| I needed a
form for the pizza oven... and I found the perfect item: a
dog-igloo. I bought a used one from a guy for $25. The dog-igloo was quite large,
so large, in fact, that I had to measure the kiln against it. The
kiln couldn't fit anything larger than 28 x 34 inches. The inner dimensions
of the dome was about 38 inches in diameter. So, I had to be
careful as I made the clay dome to make sure the result would fit.
I put a round piece of plywood in the bottom of the upside-down dome, so
the dome would have a flat top (matching the designs I've seen
online). I also put a couple of boards in to 'square' the sides a
bit, and to bring it in to fit the kiln dimension. I then molded
the clay in three pieces,
and used paper towels between so they wouldn't bond together. The
clay I used is called red sculpture clay. It has a very high porosity
and low shrinkage. I porosity means that it will handle the
thermal shock of an open flame, and low shrinkage means the dome won't
shrink a great deal as it is fired. |
