Brothers Campfire on Pottery, Fired At Willow Manor

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Hello, Benjamin from Brother’s Campfire here.

Blogging is therapeutic. I enjoy writing, but more, I enjoy living life. In Colorado, they don’t say “Hi, how are you”, but rather, “How high are you?”

Today, I will be talking about another kind of pot.

Yesterday, I tried my hand at firing some pottery in the Campfire here at Willow Manor Urban Farm. This clay is an ongoing experiment using “wild” clay processed here. The process includes 2 buckets and an old shirt. If you have those items and a fire, you can do everything I describe as well.

Not all of our pieces were selected for firing as some were cracked and went into a reclaim bin. I feel I have enough sherds and grog, which are basically broken bits of clay that broke in the firing to be added to my clay at a later time.

I slowly built a fire around and over the pottery, a process that took a lot of time. We set back and worked on other projects in between.

I purposely used scrap wood from a rotten bookcase and sticks from nearby trees to demonstrate proof of concept that anyone can make pottery in a back yard fire or BBQ grill.

Underneath all of this ash and charcoal was our hard work. I will not deny that after 10 hours of tending a fire, there was a lot of anxiety to dig further.

Among the first out was my daughter’s bear. It was her first piece, and a success! She plans on painting it and gifting to an artistic minded recipient.

A rosette my Beloved made survived the firing. This was an excellent proof of concept to show thin walls can be fired.

The question was, can the pinch pots hold water. The answer was, yes! All held water to a high extent for over 15 minutes without a glaze. Fortunately, the challenge was not over yet.

Funtional is king, so the bold among us made a strong pot of coffee and gave it a try.

It wasn’t too shabby. There is satisfaction in using something made from raw materials.

Author: Benjamin

Benjamin Thiel is a community leader, urban farmer, and author of The Ongoing Tale at Brothers Campfire. He might know a guy...

40 thoughts on “Brothers Campfire on Pottery, Fired At Willow Manor”

  3. kagould17 says:

    Good to see progress and success, Benjamin. Looks like the whole thing has gone to pot! Ha Ha. Hope your Sunday is going well. Allan

    1. Benjamin says:

      All is well! I just got up from a nap to get ready for the second church service of the day!

  6. Terveen Gill says:

    Loved reading this.
    Success is so sweet.
    I made a cat once, in school.
    I still have it.
    It’s a lot of fun.

    1. Benjamin says:

      Ues ma’am! It was a long one tending that fire! I will be exploring a new fire method soon.

  8. eob2 says:

    When the fruits of your labor hold water. 😉 nice job!

    1. Benjamin says:

      Thank you! I just made 5 primitive cups and will be trying a new fire method.

  9. KT Workman says:

    It’s always satisfying to create something with your own two hands, be it something functional or just for show. In times past, it was commonplace, but now, not so much so.

    1. Benjamin says:

      Indeed! I am hoping this alternative firing method works as it will decrease the time. I like playing in the mud!

  10. ellie894 says:

    That’s so cool! And your beloved’s painting is beyond lovely. ☺️

    1. Benjamin says:

      Thank you friend! We appreciate your kind words! How are you doing?

      1. ellie894 says:

        Doing well and fine! Thank you so much for asking. I am missing my Ellie. I lost her this summer. She was a dear sweet girl. 🌷

  11. stevescountry says:

    So nice to see your success Benjamin! That little bear was definitely fantastic!😀😺

  12. -Eugi ☕️ says:

    Good for you for carrying on with your project. Being creative is therapeutic, IMO. I think you’ll enjoy The Alchemist Studio blog if you like pottery.

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