Skutt Firebox Lt

[CPT]

Hello:

 

Thinking about getting this model just to do some test glazes and small pieces. You can apparently plug it into an outlet in your house. Has anyone ever used this model before?

 

http://shop.clay-planet.com/skutt-firebox-8x6-LT.aspx

[Mark C.]

It looks like a low fire only kiln.

Mark

[oldlady]

mark, it says it goes to cone 6.

 

CPT, that is a lot of money for a test kiln.  have you considered a small used kiln instead?  

[Joseph Fireborn]

What range do you fire to? If your doing low fire this will work fine. If your firing cone 6, find another kiln. I just went through this. I bought a used kiln rated for cone 8, ended up selling it as it had way to hard of time getting to cone 6 temp. I sold it to someone doing glass work at 1700F, I made sure they knew the struggles I went through before selling it. They understood and bought the kiln as they never planned on going past 1800F.

 

Talked to them a few days ago, they are enjoying it.

 

I wouldn't buy anything for cone 6 that isn't rated for 10, knowing what I know now.

[CPT]

I do low fire anyway, usually to cone 05-06.  This particular model does fire to Cone 6, though, but who knows what the results would be.  It is 120 V.

[Denice]

I have a older Aim 88 test kiln that is the same size and style that is a manual kiln.  The size is great for test tiles but a little tight for anything else, you could fire a cup and a saucer as an example.  My Aim fires to Cone 10,  I have seen larger kilns than this that can be plugged into a regular outlet but they may not fire as high.  You may have to do some searching on the internet to find it but I think it would be worth the effort.    Denice

[Joseph Fireborn]

I do low fire anyway, usually to cone 05-06.  This particular model does fire to Cone 6, though, but who knows what the results would be.  It is 120 V.

 

If you fire lowfire, this kiln will work wonderfully for a test kiln.

 

I plan to buy another test kiln, but I will buy a smaller one rated to cone 10 so I can fire to cone 6. It will be an L&L.

[bciskepottery]

It is 120 V.

It is not just a matter of volts. You will need a 15 amp circuit with 20 amp breaker to run this, with 12 gauge wiring. If in doubt, consult an electrician.

 

http://skutt.com/architectural-specifications/electrical-specifications/

[Mark C.]

mark, it says it goes to cone 6.

 

CPT, that is a lot of money for a test kiln.  have you considered a small used kiln instead?

Yes my skutt 1227 says cone 8 -that said it will struggle to make it there and take forever. Skutt has always overrated that cone info at least in my last 3 skutt kilns.

If you want to fire cone 6 as gripe said get a cone 10 and fire cooler.

As far as cone 6 with 15 amps that baby will be at the top of its range for 6 and talk about stress on everything. I'm old enough to not believe the label and trust my experience .

110 is great for toasters and works well with tea kettles but keep the tiny test kilns in the o6 range for best results with 110. Maybe Neil who knows a lot more on electrics can weigh in on this.

As an electrician I can say 12 gauge is an absolute and the 20 amp breaker as Bruce noted above.

Mark

[neilestrick]

It pulls 15 amps, which means it will need a 20 amp breaker. Most, if not all, of your household outlets will be 15 amps. Pretty much all small kilns like this will need a 20 amp breaker. I've got a little Paragon A119 here in my shop that goes to cone 10 on a 20 amp breaker. I got it used for $50, and plugged it into an external digital controller that you can pick up for $500.

[hershey8]

Generally, how long does it take to do a test load (from time in 'til you open the hatch), ^6, in a test kiln?

[neilestrick]

Generally, how long does it take to do a test load (from time in 'til you open the hatch), ^6, in a test kiln?

 

They cool really fast since they are so small, so it's possible to have a 15 hour turnaround if you fire quickly. I can fire and unload a bisque in my test kiln in 12 hours.

 

The problem is that your test tiles won't look the same as if they are fired in a larger kiln. So what you have to do is use the exact same firing cycle going up, and add a cooling cycle so that they cool at the same rate, too.

[Min]

I'm probably just being cheap but how many times can you run your full size kiln for $695? Even if you only fire test tiles and it's mostly empty that would be a lot of firings. I agree with oldlady, that's a lot for a test kiln,  I would look for a small used kiln.

[neilestrick]

I'm probably just being cheap but how many times can you run your full size kiln for $695? Even if you only fire test tiles and it's mostly empty that would be a lot of firings. I agree with oldlady, that's a lot for a test kiln,  I would look for a small used kiln.

 

You will be able to run a bigger kiln 70-100 times for that money. I easily do 70 firings a year in my baby kiln, so it would pay off in a year, after which point I'm saving money by firing the smaller kiln. But for me it's not just about firing cost. It's also about not wasting energy. Plus in my studio I'm often running the baby kiln with glaze tests while the big kilns are running with bisque. You can never have too many kilns of various sizes.

 

Running the bigger kiln can also have other negative effects and use energy in other ways, too. The air conditioner has to run more from all the heat coming off the big kiln, or if you don't have AC then the room is hotter and less comfortable to work in during the warm months.

 

If you get a used test kiln, you still need to be able to slow down the cooling to replicate a firing in a bigger kiln, which means adding on a digital controller if you want to be at all accurate about it.

 

Do some shopping around and you'll find that $695 is really a great price for a test kiln.

[Min]

 

I'm probably just being cheap but how many times can you run your full size kiln for $695? Even if you only fire test tiles and it's mostly empty that would be a lot of firings. I agree with oldlady, that's a lot for a test kiln,  I would look for a small used kiln.

 

You will be able to run a bigger kiln 70-100 times for that money. I easily do 70 firings a year in my baby kiln, so it would pay off in a year, after which point I'm saving money by firing the smaller kiln. But for me it's not just about firing cost. It's also about not wasting energy. Plus in my studio I'm often running the baby kiln with glaze tests while the big kilns are running with bisque. You can never have too many kilns of various sizes.

 

Running the bigger kiln can also have other negative effects and use energy in other ways, too. The air conditioner has to run more from all the heat coming off the big kiln, or if you don't have AC then the room is hotter and less comfortable to work in during the warm months.

 

If you get a used test kiln, you still need to be able to slow down the cooling to replicate a firing in a bigger kiln, which means adding on a digital controller if you want to be at all accurate about it.

 

Do some shopping around and you'll find that $695 is really a great price for a test kiln.

 

 

Valid points Neil,  more so when you do a lot of glaze test firings. Flexibility with a bigger kiln was my main point and I didn't get that across very well. At least a bigger test kiln would allow you to fire more than just a few test tiles. Bailey has some good prices on Paragon ones.