Prospecting Pressurized Kerosene Steam Burner for Bisque Firing in Nigerian Schools.

Burners play pivotal role in firing ceramic wares. They are often typified by their powering agents, instanced in oil, diesel, gas and kerosene, which are commonly used in pottery/ceramics. Though, there are pockets of studies on burner constructions and usages in Nigeria, they are not without inadequacies. A gap, this study attempts filling, through pressurized kerosene steam burner, locally produced from scrapes sourced from Agodi Gate scrap metal market in Ibadan, Nigeria. The exercise involves prototype construction of burner using acetylene cutter and gas welding; which was consequently put to bisque firing test. This test firing was carried out at Dapo Art Studio in Oyo town, firing selected green wares to bisque in a down draught kiln. Results revealed prototype effective and optimal functionality, firing green wares to bisque maturation at 960°C in less than 5 hours. It prospect in Nigerian schools particularly, post-primary will ultimately be a game changer in catching artistic minds young, which is in tandem with Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).