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Building a Lindoe Downdraft Gas Kiln

Luke Lindoe designed this kiln in the 1960s. Since the Medicine Hat and Redcliff area were at the Center of a large and diverse ceramic industry there was a lot of industrial gas kiln and burner design knowledge and experience in the area. Luke took that knowledge and applied it to production pottery.

Over the years many potters made kilns based on this design. A kiln in the lab at Plainsman Clays has been operating for more than 50 years. This design proves itself with each firing, producing front-to-back and top-to-bottom consistency of both temperature and atmosphere. Over the years we have attempted to replace it with other commercial kilns, but nothing comes close. Luke made a subsequent change to six vertical burners firing upward under a lifted version of the frame, that design had advantages and disadvantages.

These drawings and pictures were recently found in the vault at Plainsman Clays.

We are part way through converting the book originals to web and PDF format. We plan to convert the drawings to vector and 3D. And possibly combine this with the burners book by Jim Clachrie (see bottom of this page). If you are able to assist with this project please contact Tony Hansen.

Related Information

A gas kiln built by Luke Lindoe in the 1960s is still used at Plainsman Clays today

It fires very evenly from top to bottom and front to back. We have used it for quality control to fire thousands of porosity and shrinkage test bars to monitor the maturity of the clay bodies. Oh, we also fire pottery in this!

Gas kiln near cone 10R in the Plainsman Clays studio

It is old, but nothing we have ever used fires as evenly and reliably as this downdraft kiln. It was built by Luke Lindoe in the 1960s. I have used it through my entire life as a potter since the early 1970s. Two burners at 2 inches oil-column will take it to 1000F fairly quickly, but it takes 4 burners at 4 inches and 20 hours to get it to cone 10. I can judge the back pressure and degree of reduction by the length and color of the flames at the peepholes and color of the flame passing the damper at the back. Changing the damper position by an eighth of an inch during reduction is enough to discern a change in the flame.

Cone 10R load of fired ware in Plainsman gas kiln

It fires evenly in temperature and atmosphere from top to bottom, front to back. Nothing more can be expected for any studio kiln. We use the C10RPL firing schedule.

Drawing 1 of Lindoe gas kiln

Drawing 2 of Lindoe gas kiln

Drawing 3 of Lindoe gas kiln

Drawing 4 of Lindoe Gas kiln

Drawing 5 of Lindoe gas kiln

Drawing 7 of Lindoe gas kiln

Drawing 8 of Lindoe gas kiln

Welded frame of Lindoe gas kiln

Welded car frame for Lindoe gas kiln

Bottom of car - Lindoe gas kiln

Underside of car for Lindoe gas kiln

Car after refractory base poured - Lindoe gas kiln

Car floor of Lindoe gas kiln

Lindoe gas kiln - Bagwall first stage

Lindoe gas kiln - Gas kiln burner placement

Lindoe gas kiln - Interior floor structure

Flue system on car for Lindoe gas kiln

Original File: carend.jpg

Lindoe gas kiln - Back flue construction

Lindoe gas kiln - inside view of burner port

Lindoe gas kiln - Inside view of slotted brick

Lindoe gas kiln - Burner port outside

Lindoe gas kiln - Walls complete, ready for roof

Lindoe gas kiln - Inside view 1

Lindoe gas kiln - Top of wall, ready for roof

Lindoe gas kiln - Walls done, ready for roof

Lindoe gas kiln - Back wall bricks inserted to support roof

Lindoe gas kiln - Asbestos sheeting applied to roof

Lindoe gas kiln - First roof bricks in place

Lindoe gas kiln - Adding asbestos boards to roof

Lindoe gas kiln - Wooden roof form

Lindoe gas kiln - Ready to fire

Links

URLs	https://digitalfire.com/burnerbook/index.php Gas Burner book by Jim Clachrie Written in the 1970s, it was the bible of kiln and burner design for decades. We are reproducing it for the web.
Glossary	Reduction Firing A method of firing stoneware where the kiln air intakes and burners are set to restrict or eliminate oxygen in the kiln such that metallic oxides convert to their reduced metallic state.

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