How ironic! I was just thinking today about what it takes to own/operate a kiln. So this information was very helpful. I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, and am at the mercy of a local ceramic store to get my work fired. I'm fairly new to ceramics, so that process has worked well for me until this year. Because of the Corona Virus, the ceramic store has been off and on again with access to their kilns. Also, I do not have good knowledge as to how well their kilns fire; as in accurate cone temps and such. So the thought of having my own kiln is very enticing indeed! You, so very kindly, offer such a wealth of information with your videos, and I truly enjoy them! Wish I could visit your studio in Chichester someday, but that is just too far away for me. :0( So, I'm very thankful to have this wonderful technology, that can bring far away places & people right into my home! Thank you so much for sharing; stay well, and sending my best wishes for you in the New Year! Keep on potting!!
Hello Joann - I'm so glad you found this useful. Getting your own kiln is obviously a fairly large financial commitment and it is always wise to weigh up the pros and cons. I hope you manage it one day in the not too distant future so you can have the joy of kiln opening - like Christmas every time! Happy New year 🎉
Have you thought of turning your kiln stand the other way up to raise it up for easier loading? The reversible stand is a key feature of Rohde kilns and I see you have it in the low position.
Hi Celiac- thanks for the comment. I do know the stand is reversible- I am pretty tall so loading and uploading is fine for me - but a very good point for others if considering buying. Do you use a Rohde?
@@thepotterycorner I’ve just bought a new one - TE75 MCC the extendable model. My first ever new kiln after 5, second, third, fourth hand ones...of which I still have 2! A tiny, ancient test kiln that has been completely rewired, new elements and rods. Very useful for tests or when only a couple of pieces need firing. And a 45litre plug in Cromartie Workhorse that I use for bisqueing and low fire glaze firings. My Rohde is for porcelain and stoneware though I don’t use the latter much. It’s raised up in breeze blocks as is the Cromartie. I find that loading a low top loader is awful on my back. I only clocked the reversible legs on the Rohde after I’d got mine in position and was reading the installation booklet! Didn’t fancy taking it apart as we’d already struggled to lift it on to the breeze blocks!!! Fab kilns!!!
Thanks for watching Marc. I'd need to look up the figures to be accurate but the solar pulls about 4kw and the solar does 3kw at maximum if I remember correctly. So it doesn't cover everything but we can see from the smart meter how much it is reducing the cost of the firing. Makes a huge difference from summer to winter obviously. 😊
Hi. I hope it's ok to still ask questions as I know this is a couple of years old now. But I just watched it and it was very interesting. I am moving house soon and hoping to set up a home pottery studio in my garage. I've only ever fired work through the class I attended and would like my own kiln to have more control over the firing process and as you mentioned, to reduce breakages and spoilage due to overfiring etc. What I can't find any information on is the cost of a full kiln firing to see if it is something that would be affordable for me. I know prices have recently gone through the roof but wondered if you could tell me the cost of your bisque firing in the smaller kiln and the cost of a glaze firing in the larger kiln just so I have a general idea of running costs. Thanks very much, Georgina
Hi Georgina and thanks for your question. My smaller Rohde plug and play is 43 litres so you are limited on the size of pieces you can make. It is obviously cheaper to run as there isn't so much in it and is an ideal kiln for a hobby potter. It's really difficult to say exactly how much it costs to fire - the electricity is about to double again in October- but I fired a bisque firing in it yesterday (September) and the smart meter said about £6 BUT you must remember we have solar power which runs most of my firings. I'dsay it wouldbeat least £12 for a bisque and probably at least £16-18 for a glaze. You also need to add in an amount for when the elements need changing (they are costly and the engineers moreso!). You can probably fire 120 times before needing to do this with a new kiln. Glaze firing costs more as its a higher temperature. Really hope that helps you. Good luck and be careful if buying second hand! 😊
Thanks for the video! I'm looking to buy the 43L and this was very helpful. A question for you, you mentioned ventilation, how do you ventilate that room?
Hi Alley. The kilns are sited in our double garage. There is ventilation around the vehicle doors and I also leave a door open when the kilns are on. You wouldn't want to be in the room when firing without proper ventilation. A window would do! Hope that helps. Thanks for watching 😀
I think it's 43 litres. Much smaller and limits what you can make in terms of size BUT plugs straight into a domestic socket so no wiring costs and changing the house fuse! Hope that helps 🙏 🙂
Thanks for the info, I was curious what type of kiln was used in other countries. I have an Olympic kiln made in the USA and it seems quite different than yours.
@@thepotterycorner Any time. I have thought of something else in the meantime. When you talk about the firing schedules or ramps you use, could you say what you do about the cooling phase to avoid pinholes and heal blisters without compromising the glaze look? That would be wonderful. Maybe a video 1 about the ramps in general and video 2 about typical problems which occur? Possibly a video 3 about how you manage to pull huge wares out of your kiln and they are never cracked or warped it seems. I like your down-to-earth, relatable videos, so very deeply human at times. I still remember when you talked about this husband stopping by to have his late wife's wares fired. So touching. Thanks, and have a great Sunday/Coronation Day II.
Hi There, Can you please let me know the difference between a Pottery Kiln lke yours and a Muffle Kiln. Can i bake Photo Ceremics ( Porcelain ) in your Kiln.Needs around 800 Celcious What would be the average price of both models made by your company in the UK
Thanks for watching 😁. My kiln will fire up to 1300 degrees centigrade. The Rhode brand is pretty expensive but very good quality. I suspect for your purposes you don't need a kiln with such a high temperature but I'm afraid I have no knowledge of your technique for a muffle kiln.
Great information, we have a Rohde Ecotop 43 and a TE75. We also have 3.25kw of solar with battery storage, but can I ask what size your solar system is please?
Hi Andrew. Our solar is 3.8Kw. The solar power doesn't cover absolutely all the firing but very nearly - even in the winter. Wish we had a battery 🔋 brilliant idea that came out after our system was fitted. We have the same kilns too! Love, love, love my Rohde's. German technology-? just brilliant . Thanks for watching 😀
P.s. we have a dmart meter so i can see exactly what the kilns use - bisque firing costs about £2 and glaze firing about £3 on a reasonable day. Less on very sunny summer days. Hope that helps 🙏
@@thepotterycorner Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, much appreciated. We both really like our kilns and wouldn’t consider anything else. Due to our electric car our battery doesn’t get as charged as it should, but we manage about 50/50 solar/grid. We are about to start converting and old barn into our new studio and wondered if we could make it off grid. Thanks again Andy
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for watching and commenting. I replaced the kiln elements myself- having watched a RUclips video! It took half a day - not too difficult for a practical person. I took before photos of the wiring etc so I could check I'd done it correctly!
Wish I had an electric kiln. My husband is rebuilding my firewood kiln in the back of our house. I will send you some photos of it when it's done. I did send you an email a bit ago showing you my mini poppy once it's fired I'll send you a finished photo.
If a kiln is old enough it could also have been used to do lead firing, there are luckily test kits for that. In the states we have single phase (residential) and three phase (commercial) most homes and some business areas can't handle three phase. Had to laugh though my Crest kiln is a manual operated kiln so cones and a pyrometer are use to see temperature. Still waiting to buy a multi fuel generator to run it, it is a doll/test kiln at 30cm by 27cm cone 6 and runs at 130 amps. live in Idaho USA.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Kilns are such a massive expense when starting out. The investment is really high. For me - as I run classes - it is a must have but I do rent out my kilns for people who want to make at home but don't have a kiln. I hope you found the video helpful in some ways. 😊
Thanks for the video. Very useful info about the house fuse, thanks. I’m watching from Edinburgh, thinking of buying a kiln.... at what kWattage do you need that extra amperage for the house and the dedicated supply like you have for Mungo? Thanks for offering to answer questions! Barbara
Hi Barbara- thanks for watching. I'm glad you found it useful. The 'plug and go' kilns with an ordinary three pin plug will not pull enough power to warrant changing the house fuse. Anything over this size and I would say you probably need to. Mungo pulls 4kw and if I were to have had the oven on, had someone in an electric shower, and a heater on in the house you could in effect trip the whole house fuse which has to be reset by the electric company! Installing a kiln is a potters biggest investment so get as much information about it beforehand is key. Good luck and happy lockdown!
@@thepotterycorner thanks! At the moment I’m thinking 42 litres too small and leaning towards something around 70l, which is about 6kW. I have read loads, yes, and I’m still reading!Thanks for your willingness to help and your videos. Thinking about a metal shed then I won’t need to line with concrete board that people are talking about online. Would love to see some of your lustre pieces you mentioned ....best wishes Barbara
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Thank you -from Greece!
Thank you for the welcome information from a small home studio in Norfolk : )
Hi Nigeria- thanks for watching and commenting- hope you're safe and well in Norfolk
Thanks for info re kilns... helped me a lot 👍 Rob ....Australia
Thanks for your kind words Rob - glad it was helpful. 🙏
Thank you this is so helpful!
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment. Glad it was helpful 🙏
How ironic! I was just thinking today about what it takes to own/operate a kiln. So this information was very helpful. I am in Albuquerque, New Mexico USA, and am at the mercy of a local ceramic store to get my work fired. I'm fairly new to ceramics, so that process has worked well for me until this year. Because of the Corona Virus, the ceramic store has been off and on again with access to their kilns. Also, I do not have good knowledge as to how well their kilns fire; as in accurate cone temps and such. So the thought of having my own kiln is very enticing indeed!
You, so very kindly, offer such a wealth of information with your videos, and I truly enjoy them! Wish I could visit your studio in Chichester someday, but that is just too far away for me. :0( So, I'm very thankful to have this wonderful technology, that can bring far away places & people right into my home!
Thank you so much for sharing; stay well, and sending my best wishes for you in the New Year!
Keep on potting!!
Hello Joann - I'm so glad you found this useful. Getting your own kiln is obviously a fairly large financial commitment and it is always wise to weigh up the pros and cons. I hope you manage it one day in the not too distant future so you can have the joy of kiln opening - like Christmas every time! Happy New year 🎉
Have you thought of turning your kiln stand the other way up to raise it up for easier loading? The reversible stand is a key feature of Rohde kilns and I see you have it in the low position.
Hi Celiac- thanks for the comment. I do know the stand is reversible- I am pretty tall so loading and uploading is fine for me - but a very good point for others if considering buying. Do you use a Rohde?
@@thepotterycorner I’ve just bought a new one - TE75 MCC the extendable model. My first ever new kiln after 5, second, third, fourth hand ones...of which I still have 2! A tiny, ancient test kiln that has been completely rewired, new elements and rods. Very useful for tests or when only a couple of pieces need firing. And a 45litre plug in Cromartie Workhorse that I use for bisqueing and low fire glaze firings. My Rohde is for porcelain and stoneware though I don’t use the latter much. It’s raised up in breeze blocks as is the Cromartie. I find that loading a low top loader is awful on my back. I only clocked the reversible legs on the Rohde after I’d got mine in position and was reading the installation booklet! Didn’t fancy taking it apart as we’d already struggled to lift it on to the breeze blocks!!! Fab kilns!!!
It would be a great help if you could share all of the electric/ solar firing info, including kw production and kw kiln needs
Thanks for watching Marc. I'd need to look up the figures to be accurate but the solar pulls about 4kw and the solar does 3kw at maximum if I remember correctly. So it doesn't cover everything but we can see from the smart meter how much it is reducing the cost of the firing. Makes a huge difference from summer to winter obviously. 😊
Sorry- the kiln pulls 4kw and the solar 3kw
Hi. I hope it's ok to still ask questions as I know this is a couple of years old now. But I just watched it and it was very interesting. I am moving house soon and hoping to set up a home pottery studio in my garage. I've only ever fired work through the class I attended and would like my own kiln to have more control over the firing process and as you mentioned, to reduce breakages and spoilage due to overfiring etc. What I can't find any information on is the cost of a full kiln firing to see if it is something that would be affordable for me. I know prices have recently gone through the roof but wondered if you could tell me the cost of your bisque firing in the smaller kiln and the cost of a glaze firing in the larger kiln just so I have a general idea of running costs. Thanks very much, Georgina
Hi Georgina and thanks for your question. My smaller Rohde plug and play is 43 litres so you are limited on the size of pieces you can make. It is obviously cheaper to run as there isn't so much in it and is an ideal kiln for a hobby potter. It's really difficult to say exactly how much it costs to fire - the electricity is about to double again in October- but I fired a bisque firing in it yesterday (September) and the smart meter said about £6 BUT you must remember we have solar power which runs most of my firings. I'dsay it wouldbeat least £12 for a bisque and probably at least £16-18 for a glaze. You also need to add in an amount for when the elements need changing (they are costly and the engineers moreso!). You can probably fire 120 times before needing to do this with a new kiln. Glaze firing costs more as its a higher temperature. Really hope that helps you. Good luck and be careful if buying second hand! 😊
Thanks for the video! I'm looking to buy the 43L and this was very helpful. A question for you, you mentioned ventilation, how do you ventilate that room?
Hi Alley. The kilns are sited in our double garage. There is ventilation around the vehicle doors and I also leave a door open when the kilns are on. You wouldn't want to be in the room when firing without proper ventilation. A window would do! Hope that helps. Thanks for watching 😀
Thanks for another great video... Really helpful . How many ltrs is the small kiln?
I think it's 43 litres. Much smaller and limits what you can make in terms of size BUT plugs straight into a domestic socket so no wiring costs and changing the house fuse! Hope that helps 🙏 🙂
@@thepotterycorner thank you so much it really has helped.. I think I need a 70ltr but space is saying 43ltr lol
Thanks for the info, I was curious what type of kiln was used in other countries. I have an Olympic kiln made in the USA and it seems quite different than yours.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I hope you found it helpful.
Thanks
Thanks for watching 😊
Could you make a video on the ramps you use, please?
Thanks so much for watching. I can certainly do that. I'll add it to the list to do 😁
@@thepotterycorner Please do. Thanks. I like your new hairdo ;o)
@R. V. - awww that's kind 😊
@@thepotterycorner Any time. I have thought of something else in the meantime. When you talk about the firing schedules or ramps you use, could you say what you do about the cooling phase to avoid pinholes and heal blisters without compromising the glaze look? That would be wonderful. Maybe a video 1 about the ramps in general and video 2 about typical problems which occur? Possibly a video 3 about how you manage to pull huge wares out of your kiln and they are never cracked or warped it seems. I like your down-to-earth, relatable videos, so very deeply human at times. I still remember when you talked about this husband stopping by to have his late wife's wares fired. So touching. Thanks, and have a great Sunday/Coronation Day II.
@R. V. That'll keep me busy 😀
Hi There, Can you please let me know the difference between a Pottery Kiln lke yours and a Muffle Kiln. Can i bake Photo Ceremics ( Porcelain ) in your Kiln.Needs around 800 Celcious What would be the average price of both models made by your company in the UK
Thanks for watching 😁. My kiln will fire up to 1300 degrees centigrade. The Rhode brand is pretty expensive but very good quality. I suspect for your purposes you don't need a kiln with such a high temperature but I'm afraid I have no knowledge of your technique for a muffle kiln.
Great information, we have a Rohde Ecotop 43 and a TE75. We also have 3.25kw of solar with battery storage, but can I ask what size your solar system is please?
Hi Andrew. Our solar is 3.8Kw. The solar power doesn't cover absolutely all the firing but very nearly - even in the winter. Wish we had a battery 🔋 brilliant idea that came out after our system was fitted. We have the same kilns too! Love, love, love my Rohde's. German technology-? just brilliant . Thanks for watching 😀
P.s. we have a dmart meter so i can see exactly what the kilns use - bisque firing costs about £2 and glaze firing about £3 on a reasonable day. Less on very sunny summer days. Hope that helps 🙏
@@thepotterycorner Thanks so much for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.
We both really like our kilns and wouldn’t consider anything else.
Due to our electric car our battery doesn’t get as charged as it should, but we manage about 50/50 solar/grid.
We are about to start converting and old barn into our new studio and wondered if we could make it off grid.
Thanks again
Andy
@@andrewfitzmaurice7843 great- good to feel we are doing our bit for the environment 😀
is it difficult to replace the elements for the kiln? are we able to do it ourselves or do we need to have it done by a kiln specialist?
Hi Kathryn. Thanks for watching and commenting. I replaced the kiln elements myself- having watched a RUclips video! It took half a day - not too difficult for a practical person. I took before photos of the wiring etc so I could check I'd done it correctly!
Wish I had an electric kiln. My husband is rebuilding my firewood kiln in the back of our house. I will send you some photos of it when it's done. I did send you an email a bit ago showing you my mini poppy once it's fired I'll send you a finished photo.
If a kiln is old enough it could also have been used to do lead firing, there are luckily test kits for that. In the states we have single phase (residential) and three phase (commercial) most homes and some business areas can't handle three phase. Had to laugh though my Crest kiln is a manual operated kiln so cones and a pyrometer are use to see temperature. Still waiting to buy a multi fuel generator to run it, it is a doll/test kiln at 30cm by 27cm cone 6 and runs at 130 amps. live in Idaho USA.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Kilns are such a massive expense when starting out. The investment is really high. For me - as I run classes - it is a must have but I do rent out my kilns for people who want to make at home but don't have a kiln. I hope you found the video helpful in some ways. 😊
Thanks for the video. Very useful info about the house fuse, thanks. I’m watching from Edinburgh, thinking of buying a kiln.... at what kWattage do you need that extra amperage for the house and the dedicated supply like you have for Mungo?
Thanks for offering to answer questions! Barbara
Hi Barbara- thanks for watching. I'm glad you found it useful. The 'plug and go' kilns with an ordinary three pin plug will not pull enough power to warrant changing the house fuse. Anything over this size and I would say you probably need to. Mungo pulls 4kw and if I were to have had the oven on, had someone in an electric shower, and a heater on in the house you could in effect trip the whole house fuse which has to be reset by the electric company! Installing a kiln is a potters biggest investment so get as much information about it beforehand is key. Good luck and happy lockdown!
@@thepotterycorner thanks! At the moment I’m thinking 42 litres too small and leaning towards something around 70l, which is about 6kW. I have read loads, yes, and I’m still reading!Thanks for your willingness to help and your videos. Thinking about a metal shed then I won’t need to line with concrete board that people are talking about online. Would love to see some of your lustre pieces you mentioned ....best wishes Barbara