Sunday, January 29, 2006

Step 2--Cutting Fiber

For my Raku Kiln I purchased 1 roll of KaoWool off of eBay--Real Cheap. It is 1 inch by 24 inches by 25 feet. This is more than enough for the project. The main piece for the kiln measured 5 feet in length and I cut 2 circles for the bottom of the can and one circle for the lid.
Working with this fiber is hazardous to your health. Make dang sure you wear a respirator when working with it. I also found that a thin pair of garden gloves helps as well. The stuff is itchy and irritable, just like fiberglass. I started cutting the fiber with scissors but found that a sharp utility knive worked much much better. The carpenter's square was not necessary but looks good in the photo.

Friday, January 20, 2006

Raku Kiln Building for Dummies

The first step in making a fiber-lined garbage can raku kiln is obtaining a garbage can. I bought a new one at our local hardware store. It is a 31 gallon galvanized garbage can that cost $10.99.
This size can seems like a good choice because it is 26 inches deep on the inside, which makes installing the ceramic fiber a bit more easier.
The only tools needed for the first step is a drill, tin shears, a rounded edged file, and of course safety glasses.
Cut out a 5 inch circle out of a piece of cardboard as a template for the burner port and the flue. Using the template and a magic marker, draw a circle 3 inches above the bottom of the garbage can.
Next, put on your safety glasses and drill a hole on the marked circle. This is a starter hole to get the tin shears into. Tin shears cut through the garbage can really easy. Just cut out your marked circle.
I used the rounded edged file to file down any sharp jagged edges.
This first step took about 15 minutes to complete.