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a note to ceramic teachers

updated wed 5 apr 00

 

Arnold Howard on sat 1 apr 00

Dear All:

In an attempt to help you fire your kiln, I am asking
two questions:

1. How could kiln manufacturers help you in your job
as ceramic teacher?

2. What are the most common firing mistakes you have
seen or experienced as a ceramic teacher?

Thanks,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, Inc.

__________________________________________________
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Herb Moses on sun 2 apr 00

1. Every kiln should have explicit instructions, and maybe a metal plate on
the side with the phone number to call for information (since most
instruction books get lost). Maybe posting the kiln manual on the internet
would help.

2. The more diagrams, the better.

3. Provide information that helps teachers make a choice: why you should
buy an electric kiln vs. gas kiln, etc.

4. Provide a firing schedule (ramp/hold mode) that addresses the school
day. (How should you fire your kiln when you are there from 7 am - 2:30
pm?). Seems like a common situation.

Herb Moses (teaching part time at Palm Springs High)

http://www.usapottery.com
Palm Springs Pottery
198 S. Indian Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
----- Original Message -----
From: Arnold Howard
To:
Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2000 11:34 AM
Subject: A note to ceramic teachers


> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Dear All:
>
> In an attempt to help you fire your kiln, I am asking
> two questions:
>
> 1. How could kiln manufacturers help you in your job
> as ceramic teacher?
>
> 2. What are the most common firing mistakes you have
> seen or experienced as a ceramic teacher?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Arnold Howard
> Paragon Industries, Inc.
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
> http://im.yahoo.com
>

Paula Sibrack on sun 2 apr 00

Dear Arnold: Thanks for reaching out to the teaching clay community to answer
your questions.
A well written, comprehensive guide book accompanying every kiln would be a
great help. As would on-line help and an real life attendant at an 800 #.
Pulbishing the anwers to FAQs in a newsletter, perhspas on-line would also be
helpful.

The most dangerous firing mistake I have
seen as a ceramic teacher is an over firing due to a stuck kiln sitter. This
has happened twice in 12 years at our HS clay studio. Unfortunately most
instructors has neither the tme nor the interest in maintaining their
equipment.
PAula Sibrack Marian, Art Chair, New Milford High School, New Milford, CT

Earl Brunner on mon 3 apr 00

Sure, and the manual on the web is a great idea.
That doesn't help when the teachers don't have a clue what
they are
doing though. One of the teachers in the local school
district here
recently was complaining that her new Geil kiln wouldn't get
to
temperature. Investigation showed that they had totally
filled all of
the burner ports with bisque that they had blown up. DUH.
You can give a moron all the info in the world, they will
still be a
moron.

Herb Moses wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> 1. Every kiln should have explicit instructions, and maybe a metal plate on
> the side with the phone number to call for information (since most
> instruction books get lost). Maybe posting the kiln manual on the internet
> would help.
>
> 2. The more diagrams, the better.
>
> 3. Provide information that helps teachers make a choice: why you should
> buy an electric kiln vs. gas kiln, etc.
>
> 4. Provide a firing schedule (ramp/hold mode) that addresses the school
> day. (How should you fire your kiln when you are there from 7 am - 2:30
> pm?). Seems like a common situation.
>
> Herb Moses (teaching part time at Palm Springs High)
>
> http://www.usapottery.com
> Palm Springs Pottery
> 198 S. Indian Canyon Drive
> Palm Springs, CA 92262
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Arnold Howard
> To:
> Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2000 11:34 AM
> Subject: A note to ceramic teachers
>
> > ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> > Dear All:
> >
> > In an attempt to help you fire your kiln, I am asking
> > two questions:
> >
> > 1. How could kiln manufacturers help you in your job
> > as ceramic teacher?
> >
> > 2. What are the most common firing mistakes you have
> > seen or experienced as a ceramic teacher?
> >
> > Thanks,
> >
> > Arnold Howard
> > Paragon Industries, Inc.
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
> > http://im.yahoo.com
> >

--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
mailto:bruec@anv.net

CNW on mon 3 apr 00

I secongd the idea of putting directions for firing on the kiln. I have
skutt kilns at school and they have basic instructions. It would have been
nice if they also had instructions for programing longer ramps etc. The
instruction manual gets hidden from time to time. That's why I prefer
firing the kiln sitter kiln, I don't have to think how to do it and I get
exercise from running up and down the steps to boot.

Celia

millie carpenter on tue 4 apr 00

one thing that I think would be helpful to teachers would be a large laminated
chart with the step by step dirrections on how to clean, load and fire for terra
cotta, lowfire white and stoneware that can be posted by the kiln. plus ways t
identify ceramic materials. last year the new to the school 3-d teacher was usi
a white powder that he believed to be ball clay for the kids to wedge into the
reclaim clay. when things really began to blow up consistently he asked the
graphics teacher who is doing an MFA in ceramics and me, for help. and all he s
was, the bags should have been labeled in larger letters. the public school sys
seemes to thrive on large laminated posters.

Millie in Md. sipping tea from my red mug that Marcia Selsor made.