Pitfiring bisqueware / earthenware pottery with wood

My process of wood firing raw (bone dry but not bisqued) pottery using a pit and minimal equipment. This is an updated version of my previous video; this version has a much higher success rate than I had before.
The basics of firing pottery with wood in a pit are fairly simple:
- Keep moisture to a minimum, and this does not only mean the pots need to bone dry, the firewood and the pit itself should be as dry as possible as well
- Be gentle. Do not increase or decrease heat too quickly to avoid heat stress.
- Airflow is important. Densely stacked pottery with covered gaps on a raised floor has more air flow and thus oxygen than randomly placed pots covered, smothered, with coals and ashes
Keep in mind that wood fires do not generally get hot enough to truly heat to earthenware temperatures. General pit fires heat to around bisqueware: hardened and waterproof (cintered) but not turned to glass (vitrified). Pots made this way tend to be more heat stress resistant, which makes them good open fire cookware. The pottery is still porous, which feels weird on the lips (it's grabby) but this will lessen over time as the pores get filled with whatever you use the pot for (keep this in mind LOL).

[@margiegandy9189]

Watching your pit fire has finally helped me fire successfully!!! Thank you! I was firing way too small and for not enough time. Everything just came out black and under fired. Today, I finally did it right and have orange pots!

[@M3rVsT4H]

Good fun vid, thanks for sharing.

[@BadDriversOfNapa]

This is interesting because I actually overfired my test pieces in my first real pit fire attempt. My test piece melted, slumped, warped, bloated and blistered. I observed the piece glowing yellow, and I estimate that I got it to about 2,100 to 2,200 degrees F. Then I again, I was using forced air induction. I was blowing a fan into the air inlets at the bottom of my "pit" brick, open top fireplace. That was my problem. I was feeding too much air into the coals and fire making it burn too hot. In my subsequent testing, I didn't use forced air induction and my pieces seemed to fire around 1,800 to 2,000. They rang when I tapped them and have the beautiful terra cotta coloring, so they seemed to fire properly without forcing air into the inlets.

[@charlottesmom]

They came out so nice!! ❤

[@MrRoddersf1]

Well done. Amazing work

[@akamudman]

well done!

[@dragoua5544]

nice pottery! even if it is broken - you could keep it one piece with a rope and put a plant in it. Or salt. Or any dry goods