Kilns

Look what a semi truck brought me yesterday. Two new kilns!!! After years of "making do," I am super excited to get modern, professional quality kilns. DRU and I will spend most of the weekend setting these beauties up (thanks, DRU!) and then I will do some test firing. After that, my workflow is really going to change for the better. More kiln space = more tiles in less time. Yay! Plus, I will finally be able to offer field tiles on the website.  admiring the fine craftsmanship  Stay tuned for updates! 

The first test firing of our "new" kiln was a success! This vintage piece of brick and electronics came to us courtesy of our neighbor, who came across it while helping her mother-in-law clean out her garage.  This kiln had been left there by one of her sons who moved away, and our neighbor thought we might be able to use it.  We gratefully accepted the gift, then proceeded to store it for many moons.  Recently, with the increased volume of orders and and requests for field tiles, it occured to me that another kiln that is almost twice a...

On my wish list for a while now has been a test kiln that would hold just a small number of tiles.  As the name implies, it would be great for testing a new glaze, clay or firing technique.  In my situation, having one would also enable me to get certain orders in the mail more quickly while saving energy.   Sometimes I get a small order the day after I do one of my normal firings, and then my choices are either make the customer wait for my next scheduled firing, or to fire a large kiln that is only...