The kiln is up and running! I fired it up last Sunday to see what it could do and I wasn’t dissappointed. I did a Fast Glaze fire to cone 06. It took exactly 4 hours from start to shut off. Then I let it cool overnight. According to the test cones it overfired slightly. Everything else was fine. The gargae didn’t burn down, the electrical hookup seemed to function as it should and the vent did it’s job. Except the vent system isn’t fully installed so I just shot the fumes out the garage door and some of them came back inside. When I actually fire it for real I’ll either have the vent completely in place or I’ll put on the 8′ tube to get the fumes away from the house. So now I’m ready to go. I’m working on getting a full bisque load ready to fire.
This is how I stay warm since my wife won’t turn the heat on…
Some more good news! My wife let me spend our retirement fund on some necessary supplies. Last week I recieved my shipment. Plenty of glazes and some nifty tools and gadgets to improve my ceramic production and get me through my first glaze firing. Apparently I timed it just right so the order was delivered in between cold spells which kept the glaze from freezing. I hope to get some family members down here this month to help with an extreme studio makeover. My brother (the electrician) and my dad (who was a construction worker in another life) said they would come down some time and help me enclose my clay studio and add some more lighting and outlets. My plan is finally coming together!
Now I’m ready to hit mass production phase…