Using Reclaimed Bricks to Build a Kiln for Wood Firing Ceramics

Recycling old fire bricks to build a kiln for wood firing ceramics. 

Building a kiln for wood firing ceramics from reclaimed bricks can be an incredibly rewarding project. This approach allows you to transform used, useful materials into a powerful tool for wood firing ceramics, while adding character and history to the kiln itself. With a few basic tools, some planning and determination, a few dedicated builders can turn old bricks into a functioning wood-fired kiln that can serve as a gathering point for artisans for years to come.

Recycling old fire bricks

Using reclaimed fire bricks for kiln construction has multiple ecological and cost-saving benefits. Newly manufactured fire bricks can cost $7-8 per brick (or more,. plus delivery costs) and it can take thousands of bricks to build a kiln. Hunting for used fire brick conserves resources and reduces the carbon footprint associated with the production of new materials. Repurposing bricks keeps them out of landfills, reducing waste, and saving you significant money in the process. The use of these durable materials not only makes the kiln more affordable but also adds a sense of history and rustic charm to the project. Pictured below are some used bricks from Peter Voulkos' compound in Oakland Ca. They are sooty and black from heavy reduction firings. They were most recently used by a potter in Philo, Ca. The bricks are courtesy of friend and wood firing mentor Nick Schwartz. 

My dream of building an Anagama style kiln began long ago, but it was in 2018 that I collected my first used bricks by putting in an offer on a decommissioned kiln in Comptche Ca and subsequently taking it apart brick by brick for future reuse. I had no idea that over time I would begin to develop a relationship with these inanimate objects that enhance so many lives. They each have their own story and character. Some had lived in very hot and turbulent places in their past lives, while others looked hardly used, safe from their fiery cousins.

Pictured below is a very old brick from St.Louis, and some of the regions history.

St.Louis earned the nickname "The Brick City" due to a thriving industry that made it the largest brick-making city in the world by 1900. This dominance was catalyzed by the Great Fire of 1849, which destroyed much of the downtown area and led to ordinances requiring new buildings to be constructed with fire-resistant materials like brick rather than wood

The industry’s growth was fueled by abundant local clay deposits, particularly the high-quality red clay found in the Cheltenham Syncline, and the invention of the hydraulic press in 1868, which increased production speed and strength tenfold.

Below are some other interesting bricks. My friend, mentor and wood firing partner Leslie Campbell offered up some bricks she had been holding onto that were leftover after she built a Nick Schwartz designed anagama style kiln for wood firing. They had to be dug out of a forest that had grown over them.

There were many craigslist checks for fire bricks, sometimes with great success. The Carnegie wedge bricks were hauled from a newly purchased property in Point Reyes Station. They are only helpful for the floor in this case, but a score at 50 cents apiece. Other hunts included taking apart a kiln in San Jose Ca in exchange for free brick. The owners were selling their house. Another time a potter friend decided she wasn't ready to build her kiln and sold me her new brick she purchased for a great price. This was before building materials skyrocketed.. before 2020.

Another hunt took me to Paso Robles. In that instance a woman was selling her late husbands bricks who had dreamed of building a kiln. When it was all said and done, there were over a dozen brick hunt people and places I visited. Each had a story. The husbands dream will come to fruition, even if it wasn't the way he wished it to be..Bricks warmed by the sun can be an enjoyable place for many life forms.

Old used hard bricks lined up and ready to soldier on. They will be placed where they fit without a complaint and begin their next life. More on that later...