making a pipe out of clay

so im making a pipe out of air dry clay, complete with screens and carbs and all that good shit. and im pretty sure i have to glaze it to fireproof it? i made one before and i think i got the wrong kind of glaze and when i burned from it, the glaze itself started to form air pockets and either burned off or peeled off. what is the right kind of glaze called? how much does it cost? where can i buy it and how do i apply it to the pipe?

 

I thought if you made anything with clay you had to glaze it then fire it up in a kiln or over heat?

 

shit maybe thats right. but if its just air dry clay, would i just put the glaze on before the clay itself dries?

 

I believe glazes are meant for kilns or heat.. it doesn't matter what kind of clay it is, make sure you check what kind of glaze it is. Also, some kinds of glazes are meant for decoration only and shouldn't be ingested.

 

ok that makes sense. then do you know how i would fireproof it?

 

by using a kiln to heat it (or with a fire, not sure how though, controlling temp is key), applying a glaze thats safe for ingestion & reheating & reheating the glaze to melt it & harden it to your piece.. google my friend for the rest unless another forumer has more information

 

I'm doing a degree in ceramics and glass and did ceramics in my first 2 years. You won't be able to successfully make a ceramic pipe unless you have access to a kiln. Air dry clay won't do- it'll break, and it's dangerous for your health to smoke through it un-fired.

If you have access to a kiln (find a school or college with one for example- no one will fire a kiln for you for just one small pipe- people fire kilns with batches of stuff, to avoid wasting energy and money). You'll need to wait till the pipe is complete dry: you'll know when it's dry when you touch the clay to your cheek and it's no longer cold. Then you'll need to "bisque" fire the pipe first, which goes to 1130 degrees celcius. This firing will take about 4 days. After that you can glaze it, but it isn't nessacery. Use a non-toxic glaze (ask the ceramic technician at the school or college about this), then you'll need a second firing to cure the glaze. Low glaze firings go to about 1060 degrees c.

Please don't make the pipe out of air-drying clay and not fire it! Clay has silica in it, and in it's dust form it's carcenogenic. The toxins will also leach out when you light it, so I beg you, if you are going to make a pipe, PLEASE fire it!!! If you don't have access to a kiln, or someone who can sort it out for you, try a different material!