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Lesson Plans


RE: Kilns

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Mike Keller (keller)
Tue, 26 May 1998 22:37:49 +0000

> Skutt kilns are very good and seem to last forever. 16 years doesn't seem
> that old to me for a kiln if it has been cared for. Replacing elements is
> about the only service an electric kiln should need. I've never used an
> automatic kiln, I understand the new programable machines are pretty good but
> the kiln tenders seem rather pricey.

I _may_ be slightly out of my depth on this, but my impression from the other
serious potters and potter-students is that firing the kiln is as important a
part of the process as any of it, and an auto-kiln kinda defeats the purpose of
teaching the process to the students. As a photographer, I certainly would not
have my students learning on auto-exposure cameras, or having prints made at a
lab. The firing of the kiln is about like the darkroom experience, where the
real magic happens.

OTOH, if all you want to do is get the little kiddies' pots fired so they can
take em home...

Michael Keller
Old and New Media