Brick is sometimes used to make firing kilns.
Bricks can tolerate high heats, making them a solid choice for building firing kilns. Brick firing kilns allow little heat to escape from inside the kiln, making them useful for firing clay and pottery. The hard firebrick needed for kilns is available at hardware stores, and is relatively inexpensive. Potters that make pottery for a hobby often make their own kiln in the backyard because electric kilns are much more expensive. Stoneware cannot be made from pottery using a brick kiln, because this type of kiln doesn't provide high-enough temperatures.
Instructions
1. Design the brick plan and make a blueprint plan. Decide how large to make the kiln and mark the dimensions on the blueprint. A kiln 2 feet tall and 2 feet wide will hold several pieces at once. The kiln should be at least 1 cubic foot. Place a metal sheet under the kiln.
2. Put on safety goggles. Wear old clothing that you won't mind getting stained or ruined.
3. Make a level base for the kiln by digging either a few inches into the ground or a few feet. Make the area the size of the base of the kiln. For example, for a 2-cubic-foot kiln, the base is 2 feet. All of the kiln can be placed underground, which gives more insulation. Use a level to make sure the base is level.
4. Put bricks in a perfect square covering the base. Do not mortar these bricks, but place them close together.
5. Build a brick wall on top of the base on one side by staggering the bricks. Mark with a pencil any bricks that need to be cut to fit. The length of the brick wall should be match the length of the base, which will also be the height of the wall. Use a miter saw to cut the bricks as needed. Use high-heat mortar in between the bricks to attach them. Repeat on the other three sides.
6. Place the control box on the outside. Drill holes for the coils to pass through into the kiln. Put the coils around the inside of the kiln. Cover the kiln with a metal sheet as the roof of the structure.
