terracotta fire pit??

[sara3]

afternoon all :o) I have a question on behalf of a friend.

he wants a fire-pit kind of thing for his garden, and wondered if he could make one in a large terracotta pot that's been fired (obviously) but not glazed. is it do-able?

I'm at work so will check back later for any replies. thank you.

[rowanwitch]

if it is about 3/4 " thick it should work fro a season but will need to be carefully 'burnt in' with small fires burning on a rack in the centre for a while so any moisture in the pot escapes slowly. he will need a heavy wire rack that fits across the pot a couple of inches up from the bottom and shoul only burn wood not coal or charcoal as they produce too much heat,,,,,then after he has found this unsatisfactory he will go and buy a chiminea the cast iron ones work best

[merciasounds]

he might be best off buying a 'Tandoor' - an Indian clay oven, they are used to reaching fierce temperatures.

[Hawkwalk]

a lot of terracotta pots you can buy are fired at quite low temperatures so using one as a fire pit may cause it to crack. If you try it, make sure you get a good quality, more expensive one that have been fired hotter.

[sara3]

oops, I forgot to check for answers.. thank you, nice people!

right.. now he's thinking of trying to do this in an old Butler sink.. opinions? (apart from the fact that he's a bit nuts.)

rowanwitch, I'd have just bought one, too.. but he thinks they're ugly!