Firing ceramics with an electric kiln.

[Pat]

Egon, Good suggestion re the codes. As regards building inspectors... I am not inside the city limits in a rural area of Oklahoma. There is no inspection of what I build. If I should need a loan to build, the lender may require a level of code compliance but if I have the $ I can do whatever I want. Of course that is poor practice and I don't do that, but seems there are plenty that do. Pretty frightening. Of course fire insurance and so forth would be hard to get on these "impromptu" structures.

Pat

[cindyboz]

Wow..I remember my first kiln! The cones to use for the firing were expensive. Just make sure the green ware is always dry before firing. When it blows up inside the kiln you will be in for a surprise. Some glazes could do the same. I had all my ceramics things on the patio. But I dabbled in raku, firing in a pit (metal trash can). Yes you will have smells coming from the kiln. GOOD LUCK!

[Pat]

Thanks. This is mostly my wifes thing. I was afraid of the fumes so I will be placing the kiln inside an insulated enclousre that is vented to the outside with two vents (dryer type.) IF convection won't do the job with one vent at the top and the other at the bottom of the enclosure, then I'll add a small fan. With luck all the fumes and most of the excess heat will be exhausted outside. I got one suggestion regarding making the insulaltion conveniently removable so some of the heat would make it to the room in winter. Haven't decided if it is worth it.

Iv'e had the egg in the microwave experience so don't wnat an explosion in the kiln.

Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

Kiln's are like magnets Pat. They act in an exponetial manner always attracting more essential materials, equipment, work space, drying space, and storage for finished items and their packaging materials.

For location perhaps the workshop, it's too darned big anyway, lose some area to kiln and associated items. Pottery or ceramics are dusty messy ocupations that will soon outgrow the Tea Room.

Oh yes; also be prepared to collect Bananna boxes and how best to store them in the camper for trips to craft fairs.


Two functioning electric kilns in basement, one functioning propane kiln in an outside metal building.

[img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Egon

[Pat]

Egon, I have either misspoken in an earlier post or the design changed or space allocation changed. Probably the latter. Anyway, the kiln will be in the corner of the upstairs shop at the opposite end of the upstairs from the tea room. My wife "owns" 1/2 of this approx 24x24 room (not including closets). There is a utility sink right next to the kiln and sturdy shelves on the other side of the sink for molds and other paraphenelia.

This is the shop where we have an agreement that if ANYTHING of hers crosses the dividing line in the center of the room it is assumed to have a "PLEASE THROW ME AWAY SIGN" attached to it.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[egon]

My mistake. Thought it was intended for a corner of the Tea room.

Egon [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[Pat]

Egon, my friend, it wasn't your mistake it was your memory of my original post, quoted here...

"I told her I would make a place for it in the new house in a corner of HER PROJECT/TEA ROOM."

Well, that was as you are well aware, NOT a good idea. Her project/tea room is her CLEAN project and tea room. She calls her upstairs half-a-shop, the "dirty" shop. This is a good location for the kiln, furniture stripping/refinishing and other "dirty" projects. This is a far better location for another reason too... The upstairs (dirty) shop and my ground floor shop beneath it share a central heat and air unit that is isolated from the rest of the house. She can "gas" me in my shop but not the rest of the house.

[img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] Pat [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]