The Great Bowl O' Fire: Badass Fire Pit Cut From Recycled Steel

Scroll down to learn more or purchase your own Great Bowl O Fire!
click thumbnail to view larger image. Firebowl design © 2005-2009, John T. Unger

It's easy to see why fire features have become such a popular element of landscape design… The warmth and focus of an open hearth under the stars provides a great space for socializing and conversation, extending the living area of your home to the outdoors. An evening around the fire is a pleasurable pastime, as flames capture the imagination, sparking ancient memories spanning back to the dawn of time. The constant movement and change of fire is both soothing and exciting, the perfect backdrop for tall tales, quiet reflection or intimate moments.

Designed to become an everlasting part of your family tradition, The Great Bowl O’ Fire is an unique work of art hand-cut by artist John T Unger. No two are exactly alike, as the flames are drawn free-hand. Gather friends and family to celebrate around a roaring blaze year-round. The raised bowl allows you to sit comfortably without having to lean forward to stay warm. Keep your feet toasty, tucked below the rim of the bowl and bask in the full-body radiance that a raised firebowl offers. An outdoor fire pit is a great way to extend the outdoor living season.

The Great Bowl O’ Fire makes a stunning focal point for yards, patios and gardens. Unlike many outdoor firepits which look dirty or empty when unlit, The Great Bowl O’ Fire functions as a gorgeous sculptural element either hot or cold. By day, the flame shapes cast intriguing shadows both inside and outside the bowl and the rich tones of the patina suggest a warm blaze. At night, with a fire burning, the bowl casts flickering shadows as lively as the fire within.

The Great Bowl O' Fire: Choose from three sizes
	41" Diameter Great Bowl O' Fire: $1499  with shipping* 26" high overall, bowl is 22" deep, base is 15" in diameter
	37" Diameter Great Bowl O' Fire: $1249 with shipping* 22" high overall, bowl is 18" deep, base is 12" in diameter
	30" Diameter Great Bowl O' Fire: $999 with shipping* 19" high overall, bowl is 15" deep, base is 11" in diameter
	The Great Bowl O' Fire is suitable for gas, wood or charcoal fires. Gas burner installation instructions are here.
	Upgrade to natural gas or propane burning firepit: The Great Bowl O' Fire ships ready-to-fit for clean-burning propane or natural gas burners. A simple manual light burner is best for most installations. Manual light: Order a 22" or 24" stainless burner from FireCrystals. For remote-ignition gas burners, call Steven at FireCrystals, 805.237.9188.
	*Shipping: Price includes shipping for US orders and Canada, excluding Alaska and Hawaii (please call or email for rates to AK and HI). For International Orders please see FAQ here.

Features of this unique, hand-crafted design:

The Great Bowl O' Fire is a gorgeous sculptural element even when not in use. The play of light and shadow as the sun moves across it is as entrancing as the dance of fire. 100% recycled content Can be converted to clean-burning propane or natural gas Provides safer fires on windy evenings The weight of the bowl makes this an exceptionally stable outdoor firepit. Even when given a sound kick, it will not tip Requires zero maintenance Holds and radiates heat Raised bowl warms the whole body, allows more comfortable seating 1/4” plate steel will last essentially forever Holds more wood than any commercial fire pit Warm your feet below the raised bowl Each firebowl is a unique work of art, signed by the artist Center hole allows air flow and water drainage Detached base and sturdy handles make moving the Great Bowl easy The cut steel flames make great cooking rests for  sausages or marshmallows

Blogs and Media Love The Great Bowl O' Fire!
Print: Variety Magazine The Chicago Tribune San Francisco Chronicle Chicago Sun Times Detroit News Wave Magazine Tattoos for Men Magazine Traverse Magazine Grand Gardens Magazine The Wednesday Journal Staten Island Advance Hawaii News	Web: DIY Network 2006 Holiday Gift Guide Boing Boing Materialicious Great Green Goods collisiondetection Land + Living metaefficient hippyshopper Gaping Void Green Upgrader Green Daily and many, many more.

The Great Bowl Goes Great With Gas!
Gas burning  Bowls O' Fire on pillars at the Brick Oven Courtyard Grille in Topeka, KS.
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Gas is not only safer and cleaner than wood fire, it's also more convenient since you can turn the fire on and off at will! In many areas where open wood fires are prohibited, a gas pit will pass inspection because it creates no sparks (although you should check your local ordinances to be certain). Most of my firebowls can be converted to gas (see icons in the shopping cart section of each page). Burner assembly is quite simple, but should be handled by a professional pipe fitter or plumber. Gas burner installation/assembly instructions.

Where Can I See or Buy The Great Bowl O' Fire?

View Larger Map

Red points map public locations such as restaurants, hotels, resorts and churches where you may view the Great Bowl O' Fire in person. Green Points map galleries and stores that carry my firebowls. To see a map of nearly all the firebowls I've shipped, visit this page. To preserve privacy, residences are not mapped closely enough to find— they are approximate locations only (town and state). But it's cool to see just how many firebowls are out there.

What Customers say about The Great Bowl O' Fire:

I just had to call a Liturgist friend of mine in Des Moines and brag a bit! I told him "I now have the coolest Easter Vigil firepit in the country!" He said, "It's not a contest, Vicky," and I said, "Oh yes it is! Haven't you been paying attention!?!" – Victoria Tufano, Director of Liturgy, Ascension Church John, I received my fire bowl today and can't wait to christen it. It is beautiful and perfect! I'm pretty sure I got the best one you have ever made! The FedEx guy said it caused quite a stir at both the warehouse and the dispatch dock -- no one had ever seen anything like it! Thank you for your excellent work and I certainly appreciate your creativity and talent. I hope you will be getting many more customers as my friends visit and see and enjoy my fire bowl. – Ralph, Chantilly, VA The firebowl arrived, it looks GREAT! Thanks so much for everything… the bowl is just what I wanted (even the doormen thought it was amazing) and I am REALLY excited to check it out in action!– Wendy, NYC John, Received today. Bowl is KILLER! Thanks a lot! I'm going to order some torches soon as well.– Ted, Salinas, CA We’re really pleased. It added a wonderful element to our Vigil and the lighting of the paschal fire. People like its symbolism and functionality! – Rev.  Ponder, Episcopal Church of the Resurrection

The Great Bowl O' Fire in Architecture and Design:
The Great Bowl is a favorite of architects and designers. Reserve one of eight private firebowls at RumFire, Waikiki's hottest nightspot, or enjoy patio dining lit by three gas-fired Bowls on stone pillars at the Brick Oven Courtyard Grille in Topeka, KS. The Great Bowl is the centerpiece of the water park at Landmark Resort Hotel in Myrtle Beach, SC. Need something custom for a landscape or design project? I can do that too. Shoot me an email to get started! The powerful symbolism of the Great Bowl has even earned it a place in religious tradition— The Archdiocese of Chicago purchased one for the Easter Vigil at Ascension Church in Oak Park, IL as part of Ascension's Centennial renovation, and a customized version was commissioned by Rev. J. Brian Ponder for The Episcopal Canterbury Fellowship at Mississippi State University. See the map above for other restaurants, hotels, resorts and churches that have used the Great Bowl O' Fire in their projects.
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An Heirloom-Quality Work of Art, Made to Last
Each Fire Bowl is unique. I cut them all by hand, never repeating the exact same design. Your Great Bowl O' Fire is a one of a kind work of functional art!
click thumbnail to view larger image.
Safety Considerations: The weight of the bowl nests into the detached base to make this an exceptionally stable outdoor firepit, which will not tip even when given a sound kick. In many ways, a raised bowl is safer than a sunken firepit, which is easier to fall into. Sturdy handles and a detached base make the bowl easy for two people to move safely. Please note that like any fire pit, the bowl does get hot  and can retain heat for several hours after a fire has burned down to embers. The points of the flames are sharp. Please exercise proper caution… I will not be held legally liable for injuries due to carelessness. That said, a raised bowl is in many ways much safer than a fire pit recessed into the ground. It's easier to see and harder to fall into. The inside of the bowl can be rinsed with a garden hose or cleaned with a long handled wire brush. Allow bowl to cool overnight before cleaning. Wear leather gloves when cleaning with a brush.
Environmental Considerations: Sustainability is a major focus of my work as an artist. My creative mandate is sustainable design with an edge. Just because we're good doesn't mean we have to be boring, right? I work primarily with recycled or re-used materials to minimize my impact on natural resources, climate and the environment. I design for permanence. Most of my objects will last generations with little or no maintenance. I try to create designs which are timeless so that they never become part of the waste stream. I design for functionality. My work is intended to be useful as well as beautiful. Where possible, I design for easy disassembly for shipping or later re-use of materials. The Great Bowl O’ Fire is as eco-friendly as a firepit design can be (see the discussion here on Treehugger). Made from 100% recycled materials, the design scores high on sustainability in other ways as well. The warm rust finish requires zero maintenance and no chemical treatments. Quarter inch steel plate insures the bowl will last generations in any climate. The heavy steel holds and radiates heat like a wood stove, providing more warmth for less fuel. Opt for the gas-burning upgrade to minimize emissions and risk of accidental fire.

Comments

[Faye Doyle]

Hello,
What an awesome fire pit! I live in southeast Minnesota about 5 hours from Chicago, would it be possible to do a pick up? Also, what is the diameter of the base? We will soon be having a paver patio installed with a circular design and I was thinking the fire pit could be placed in the center.
Thanks, Faye

[johntunger]

Faye,

...What an awesome fire pit!

Why, Thank you!

...I live in southeast Minnesota about 5 hours from Chicago, would it be possible to do a pick up?

Absolutely. I'll be in Chicago June 21 through July 7 if you can schedule something for then.

...Also, what is the diameter of the base?

The base is 8.75" in diameter, and I cut the pipe to 3 foot lengths so you can bury it deep enough to insure stability. This leaves you a bit of room to decide what height works best for you.

...We will soon be having a paver patio installed with a circular design and I was thinking the fire pit could be placed in the center.

Oh, that would look totally awesome! I would love to see some photos of it when you get it installed.

If you'd like to do a pickup, I can send you a paypal invoice for the fire pit minus shipping costs, and then we can schedule a time to meet in Chicago.

[johntunger]

Faye writes: "My husband has a couple concerns about the fire pit. Since it is made of steel he said it will rust and leave stains on the patio and he does not want to permanently install it. Do you have another option for movability?"

The bowl is not attached to the stem, so you would be able to move it when not in use. The weight and the curve of the bowl are what hold it in place on the stem and it is quite stable that way... I've given it a few good hard kicks to make sure.

To make moving it easier, I could weld some handles onto the sides of the bowl. It's pretty heavy, but since I'm able to lift it alone, I would guess that it would be pretty easy for two people to move it, working together. I've been using the flames themselves as handles, wearing gloves, of course.

But I'm pretty sure the rust will not stain your pavers... Once the steel develops an initial coat of rust, it pretty much stops. The rust prevents oxygen from reaching the steel and provides a protective coating, actually.

Even so, I think that the design of the bowl will insure that water either runs down the center into the ground, or down the outside of the bowl to the stem, so that any rusty water would miss the pavers. I'm pretty sure about that, but I'm basing it on physics, not product testing data...

I'd be happy to put the handles on at no extra charge if that seems like the best option for you.

Another thought: If you wanted not to have the base permanently installed either, that's quite doable... I've been using a shorter length of pipe for the base and have it sitting on my paved parking area. If you were to install a round paver at the center of your patio, you could set the base on it when you wanted to use the fire pit and remove it when not in use. Burying the pipe base does not seem to be necessary for stability if it's on a hard surface. I just assumed most people would want the pit to be in a yard. So I offered the longer pipe for soft ground. I'm glad you brought it up actually, because I should probably offer both options on the website!

I'm going to post these two emails to the comments on the blog in case anyone else has similar concerns...

[Ronny]

Is 37 inch diameter tyh largest you make. I am looking for a 48 inch bowl. I so how much?

[Brad Blackton]

I Live in Canada. Fire good here. Firebowl you make good. Much money. Ilike 1. I make fire chair for Art auctions called hotseat. Where do I go to pick up one who do I pay ? I am 10minutes from the Dteroit Bridge and tunnel. Can I pick up with a pickup truck?

[johntunger]

Ronny and Brad,

I sent you each an email but just to recap here, in case the email doesn't go through while I'm on the road. I'm in Chicago for the next two weeks, so I won't be able to make new fire bowls until I get back to my studio... I'll send you each an email when I'm home, and we can go from there.

Ronny: I can make a larger one if I can find and appropriate sized tank to cut it from. I'll have to check at the scrap yard and see what they have. It's hard to give you a set price until I find out what they want to charge me for the larger tank, so I'll answer that question when I get back. I would guess that it might add $100-$150 to the price, but I can be more specific when I know what a larger bowl weighs.

Brad: I can arrange a drop off in detroit or rochester hills after July 15th when I get back to my workshop. At present, I make the fire bowls to order... if you want to buy one, I can invoice you with paypal, or give you an address to send a check. Once I receive payment, I can have the firebowl ready for delivery in about one week (plus the two weeks before I leave Chicago. I have no access here to metal working tools, etc).

Thanks both of you for your interest!

John

[jim dunne]

Hi there. Hello from Ireland. Like the work and the site.

We love your fire pits in particular and have been looking for something similar here but to no avail.

We would like to purchase two bowls (can't decide which ones but) and wondered if you could give us a price for shipping from there to here and likely timing. Ideally like the bigger 40' ones.

Here is Wicklow (just outside Dublin in Ireland).

This is a serious enquiry.

Regards

Jim and Muriel Dunne

[nathan]

I like it it is cool