Marley Wolhud on sat 1 nov 97
I am still trying to evaluate kiln possibilities. It seems that will
gas/propane kilns there is the advantage of reduction firing. What are
the disadvantages of gas/propane kilns, other than the prohibitive price
for a hobbyist of over $3,000 for the cheapest model? It seems that
when I look
through Ceramics Monthly everyone is selling electric kilns which from
what I understand don't offer the possibility of reduction firing. What
are the advantages of an electric kiln that you don't get with a
gas/propane kiln?
Still trying to understand!
Thanks
Cameron Harman on sun 2 nov 97
To Marley,
Electric kilns are offered a lot in the magazines because
the bulk of the magazine readers are hobbyists, therefore
the kilns must be cheap. Electric kilns are very cheap.
Although they are not very good, they are quite satisfactory
for the very easy to fire clay/talc bodies most hobbyists
use.
A lot of the good folks who read this list also use the
electric kilns because they are cheap and available. They
have learned how to get the results they want (for the most
part) through trial and error and help from friends.
All of which is good. You will notice, however, that a lot
of people in this list speak of the gas kilns that they have
made, hence, your question.
First of all, there is a place for electric firing. I will
not try to give you all the reasons to use electric, just
the more obvious ones. Use electric for low cst kilns, use
electric for thin flat pieces requiring a lot of surface
area and no height, use electric kilns for tall, very thin
loads (and heat from the sides), use electric kilns for
controlled atmosphere in which you introduce the atmospheric
gasses from the outside, under control. As I said there are
other reasons as well.
A negative of electric kilns is that they are expensive to
operate and expensive to maintain, but, they are so small
that the small potter usually isn't bothered by those costs.
If you intend to make a lot of pottery, then consider gas
for lower operating cost as well as better firing.
None of these points are absolute. I know of industrial
ceramists that use electric kilns (like those in the
magazines) because they are cheap to buy and don't worry
about the extra operating costs or non uniformity. Usually
they fire a very forgiving product, such as a glazing
operation with a wide maturing range glaze, so the non
uniformity is of no concern .. usually.
A good gas fired kiln will produce much more uniform
temperatures throughout the load and will be able to be
controlled much better, especially when controlled cooling
is required. The problem is that most gas kilns are rather
poorly designed (for a variety of reasons). Having said
that, a gas kiln can be used very effectively .. even a
poorly designed one.
Personally I would rather have a gas kiln than an electric
one, but .. in my own shop, now, I have an electric one,
because it was cheaper than even building my own. However,
it is used for limited purposes only. When I had my pottery
I built my own gas kiln and fired translucent china at cone
1 in a 90 cubic foot capacity kiln with propane for $6.00 a
burn.
If you can afford a gas kiln look at the Geil down draft
kilns. I would not suggest building your own. I know a lot
of people do, but they mostly are not built with enough
safety features. The safety features are a little expensive,
but can save your life and your property.
The safety features on studio kilns are not as good as those
on industrial kilns, but I assume that you will closely
attend the kiln. In industry the kiln may be attended by a
lot of different people having many other duties to perform,
so it make sense that they must be more self protective.
There is no exactly correct answer, everyone has their own
preference. If you intend to do reduction firing, then it is
a lot easier with gas, but can be done with electric.
However, if you were a manufacturing potter, I would say
quite firmly that you should use gas.
Good luck,
Cameron Harman
--
**********************************************************
Cameron G. Harman, Jr. 215-245-4040 fax 215-638-1812
e-mail kilns@kilnman.com
Ceramic Services, Inc 1060 Park Ave. Bensalem, PA 19020
see our web site at http://www.kilnman.com
THE place for solutions to ALL your kiln and drier problems
**********************************************************
j isaac on sat 1 mar 08
Hi everyone,
I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples thoughts on whether it should be electric or gas? Make it or buy it. Used or second hand? Cone 6 or 10?
Thanks!
Jodi
The Pretend Potter
Jodi
Lois Ruben Aronow on sat 1 mar 08
Obvious questions: what kind of work do you make? That should be a major
determining factor, as well as how much do you want to spend, and what kind
of firing costs can you handle.
If you are just starting out, go with electric, unless you have a really
good (and regularly available) teacher or mentor.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of j isaac
> Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2008 2:13 PM
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: electric or gas?
>
> Hi everyone,
> I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples
> thoughts on whether it should be electric or gas? Make it or
> buy it. Used or second hand? Cone 6 or 10?
> Thanks!
>
> Jodi
>
>
> The Pretend Potter
> Jodi
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages,
> change your subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the
> list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
Donna Kat on sun 2 mar 08
On Sat, 1 Mar 2008 11:12:40 -0800, j isaac
wrote:
>Hi everyone,
> I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples thoughts on
whether it should be electric or gas? Make it or buy it. Used or second
hand? Cone 6 or 10?
> Thanks!
>
> Jodi
>
>
>The Pretend Potter
> Jodi
As already said, it would help to know more about you. Firing a gas kiln
takes considerably more skill than an electric. You have to know how to
balance the air with the flame to manage whether your kiln has an
oxidation or reduction atmosphere. Even if you want to do reduction you
don't do this throughout the entire firing.
If you go for an electric kiln you want to buy one that is rated higher
than what you actually want to fire to. So you would not buy a kiln rated
to cone 6 for firing to cone 6. The elements are less effective over time
and will not reach cone 6.
I recommend a wide low kiln over a tall narrow kiln unless room is an
issue or you want to fire VERY tall pieces. The L&L easy fire e28s is
what I have and I like it a lot. I can easily get pieces in and out, I
like to fire wide platters which the 28" width will more than accommodate
them (the 23" won't) and it has about the same volumn as the taller 23"
kiln. The elements of the L&L are protected unlike other kilns. The
controller is very easy to use and program.
These are not inexpensive toys. You can buy used kilns or you can become
a member of a potters studio. As I said, it would help to know more about
you.
Donna
KATHI LESUEUR on mon 3 mar 08
On Mar 1, 2008, at 2:12 PM, j isaac wrote:
> Hi everyone,
> I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples
> thoughts on whether it should be electric or gas? Make it or buy
> it. Used or second hand? Cone 6 or 10?
> Thanks!
>
> Jodi
>
>
> The Pretend Potter
> Jodi
>
If you have little or no experience firing gas kilns stick with
electric. The learning curve on gas is high. You can get really
beautiful glaze results with an electric kiln if you are willing to
experiment and learn how one glaze reacts with another. My prof from
my college days went to cone 6 electric after he stopped teaching
ceramics and he made the most beautiful pots I've ever seen. It just
takes imagination, creativity, and experience.
Kathi
Peter Coates on mon 3 mar 08
On Mar 3, 2008, at 8:26 AM, KATHI LESUEUR wrote:
>
> If you have little or no experience firing gas kilns stick with
> electric. The learning curve on gas is high.
>
This is wrong... firing a gas kiln is easy... i have taught several
people to fire a gas kiln and i know many including myself who have
taught themselves. If the learning curve is to great for you, you
really need to find something else to do. If you can't figure out a
gas kiln then you're not smart enough to really figure out everything
an electric kiln will do.
Peter in Oklahoma
dadayamaclay.blogspot.com
Original message -----
> On Mar 1, 2008, at 2:12 PM, j isaac wrote:
>
>> Hi everyone,
>> I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples
>> thoughts on whether it should be electric or gas? Make it or buy
>> it. Used or second hand? Cone 6 or 10?
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Jodi
>>
>>
>> The Pretend Potter
>> Jodi
>>
>
>
>
> _
Lois Ruben Aronow on tue 4 mar 08
I think that was my reply, not Kathi's. You should re-read my post, as well
as the post I was replying to.
The person asking the question had no experience firing a kiln, and was a
beginning potter. It is a lot easier to teach one's self how to fire an
electric kiln - and achieve consistent results to learn by - than a gas
kiln, particularly if they don't know what to expect. The poster also had
no body of work on which as yet. I did recommend the poster take a course
in firing a gas kiln.
I feel strongly that the work one makes should dictate the kind of kiln one
should have, not the price, prestige or bells-and-whistles. My advice was
not meant for everyone, obviously, but I stand by it for novice potters.
It's experience, not intelligence, that will teach you how to exploit your
kiln, regardless of firing method.
.....Lo
**********
Lois Aronow Porcelain
Brooklyn, NY
www.loisaronow.com
>
> > If you have little or no experience firing gas kilns stick with
> > electric. The learning curve on gas is high.
> >
>
> This is wrong... firing a gas kiln is easy... I have taught
> several people to fire a gas kiln and I know many including
> myself who have taught themselves. If the learning curve is
> to great for you, you really need to find something else to
> do. If you can't figure out a gas kiln then you're not smart
> enough to really figure out everything an electric kiln will do.
>
> Peter in Oklahoma
> dadayamaclay.blogspot.com
>
>
>
>
> Original message -----
>
>
> > On Mar 1, 2008, at 2:12 PM, j isaac wrote:
> >
> >> Hi everyone,
> >> I am getting rady to buy a kiln. I am wondering on peoples
> >> thoughts on whether it should be electric or gas? Make it
> or buy it.
> >> Used or second hand? Cone 6 or 10?
> >> Thanks!
> >>
> >> Jodi
> >>
> >>
> >> The Pretend Potter
> >> Jodi
> >>
> >
> >
> >
> > _
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> ________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages,
> change your subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the
> list here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
Ben Shelton on tue 4 mar 08
I want to argue with the concept that electric is easier for many reasons
but I'll stick to this
Don't let this choice dictate your work, let the work dictate the kiln. It
is a large investment and not easy to change.
and
I vote for gas because you can fire both in reduction and oxidation in a gas
kiln. Not so in an electric. (Well, not so in your average electric). A gas
kiln will serve all functions, bisque, low fire oxidation, mid fire redux
and ox and high fire redux and ox.
If you don't need a great big kiln you can fire often and learn it quickly.
In learning gas firing... use a note book and don't try to change too many
things at once. Make incremental changes and take good notes.
Ben Shelton
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