Preparing Your Trashcan

• 1). Use your 1-inch hole saw bit and electric drill to bore a hole through the side of your trashcan about 3 inches up from the bottom. Using your tin snips, cut around the hole and enlarge it until it is slightly larger than the diameter of your Venturi burner's torch head.
  
  
• 2). Bore a hole through the center of your trashcan lid with your 1-inch hole saw bit to act as the chimney. You may need to remove the metal handle with your tin snips before drilling the hole. Cut around the hole with your tin snips and enlarge it to about 2 inches in diameter.
  
  
• 3). Create a handle for the top of the kiln by drilling two, 1/16-inch holes into the edge of the lid across from one another. Bend a piece of thick wire into a half-circle, large enough to connect the two holes. Bend in the last inch of wire on both sides at a sharp angle towards the center of the half-circle. Pop the bent ends of the wire into the holes on either side of the lid, creating a thin wire handle.
  
  

Lining the Kiln

• 1). Put on your leather gloves and respirator and remove your ceramic fiber blanket roll from its packaging. Place your trashcan on op of the ceramic fiber blanket and the bottom of the trashcan as a template. Cut out the circle with your scissors and place it inside your trashcan to insulate the bottom.
  
  
• 2). Unroll a large section of ceramic fiber blanket and cover the sides of the trashcan on the inside with at least 1 layer of material. If you are using 1/2-inch ceramic fiber blanket, you will need 2 layers.
  
  
• 3). Cut several three-inch sections of high-temperature wire and bend them in half at the middle. Drill two holes about half an inch apart in the side of your trashcan, four inches down from the top of the trashcan. Take one of your bent pieces of high-temperature wire and thread the two ends through the ceramic fiber blanket on the inside of the trashcan and out through the two holes in the side of the can, effectively pinning the ceramic blanket to the inside. With your needle-nose pliers, grip and twist the ends of the wire on the outside of the trashcan to tighten the hold. Snip off the ends or bend them down to prevent cuts and scratches.
  
  
• 4). Repeat this process until you have eight pins evenly spaced around the body of the trashcan, holding your ceramic blanket firmly in place. Turn your trashcan upside down and pin the piece of blanket on the bottom in place as well.
  
  
• 5). Cover the area of exposed wire with fire clay or furnace cement to protect the exposed portions of high-temperature wire on the inside of the kiln from extreme temperatures. Allow the cement to dry for at least 24 hours before firing your kiln to prevent cracking.
  
  

Insulating the Cover

• 1). Place your trash can lid on top of an unrolled section of ceramic fiber blanket. Trace around the lid and use it as a template to cut a circle large enough to cover the entire inside of the lid. The lid will need to be double insulated to prevent heat from escaping, so cut another circle of the same size out of ceramic fiber blanket.
  
  
• 2). Pin the two layers of ceramic fiber blanket to the inside of the trashcan lid at the four cardinal points around the chimney hole, using your electric drill and sections of high-temperature wire. Try to pin closer to the edge than the center to ensure even coverage.
  
  
• 3). Use fire clay or furnace cement to protect the exposed wire on the inside of the kiln lid and allow to dry for 24 hours before firing to prevent cracks.
  
  

Setting Up and Firing Your Kiln

• 1). Use a pair of scissors to cut out the extra ceramic fiber blanket that is blocking the chimney hole in the top of the lid and the burner hole in the side of the trashcan.
  
  
• 2). Arrange your four cinder blocks so that they form a flat, level platform outside or in a garage, in an area away from any flammable or explosive material. Place your trashcan on top of the cinder block platform.
  
  
• 3). Lay several firebricks in the bottom of the trashcan to form a shelf for your clay pieces. Connect your Venturi burner to the hose on your high-pressure regulator and attach the regulator to your propane canister.
  
  
• 4). Arrange your Venturi burner so that the torch head is positioned half an inch outside the burner hole in the side of your kiln so that the jet of flame will point directly into the center of the kiln.
  
  
• 5). Turn on your propane and slowly increase the PSI until you reach the recommended amount for your Venturi burner. Strike a spark in front of your Venturi burner's head with your spark striker to light the flame. Adjust the propane until you have a nice cone-shaped jet of flame firing into your kiln through the hole in its side. Place the lid on top of the kiln and allow kiln to slowly heat up. Once the test firing is complete, allow the kiln to cool down before firing clay.