From: jim
Date: Fri, 6 Jan 1995 07:07:00 -0500

Subject: Campfire Pottery

Campfire Pottery
John Richey
The Leader, April 1991


For two years now, campfire pottery making has been a popular hit
at Interior B.C.'s annual Scouting family weekend, better known
as FAMSCOWEE! (Mar '90). Try the activity at your camp this
summer.

"It's easier than you think and a natural outlet for a lot of
creative and physical energy," says Stephen Plant of The Pottery
Plant in Revelstoke. "Earth, air, fire, water, and imagination
are the ingredients, and you can almost always find them
anywhere."

What you do, simply, is shape a clay mix, let it dry, then fire
it to red heat in an outdoor fire. The technique dates back to
the last Ice Age, almost 100,000 years ago. Like your prehistoric
ancestors, you will probably turn out some pretty crude pots and
sculptures the first time, but you'll learn with experience.

"The whole process has an endless number of variables and ways of
doing things," Stephen says. "There is no 'right' way, and often
the results are unexpectedly amazing!"


Earth

The earth you use is a mixture of clay and filler (sand or mica).
By opening the pores of the clay to let moisture escape, the
coarse filler "tempers" it so that pottery dries and fires more
successfully. Without it, pots can warp, shrink, crack, or
explode in the fire.

If you are lucky, you may have a local outcrop of clay nearby. To
check if the clay is suitable for pottery-making, roll a small
lump into a coil about 18 mm in diameter, then bend the coil into
a ring about 5 cm in diameter. If you have good clay, it will not
split and the ring will be firm enough to set on an edge without
sagging.

If you don't have a natural source of clay, you can buy it from a
ceramic supply house or through a local potter, generally in 25
kg or 55 kg packages. The best kind for campfire pottery is red
earthenware for hand building.

Dampen filler before adding to clay and mix in well, almost as if
you were kneading bread. Slowly add filler and keep moistening
until the clay is easily workable and plastic. If it starts to
crumble, you've added too much filler. "You'll know when it's
right," Stephen says. A good guideline is 1/2 to 1/3 cup filler
to 10 kg clay.

The simplest form of pot to make is a "pinch pot". You start with
a ball of clay you can comfortably hold in your hand. Push the
thumb of the other hand gently into the centre of the ball, then
squeeze the clay between thumb on the inside and the fingers on
the outside. Continue to squeeze the clay and turn the pot to
hollow it out and thin the walls.

If the weather is hot while you are working, the top of your pot
might start to crack. Dampen it slightly from time to time, but
try not to get it soggy or it will not be very workable.

Some of your members might want to try making a pot by "coiling",
another traditional method. Start by squeezing clay into a
sausage shape, then putting it on a flat clean surface and
rolling back and forth to make a long round "snake" or rope. The
number of coils you need will depend on the size of pot you want
to make. The first time, try a small pot to get used to the
technique.

When you've made four or five ropes, make a flat clay disc to be
the bottom of the pot. Coil the first rope around the outside of
the disc and firmly thumb the clay of the two parts together.
Build each coil on the one below, firmly pushing the clay
together to join them each time. The clay must be the right
dampness for the coils to merge. Support the pot on the outside
with the other hand as you shape it

Stephen offers a few tips to make your pottery more successful.

1. Avoid leaving air pockets in the piece.


2. Try not to make pieces too thick or too thin. If they are too
thick, they are difficult to dry and fire. If they are too thin
(less than 6 mm), they will likely crack or break. The ideal
thickness is about 12 mm. Stephen uses a "rule of thumb": if a
piece is thicker than your thumb, hollow it out more or thin it
down.

3. If you join pieces of clay, moisten and scratch together the
surfaces you want to join.


Air & Fire

Before firing the pots, let them air dry completely. A day in the
hot sun might be enough, but since they can't get too dry, you
might want to leave them longer. You can also dry them near the
campfire, but be careful not to set them too close and remember
to turn them frequently.

During the drying process, you can burnish the pots to make them
waterproof. They need to be at the "leather hard" stage: still
damp and dark in colour, but no longer pliable. Carefully rub a
pebble or the back of a spoon over the pot to put on a shiny
finish. Maybe you want to shine up some parts of the pot and
leave others unpolished.

When the pots are dry, it's a good idea to preheat them a bit
before firing them. That removes more moisture from the clay,
cutting down further the chance of explosions in your pottery
fire. Heat them by standing them by the fire and turning them
often.

Make a fire pit about 25 cm deep and 75 cm in diameter. Have
plenty of fuel close by: cow dung, sticks, dry grass, shavings,
briquettes, pine cones, and dry firewood. Fill the pit with straw
and pile in the dry pots, open ends down. Build up fuel around
the pots in a tipi, and light the straw and the fire lay. You
need to avoid drafts on the pots, so keep piling on fuel so that
you don't expose the sides to the air. If a wind starts blowing,
set up a windbreak to protect the fire.

Stephen says you can also start by placing the dried pots on a
bed of coals, but only if you have preheated them hot enough that
you can't touch them with your bare hands. If you heat the pots
too suddenly, they will burst, he explains.

When the pots are glowing red hot, the fire has done its job. Let
the fire burn down, then bank it by throwing lawn clippings or
damp hay over the pots. It's best to let both fire and pots cool
down slowly, then to remove the pots with tongs or sticks.

The whole firing process will take about three hours. And, with
luck, your pots will be an interesting and attractive blend of
orange, red, black, and grey.

You've already used a little water to mix and shape your clay and
you've kept a good supply close by during firing for safety.
You've probably used more to clean up after shaping your pots.
And, as Stephen points out, water is good to drink - in your new
pots.

As for imagination, you'll find lots of this around wherever
there are Beavers, Cubs, Scouts, Venturers, Rovers, or Scouters.


We thank Field Executive John Richey for supplying the material
on which this article is based, and B.C./Yukon Executive Director
John Pettifer for the photos.

Program Links
Beavers: Creative Expression
Cubs: Relate to Black Star, Tawny Star, Artist and Handicraft
Badges
Scouts: Artist Challenge Badge
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