sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted July 31, 2015 Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 I've been taking classes at a local arts center for about 3 years. I have now purchased a wheel, slab roller, and extruder and am able to throw at home. I have a homemade raku kiln that I use, however I'd like to be able to fire to cone 6 or 10 as well. Unfortunately, I cannot purchase an electric kiln because I do not have the capacity on my electric panel. I would like to purchase a gas kiln and thought that one of the Olympic Torchbearer kilns would be perfect in size. I'd like to know if anyone owns this type of kiln and what their experience is with it. I've searched everywhere online with very minimal results, but the few I have seen seem to suggest that these kilns are problematic. Is there anyone out there that owns a torchbearer that can give me some feedback? I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks, Sarah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted July 31, 2015 Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 Sarah, Go to the main forums page and type "torchbearer" in the search box; you'll get a number of threads where firing a torchbearer has been discussed. It is always better to search from the main page as then the search goes across all the areas; if you search while in one area the search only covers that one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted July 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 31, 2015 Sarah, Go to the main forums page and type "torchbearer" in the search box; you'll get a number of threads where firing a torchbearer has been discussed. It is always better to search from the main page as then the search goes across all the areas; if you search while in one area the search only covers that one. I have searched and read everything I can possibly find about the torchbearer, but am unable to find anything that answers my questions. If there is a better place for me to post my questions, just let me know. I figured that "equipment use" seemed the most appropriate forum for the question. I'm really hoping that someone out there has experience that could help me. I also wonder if you know of anyone who has used an olympic gas RAKU kiln to fire to cone 10? They claim it can be used to bisque and fire to cone 10, however I would be interested in actual potters' experience. Thanks for your response to my question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 sarah, i am sure you have already consulted the local governing body for wherever you live. having a gas kiln is a really difficult thing to do in an ordinary residence. my friend had one at her home. it was located outside on a concrete pad like a porch, had a specially built gas line brought in from the street, had a roof to protect it from rain and her insurance company had to approve it as well. getting an electrical panel upgrade sounds simple in comparison. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 1, 2015 Report Share Posted August 1, 2015 We have read over the past 2-3 yeasr folks who struggel getting a torchbearer to fire evenly. They have posted here many times . I think Larry was the last one who gave it up withy this kiln.These small gas kilns are always hard to even out. The more burners the better.Mt friend had a few of them for years and he struggled with them. he goes by- docweathers-search for him under members (his name is Larry)and send him a Pm about his kiln. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted August 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Thanks, so much for the information. I will contact Larry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted August 2, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 One more question, do you know anyone who has used the olympic Raku kiln to bisque and fire to cone 6? According to Olympic, this kiln can be used up to cone 10. If I do purchase a torchbearer, it would be outside and hooked to propane, so I don't think I'd need a permit. I think that is only if I'm hooking it to natural gas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patat Posted August 2, 2015 Report Share Posted August 2, 2015 Hi Sarah, I use a torchbearer running LPG. Despite the bad press, I'm pretty happy with mine. I fire exclusively to cone 10 (and 04 bisque). I can usually get within a cone top to bottom, but the reduction isn't as even. I can usually manage a decent reduction in the top 2/3 of the kiln. Personally I fire on gas for the randomness/variability anyway, so it's all good. I've also had a fair bit of experience firing gas kilns generally, so that helps. I have the toploader variety, but as I understand it the Raku version is just the addition of a hoist that lifts everything but the floor and setting. should work ok on the smaller models. If you have any questions, fire away (pun intended) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted August 3, 2015 Report Share Posted August 3, 2015 Sarah, Whether you need a permit or not depends totally on your locality. You don't show country or state / Province on your profile...so we have no idea where you are. MOST places in the US will require some sort of permit for such a unit, even (or one might say especially) on propane. The exceptions typically are WAY out in the boonies of the country-side and in areas zoned rural or rural / agricultural or with NO zoning. If you are doing this and also selling your work, then you are a business... and THAT may also be a permit you need. And you need to check the insurance policy for the property also. Many Homeowners type companies will not write for an electric kiln even as a hobby, some won't write for any type of business operation in a home. It is complex, and not a "one size fits all" answer. If you do not disclose the kiln or business to the insurance company... they can legally drop you without paying for ANY claim..... even one niot related to the kiln. You should research that subject BEFORE going any further. The Torchbearers are difficult to get to fire evenly.... both temp and reduction...... if you can accept that they work. There are other much better options performance-wise but they are FAR more expensive and complicated to get installed. best, .......................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted August 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 5, 2015 Sarah, Whether you need a permit or not depends totally on your locality. You don't show country or state / Province on your profile...so we have no idea where you are. MOST places in the US will require some sort of permit for such a unit, even (or one might say especially) on propane. The exceptions typically are WAY out in the boonies of the country-side and in areas zoned rural or rural / agricultural or with NO zoning. If you are doing this and also selling your work, then you are a business... and THAT may also be a permit you need. And you need to check the insurance policy for the property also. Many Homeowners type companies will not write for an electric kiln even as a hobby, some won't write for any type of business operation in a home. It is complex, and not a "one size fits all" answer. If you do not disclose the kiln or business to the insurance company... they can legally drop you without paying for ANY claim..... even one niot related to the kiln. You should research that subject BEFORE going any further. The Torchbearers are difficult to get to fire evenly.... both temp and reduction...... if you can accept that they work. There are other much better options performance-wise but they are FAR more expensive and complicated to get installed. best, .......................john Hi John, I'm in Arizona and am not a business. I'm just a hobby potter. The torchbearer can run on a propane tank that is the same size as our large bbq grill uses, so it had not occurred to me that it might require a permit. Thanks for your input and I will research the obstacles that you have pointed out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Johnson Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 From what I've read in reference to the Olympic propane kins like the 2827G I'm considering, you need a 15 gal tank to fire to ^10. That shouldn't need a permit. You can consider using 5 gal tanks available everywhere and swapping them during the firing process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patat Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 We're metric here so apologies, I fire off of a 50kg (I assume that's the 15gal size, we used to call them 100pounders in Canada) and a 14kg (bbq size) using a 2 line manifold to switch back and forth. I mainly try to use the smaller bottles as they are cheaper per kg here, but need to keep it in a water bath to prevent freezing (and the temperature here is always 30C (90F)), so it may be tricky in a cooler climate. If you go with the smaller tanks, at a minimum you would want a manifold so you don't need to relight every time you switch out tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Diz Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 I have an Olympic 2831 that I fire on LP to cone 10. I have struggled with it for years but am finally getting to where my blood pressure stays even while only the kiln temp rises. This kiln has given me fits for years but within the last year I have finally discovered that my major problem was not giving it enough gas. I could get it to temp but, as stated the temps vary from top to bottom.. Also body reduction is very hard to get throughout the kiln - bottom shelf almost never. Now that I have the temperature rising at a good rate my firings are taking about 6 hours to cone 10, top to bottom cones are within one cone, am getting good glaze melt but I am not getting reduction. So now I will work fine-tuning so I can get my reductions. I really cannot say that I would recommend this kiln to someone looking for a kiln - and sad to say the Olympic kiln company has not offered much help other than " keep trying, you're getting there...". Thank goodness for this forum and Continental Clay. Being mostly a hobby potter I don't see the wisdom in my buying a new kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sarahwarth@yahoo.com Posted August 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 I have an Olympic 2831 that I fire on LP to cone 10. I have struggled with it for years but am finally getting to where my blood pressure stays even while only the kiln temp rises. This kiln has given me fits for years but within the last year I have finally discovered that my major problem was not giving it enough gas. I could get it to temp but, as stated the temps vary from top to bottom.. Also body reduction is very hard to get throughout the kiln - bottom shelf almost never. Now that I have the temperature rising at a good rate my firings are taking about 6 hours to cone 10, top to bottom cones are within one cone, am getting good glaze melt but I am not getting reduction. So now I will work fine-tuning so I can get my reductions. I really cannot say that I would recommend this kiln to someone looking for a kiln - and sad to say the Olympic kiln company has not offered much help other than " keep trying, you're getting there...". Thank goodness for this forum and Continental Clay. Being mostly a hobby potter I don't see the wisdom in my buying a new kiln. Hi Diz, Thanks so much for the input regarding the torchbearer. After reading the input that you and other potters so generously shared with me, I have found a way to modify my electrical panel for a 50 amp. I think the gas kiln might have proven a more frustrating endeavor than I would have wanted to tackle. As a hobby potter, I am just interested in a kiln that would allow me the opportunity to fire my less than perfect pots when I want to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted August 12, 2015 Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 sarah, good for you, hope it all works out. there are several recent discussions on buying and installing an electric kiln. i don't know the electrical stuff at all so i was impressed with the level of detail that goes into deciding what to do to upgrade your panel. whatever you do decide, get a qualified electrician to do the required work to fit the exact kiln you buy. there are people who think that using the same circuit as your home dryer will work as long as you never run both of them together. do not even talk to a person who might suggest this. get it done right. sorry, you will still have to talk to your insurance company once it is decided. talk early, talk is cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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