln? You can make a clay pipe that your fire and then connect it to a bellows, or an electric leaf blower. You can get crazy heat out of a charcoal charged furnace/kiln that way.

I am so excited to get started. I have so many questions though; for starters, is a thicker wall on the kiln better, or is it better to be thinner walled?

Hi Andy, really informative video, did you use fire bricks for building the kiln or would standard brick be suitable also? - James

Hello and thank you for making this video. I live in the city and have a small back patio area, with concrete/pavers down in the ground. I noticed you dug up some ground and placed the bricks in, and I am just wondering if it is still ok to build a kiln without a dirt ground, and if so how would be best to do so. All of the videos I have seen are working on dirt ground. Thanks again!

Givning u a like for that smooth occasional moonshine accent haha .. good video! 👏🏽

I’ve started something similar. I made mud bricks interior with straw like they did for early colonial ovens. And then did a brick with mud mortar exterior. I haven’t quite got enough mud bricks to finish it. I’m wondering about fire temps. Will these bricks hold up to heat? Another option I was think of using fire bricks but those aren’t cheap. I can’t wait to see you light this one. I’ve been waiting until spring to finish and try mine. Also what do you plan on using on top, to create a chamber?

This is wonderful....can I bisque fire and glaze fire in this sort of kiln? Thank you for this great video :)

Hi, Really instructive and good videos for me as a novice but potterycurious guy. Do you have any video about fire bricks? When to use and when not? This is really confusing to me and I do not get a clear picture of this topic. You mention below you are not targeting high temp so firebricks are not needed for this kiln. But you are still targeting 800c for burning pottery right? I guess my question is when to use fire bricks and when can I use regular bricks?

I would say put kiln shelf stilts sideways into brick to hold a kiln shelf or your barbecue grill grate.

Do you think you could semi waterproof the kiln with a light render to protect the mud in a wet climate? Or would the external part of the kiln reach too high of a temperature for a cement based render mixture? Thanks

If you had to do this again, would you leave a couple bricks without mortar to be able to remove them to add air? If so, at what height would you have the non-mortared bricks?

Me n my friend got a hold of an old concrete drain Pipe.. im thinking perfect kiln/ smelter

Hey Andy. Could this kiln perhaps be upsized for firing large quantities of bricks?

Can you recommend a thermocouple that will work for this kind of kiln and is relatively inexpensive? Or point me in the general direction. It seems the probe needs to be ceramic?

I know this is an older video ao i dont know if you will see this. What kind of bbq grill did you use? Was it one that had fire? Thanks

the probe is reading in centigrade and the blue hand held reader is reading Celsius, that might explain why there was a difference between readings

I did some excavating on my property last year. We have a large clay layer in our soil and high amounts of clay in the soil so I saved several buckets of the clay I uncovered. Have always wanted to build a kiln and make some things. I made a brick rocket stove out of bricks laying around a number of years ago to barbecue on. You have inspired me to turn that into a kiln. Also I have always wanted to take some of the extra limestone we have and burn it to make lime mortar to do authentic repairs on my 1899 walls. I wonder if that could be accomplished in one of these little kilns as commercial operations once did on a large scale? Even though we have limestone readily available finding real lime powder or mortar without chemicals added to do burnished lime on walls has become almost impossible in my area.

I live in a city my yard is half Concrete patio type and then some grass dirt area could I build this right on the concrete slab or does it have to be on the dirt

Omg...I thought he was a young Andy Rooney!😃

What about using refractory cement instead of the mortar? Will add to my cost but think the stability and ability to take the heat would be worth it?

Im just curious what is your opinion on kilns with a long tunnel? Ever planned to craft one?

I live in the volcano area of the Pacific NW. We do not have actual soil in my area unless we make it ourselves: compost and other ingredients. What I'm wondering is that our soil is primarily volcanic pumice. What could I use as a bonding agent with the volcanic pumice to make the mud to build a pottery kiln?

First of all, thanks for making this video... I had a quick and possibly stupid question. Could I use clay as a mortar for this?

Hi Andy, you said in your last video that when you build your next kiln you will add a fire grill so the ashes drop down away from the wood but you can't put a grill in this.

If I wanted to make my own clay bricks for the kiln, can I fire the bricks on the ground with wood like I would do for pottery?

So, how far does a kiln like this needs to be from buildngs or hedges? I see your is quite close to a wall of some sorts. I love quite small with a small garden and the sized are all hedges!

Howdy Andy, I loved your video and learned a ton... I had a couple questions after watching maybe you could help work through. I am trying to do a lot of research to make the best DIY Smoker, to smoke meat like ribs, brisket, etc. I dove into the kiln design DIY world to better understand a different niche with a relatively similar goal; Design a cheap, safe, effective, and efficient contained heating source. It is worth quickly pointing out the major design differences are going to be related to food safety and design for food use, Lid design, and the lower temps of smoking meat 220-600 degrees operating temps. My questions are as follows: 1. What is the best food safe alternative to mud... I have thrown around the idea of building this kiln around a metal barrel to eliminate this problem of mud crumbling onto the food but this is far more intensive and ultimately more expensive. Is there a good alternative to mud like concrete or some cheap brick mortar that can do fine at my lower operating temperatures? 2. For long term use is it worth building this on a structure of foundational bricks...I imagine getting ash out does not matter as much when making pottery if you can use something to start the flame but in the smoking meat hobby it is super important to sift all charcoal ashes out between smoking's for the flavor of the meat. I will probably design and weld a sifting table for the charcoal to sit on and have holes to sift out the ash... but having a layer of brick underneath may allow me to scrape out any ask build up over time. In your use of the Kiln has cleaning out ask ever come into play or is it just as easy as taking a small shovel and scraping it out and whatever dirt comes along is no worries? 3. One design feature I am a little stuck on is the lid, it would be great for it to be hinged and light enough to move, as well as be insulative and seal against the body of the smoker. Generally lids are shaped like an upside-down bowl to increase the velocity of the smoke coming out of the top and act as a sort of nozzle. I have kind of deduced it has to be metal just because it needs to be formable, mountable, light, but it really gives up a lot on the insulation front... do you have any clay ideas for a lid like this or any other material for that matter? I am sorry for the lengthy essay just thought I would try to gain more insight from any expert I can reach. I hope you keep having a great time and keep up the amazing content, I will be sure to stay tuned :)

Hi Andy .. I want to do a shelf for gas kiln but I don't know how..little help please🙏

Hello !! I was wondering if I could use cement instead of sand and clay ??! Pls lmk thank you ❤️

What's the song you had in the background?

Is there a way to reasonable test the clay for arsenic and other chemicals before using them as food grade or do the extreme temps burn everything away?

You should name your new kiln!

Hi Mr Ward. I am struggling to get hold of clay. Is it possible to replace it with river sand? Is there any aggregate combination that may give me the properties that clay offers?

I just want to make sure, red clay dirt and just reg sand from anywhere? And would it be OK to use the flat stepping stones as a base (floor) or just leave it all on ground? 🤔

Can this be made a rectangle shape? or with a rectangle rack for inside instead of a round BBQ grill?