Can You Make Pottery Without a Kiln

Terry Connor
9 min readNov 16, 2018

One question people tend to have is can you make pottery without a kiln? The answer is yes, you can make pottery without a kiln. You can fire pottery without a kiln, and here, we’ll discuss how you can do so, and even some ways to make alternatives to a traditional kiln, and why it’s important to know this.

Why Fire without a Kiln?

You may wonder why you should fire clay without a kiln. Well, some people have reasons for doing so, and they are the following:

  • Kilns are expensive
  • They often take up a lot of space
  • They’re something that may not be feasible for you right now
  • If you’re not sure whether you want to dedicate time to this hobby, it may not be monetary-wise

When it comes to outdoor firing though, you need this to get to at least 1000 degrees F. You can’t just do this inside. That’s another consideration why. With clay, different types are fired to different levels, and usually, with this, you can only work with earthenware, since it is a low-fire bisque that works for you. With modern kilns, you can get up to 2400 degrees, but if you’re looking to work with clay that isn’t super high-fire, you don’t have to rely on a kiln. However, Most common clays, especially beginner ones, start to melt around 1900 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now, firing without a kiln is something that tribal people do for a few reasons, and they are:

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Terry Connor

I'm someone who is always looking to improve my life and others. Looking to be a better person spiritually and financially. Plus I love pottery and Cats.