mel jacobson on tue 23 may 06
i have a new take on test kilns.
i would never own an electric kiln that
i could not use for bisque firing later on.
what i have done, would do, is buy a small
version of one of the brand names.
pargagon or l&l. i would buy a nice one, but
small.
you can test in it, use it later for your main bisque
firing kiln...and it will last your lifetime.
anything that you use mostly for bisque will
never wear out.
it will serve you well while waiting for your move.
then, you just take it with you.
add it to your studio.
if you go with gas later...man, what a dandy little
bisque kiln you will have. or, if you buy a big
old bugger of an electric...you still have your
baby to bisque in.
i have a small skutt 181. 40 years old.
still works like a charm. have never had it
over cone 08.
i have a big L&L that sits next to my gas kiln.
out in my firing studio. that gets the big loads of
bisque. it too is very old, but still works well.
i often fire the first bisque in series of pots
in the tiny kiln. leave low on overnight, then
a really slow firing...all day long. i have a load of
pots sitting on top that are getting super heated.
they go into the big kiln a day later. now i have
a wonderful cycle going. warming pots, next firing,
more warming pots. then the big kiln is used with
hot pots. i do not use the little one anymore.
i often fire a small batch of chinese saga pots that
i may take to the farm...like last week. it was perfect
to stick 25 cups and 15 teabowls into that baby kiln.
no waste of energy, and they fired just fine.
the gas kiln just works all the time. it is
a dandy.
but i really love bisque firing in electric kilns for
long periods of time...and, i can have both of them
on at the same time...if needed. keep those circuits
separate and no trouble...just the meter spins fast..
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3
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