Ditmar/Gayle on sat 22 may 99
Aloha Ginny,
Just thought I'd send you my 2 or 3 cents worth.
Shuttle kiln ...well, I'm not much help there. But, if you have a specific
size or need in a front loader, talk to Seattle Pottery about building one
to your specs. They do custom kilns all the time.
Many potters are "functional" item producers and don't deal with the
problems of loading a tall / heavy or awkward sculptural piece into a
top-loader.
I'd say get a front load electric to your specs. Then save your pennies
for that gas unit you want.
Having both gives you all the options. Creatively and in firing. Down the
road, both can be fired at the same time with out the problems of needing
additional amperage rewiring, or icing up a propane tank from a large
volume draw.
From the other Islands, Ditmar.
Bill Buckner on tue 25 may 99
One other option is to use a sectional-type top loader. For tall and
awkward-to-load pieces, the kiln can be disassembled, the piece(s) loaded onto
the bottom slab, then the kiln reassembled around the piece. The height of
the kiln can then be adjusted appropriately to the height of the piece.
Pros/Cons include:
+ Blank or wired sections can be added (wired require appropriate power
supply, blank sections lower the max. temp the kiln can attain) to increase
height.
+ Loading the kiln this way is unwieldy, and usually requires the assistance
of at least one other person to lift and position the sections of the kiln.
But, then you might need help setting a green piece that big anyway.
While perhaps not an overly convenient solution, a sectional kiln can offer
some options to folks firing tall pieces. For what it's worth...
-Bill
Ditmar/Gayle wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Aloha Ginny,
> Just thought I'd send you my 2 or 3 cents worth.
> Shuttle kiln ...well, I'm not much help there. But, if you have a specific
> size or need in a front loader, talk to Seattle Pottery about building one
> to your specs. They do custom kilns all the time.
> Many potters are "functional" item producers and don't deal with the
> problems of loading a tall / heavy or awkward sculptural piece into a
> top-loader.
> I'd say get a front load electric to your specs. Then save your pennies
> for that gas unit you want.
> Having both gives you all the options. Creatively and in firing. Down the
> road, both can be fired at the same time with out the problems of needing
> additional amperage rewiring, or icing up a propane tank from a large
> volume draw.
>
> >From the other Islands, Ditmar.
--
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Bill Buckner
wbuckne@emory.edu
http://billtom@mindspring.com
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