Watch This Incredible Primitive Kiln Get Sculpted Out of Termite Clay

This Australian YouTuber puts survivalist Bear Grylls to shame. In the latest Primitive Technology video, the shirtless man makes his own pottery kiln and some pottery from nearby termite mound clay. He said this was to test an alternative clay source from his usual creek bank clay.

His verdict?

"Termite clay is good material for making furnaces and an OK substitute for good pottery clay should it be difficult to find a better source. The termites have already processed the clay by the fact that their mouths are too small to include sticks and pebbles into their structures. As a result, the clay is very smooth and plastic. T*videooo smooth for my liking, in fact, I’m used to working with coarser clay that has silt mixed into it naturally. I find that termite clay is either too runny when wet or cracks too easily when drier. It was difficult to form into complex shapes and it took me 2 attempts to make the urn."

He said termite clay would be more effective for tiling and other flat shapes and simple structures.

For an added bonus, switch on the subtitles feature to receive notes about his process. As always, check the description box for his full narrative.

One of the most incredible parts of the Primitive Technology channel is that no one seems to know who this guy is or where he can be found. All we know is that most videos take place in "far North Queensland Australia" and that he doesn't live in the wild but goes there to film. Despite this lacking information, however, the channel amassed nearly 4 million subscribers. Each video garners millions upon millions of views. Our hero is silent, shirtless, and simple. He's so good at using primitive tools that it's strange to think of him editing videos behind a computer.

So how does he know what to do? The internet, he said. He runs a blog of the same name that you can find here.

Via Primitive Technology