snoopdog6502 Posted November 12, 2016 Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 Hello, My name is Mike and I am an Artist living in Walla Walla, Washington. I'm a 48 year old disabled machinist who cant work any more, I need to stay busy so art was my first choice as to finding something I physical can do. I have a small but fully functioning borosilicate glass art studio, its wired up very nice, exceptional ventilation and some of the best torches money can buy. My kiln is a little digital Paragon Caldera with an enameling collar so it has a nice size bead door. Its 8 x 8 x 13 inches when in that configuration fires to 1,800F. It has been a wonderful little kiln, love it. It will fire 2,350F in its 8 x 8 x6 configuration. Now some days it so cold, in order to use a torch I have super cold incoming air and that is not optional from a safety stand point as fresh air needs to replace the 1,600 cubic feet of dirty air a minute. Like working in a blast freezer.( Ironic I know) So I would like to not use my torch but use my kiln on those winter days. Scorching hot on one side and freezing on the other is not pleasant. I have played around with fusing glass but lack a sizable kiln configured for that. That has me wanting to work with some clay and expand my studio. I am in the process of building a kick wheel. I have the base,wood flywheel parts, flywheel hub with flange and a top flange. I have all the bearings. Here at home I have a metal lathe, drill press, all manner of saws for wood working and tools. The kick wheel could be done in a day or so If I get a move on. I think I have a great start on it. So I will be looking to buy the most versatile kiln I can get that is computerized, plenty of space but would need to be small enough to get down into my basement. It has to be computerized to also function as an glass annealing kiln which is only 1,050F in case I am working some very large glass. High fire for doing pot melts of glass also. Any recommendations on a good mid size multi purpose kiln would be greatly appreciated... Also being a complete noob who has never turned a pot in my life I'm unsure what clay to get for turning and would fire easily with a good chance of success. Also book recommendations if you can think of any that realy helped you get a grasp on the technicalities involved. I hope to get to know you folks and learn a new craft. Id like to focus on teapots, drink ware , dishes, bowls. That sort of thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 12, 2016 Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 Any digital pottery kiln can also be used for glass work. Any sectional kiln can be setup in your basement. I've got a 22 cubic foot kiln that I could put in a basement no problem. You'll need to decide how many cubic feet of kiln space you need- mid size can mean different things to different people. To me that means about 7 cubic feet, kilns that are 23" wide by 27" tall, or 28" wide by 18" tall. Is budget an issue? Kilns of that size list at around $3200, but are generally discounted up to 25%. With a shelf kit and vent, expect to pay about $3100 delivered for a kiln of that size. Also figure in the cost of the electrical service to power the kiln. You'll need a 60 amp circuit for a kiln that size. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopdog6502 Posted November 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 Well 7 cubic feet might be on the way large size to me. I'm just a hobbyist and tend to run kilns less then full now with my work.Do to my limited skills I'm a little Leary of getting a kiln too large that I fire it once a month. Budget about $1,500 +/-I have a 60 amp breaker #4-3 wire to a 6 slot load center for just for my glass and the next kiln to share. Glass equipment draws little and not often would I be running both kilns. glass runs lights,ventilation,4 oxygen concentrators and my Caldera kiln. 2 20 amp 120vac run it easily. I have plenty of time to get it figured out but hope to have a bigger kiln after the first of the year., anything I make soon will just be small enough to fire in the Caldera.There are local used kilns I could get but dont want to fiddle with retrofitting a computer controller. I'm shying away from those but check craigslist often.If I use the bigger kiln too often I would get a third kiln.I'm not familiar with these kilns. This 17 x 18 2.6cf Skutt looks pretty nice I could afford it easy. 6,660 watts http://www.clay-king.com/kilns/skutt_kilns/skutt_km_818.html 128 pounds I also like the style and price of the Paragon Janus 1613, 4,800 watts does not seem too big. 1.75 cf.http://www.bigceramicstore.com/paragon-janus-1613.html171 pounds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted November 12, 2016 Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 Snoop: I own a Paragon 1613-3: also a 1.75CF model. I have zero complaints about it; used for small firings and also testing. However, it would be restrictive if it was my primary kiln. Think I would kick it up a few notches, give yourself room to grow: http://paragonweb.com/TNF823.cfm Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 12, 2016 Report Share Posted November 12, 2016 Get the kiln you'll need in 5 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted November 13, 2016 Report Share Posted November 13, 2016 If you're OK with a used manual kiln, retrofitting a digital controller is seriously a no brainer. Buy the digital controller that will work with your kiln (appropriate plug/receptacle configuration), mount it on the wall close to the outlet you would plug the kiln into, plug the controller into the wall outlet, plug the kiln into the controller, set the kiln controls to maximum, program the controller and away you go... Welcome to the forum, Snoop! JohnnyK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopdog6502 Posted November 14, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 Snoop: I own a Paragon 1613-3: also a 1.75CF model. I have zero complaints about it; used for small firings and also testing. However, it would be restrictive if it was my primary kiln. Think I would kick it up a few notches, give yourself room to grow: http://paragonweb.com/TNF823.cfm Nerd that looks like the perfect match for me. right on the budgets, 200 pounds, 30 amp on a 50 amp breaker so the electrical is already in place. Thank you all so much, now I need to clear it with the wife. That kiln cost less them my new torch so its realy a nice deal. I did come come to finishing my pottery kick wheel, just need to build an adjustable seat, add weights to the inside of the flywheel and true up the flatness of the wheel head.Then make some bats with the 2 dowels spaced 10 inches apart. Here is a one minute video clip, its very rough but made mostly of recycled materials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted November 14, 2016 Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 it really runs well, no wobble at all and it kept going for a long time with very little human input. cannot ask for more than that. charles counts designed a wheel and it is shown in his book but it is a monster size and even then, the seat is just a piece of wood supported on cleats from each side. looks like you could use yours with a chair or stool. good job! would recommend the addition of a top to the flywheel that will be stronger than the particleboard. maybe a piece of formica glued on will keep splinters out of your toes and or huge pieces of the flywheel from tearing out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rex Johnson Posted November 14, 2016 Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 Most octagon kilns, at least the Olympic (but it is a propane unit) I have comes in a series of rings that you stack in height. If you bought such, you could stack it as high as you need and go from there. Easier to lug down to a basement too. When I was doing glass, we built our own electric annealers that doubled as kilns if needed. There are many used kilns out there for sale. Being that you are knowledgeable about glass, it should be easy to fab something together even if it's a non-working kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoopdog6502 Posted November 15, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 15, 2016 it really runs well, no wobble at all and it kept going for a long time with very little human input. cannot ask for more than that. charles counts designed a wheel and it is shown in his book but it is a monster size and even then, the seat is just a piece of wood supported on cleats from each side. looks like you could use yours with a chair or stool. good job! would recommend the addition of a top to the flywheel that will be stronger than the particleboard. maybe a piece of formica glued on will keep splinters out of your toes and or huge pieces of the flywheel from tearing out. Yes I need to put some finishing touches on it, something better then that chip board, its outside with a tarp on it as it is going to be rainy. One i have a good day I will get it inside and down in the basement. Most octagon kilns, at least the Olympic (but it is a propane unit) I have comes in a series of rings that you stack in height. If you bought such, you could stack it as high as you need and go from there. Easier to lug down to a basement too. When I was doing glass, we built our own electric annealers that doubled as kilns if needed. There are many used kilns out there for sale. Being that you are knowledgeable about glass, it should be easy to fab something together even if it's a non-working kiln. Yes I still keep my eye out in the used market, I'm certain I could figure out hooking it up to a decent controller and bring a large older kiln back into service. That is a long term goal. Being a machinist I have to be careful about all my little side projects taking time away from my art. I can get over loaded.and try to do too many things at one. My health is not well so I work like a devil for a day it knocks me down for two or more. I pace myself and take it easy as one wrong move Im down for a week or two. I had failed back surgery so everything is done slowly. I get young strong people to help me when needed. Iv built an oxygen system with an oil less compressor and 4 medical oxygen concentrators so I dont have to move tanks of oxygen. Thank you all for the words of advice, I surly need them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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