FAMILY

KILNS · VENTS · FURNITURE · SHELF CARTS  

Kiln(s)  

Electric or Gas Kiln?

If you’re planning for an elementary school or junior high, the answer to this is most likely Electric. However, many high school programs do have a gas kiln. If you are interested in having a gas kiln, you will want to check with your local city codes to see if it’s legal in your area. It is possible that fire regulations will prevent you from having a gas kiln, or you might have to submit some petitions or fill out additional paperwork before pursuing your dream of having a gas kiln. You can also expect to have more justification required of you since gas kilns are much more expensive than electric kilns (expect $10,000 minimum). You will also probably want to have an electric kiln or two in addition to your gas kiln for bisquing in as well as to provide students with a wide range of opportunities to fully explore and develop their creative style and individuality.

Selecting an Electric Kiln
Selecting and purchasing an electric kiln can be a daunting task. Buying a kiln online can be even more so because you can’t actually touch the kiln and see it firsthand until it arrives. To help alleviate fears and worries about ending up with the wrong thing, we have come up with a step by step process to assist you in selecting the perfect kiln for your needs. Of course, if you have further questions or concerns or need additional advice, please e-mail us and we will be happy to help in any way.

STEP 1
Find the right size. The most common and “standard” kiln sizes are:

• 18" x 18" - small elementary school
• 23" x 27" - small high school/junior high/large elementary school
• 29" x 27" - large junior high/senior high

STEP 2
Pick a brand. This is really the hardest step. We sell L&L, Skutt, Paragon, ConeArt, and Cress. There are even quite a few other brands on the market that are available. That’s a lot of brands to chose from! Keep in mind what temperature you want to fire to. Some kilns have a maximum of Cone 6 or Cone 8. Our best advise for this step is to look at each brand individually (particularly in the size you are considering), their standard features and options available. Also, check with other teachers in the district about the kiln(s) they have, and ask what they like and don’t like about them. Your local distributor can also be a good source of information and recommendations.

STEP 3
Control options. Computer controller or kiln sitter/limit timer? Neither option is better than the other. It’s completely a matter of personal preference. The computer controllers are pretty easy to program. However, if you have problems setting the clock on your VCR, you might prefer the sitter and timer. Basically, it works like this (these are simplified examples):

1. Let’s say you need to do a glaze firing to Cone 04. If you have a sitter and timer, first you would put an 04 junior cone in the sitter. Next you would set the back-up timer for 10-14 hours (depending on size of kiln and load). You would then depress the plunger on the sitter and turn all switches to the lowest setting. It would then be your responsibility to turn the switches up as needed.
2. With a computer controller, you would push a button such as “medium fire” or “glaze fire, medium” (different controllers have slightly different options). You would then input 04 at the cone prompt. It will then give you several options, such as delay start (Allows you to set your kiln to begin firing at midnight so it’s firing off when you wake up) or a candle period (excellent for bisque loads), a hold, etc., then you hit “enter” and your kiln is ready to go. Typically, teachers love the computer controllers on kilns simply because they can be programed to be firing off when you are at the school.

STEP 4
Electricity requirements. So now you probably know what kiln you want, or at least have it narrowed down to a couple. Now it’s time to look at the electrical requirements. 240V, single phase is standard in most homes. Schools have a wide variety of possible electrical configurations. You will need to find out what electrical specifications will apply. You can find more about what to ask in the questions to ask section under electrical issues.
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Kiln Vents

Venting is extremely important and must not be overlooked or forgotten. Not only will a vent eliminate noxious fumes and gasses such as sulpher and Carbon Monoxide, it will also vastly improve your firing by bringing in fresh oxygen, thus enhancing the color of your glazes.

There are two basic styles of vents:downdraft & updraft (hood vent). Each have their own benefits. A downdraft vent will eliminate more gases and fumes than an updraft and will incorporate more oxygen into the firing atmosphere than a hood vent. A hood vent will eliminate more radiant heat than a downdraft. A downdraft vent also has a motor under the kiln which can collect dust and lead to problems if you don;t sweep or vacuum under your kiln regularly, wheareas a hood vent is virtually maintenance-free. For more information about downdraft vents, go to Orton’s website, Skutt’s website, or L&L’s website. For information on hood vents, visit Vent-A-Kiln’s website.

Should you need to defend your request for a vent, there are several brochures from various manufacturers written specifically for administrators about why venting is important.
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Kiln Furniture  

Different Kiln companies have different recommended furniture kits for their kilns. Your local supplier may have yet another assortment of shelves and posts. Much of this is personal preference.
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Kiln Shelf Carts  

Brent makes a great kiln shelf cart which you will want to consider if you have a large ceramics program with multiple kilns and a lot of shelves. It’s on casters, so you can position it conveniently next to the kiln you’re loading. There’s also a shelf on the top of it for storing posts.
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