Hank Murrow on thu 8 apr 04
I guess that I should enter the fray here concerning the likely
lifetime of a studio kiln, as I just returned from presenting at
"Reinventing the Wheel" a biennial conference in Vancouver BC.
They celebrated the 1000th firing of the Doorless Fiberkiln I built for
the Shadbolt Center for the Arts in 1986. That is 18 years so far,
around 55 firings per year, average gas cost per firing $20 USD to Cone
10, $14,000 original cost, installed and test fired three times with
the personnel there. With a minor repair the tab comes to $35,000 for
1000 fires if they were to scrap the kiln now. That's $35 per fire
including cost of equipment if I have done my sums correctly. Pretty
savvy investment they enjoy there, especially considering that the kiln
can keep on firing for many years to come.
Your mileage may vary,
Cheers, Hank
see pic of this kiln @ http://www.murrow.biz/hank/kiln-and-tools.htm
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