athomeartist Posted January 26, 2012 Report Share Posted January 26, 2012 ********Sorry - this is posted in the wrong forum. I am new to posting and was not aware of how to make sure it posted where I want it or how to move or delete it. I am growing out of my current indoor studio space (a spare carpeted bedroom believe it or not). I am, at this point, strickly a hand builder. My kiln is currently in my non-heated cinder block garage. I have been thinking about moving my studio to the garage which would give me more space and less concern about messing up the carpet in the spare room. My questions, which I bet have been answered in other posts but I can't seem to find them, are as follows: 1. At what temperature will clay freeze? If I store my clay in the unheated garage at what temperature will I need to worry about freezing? 2. Are there some low cost ways to keep my garage/studio above the temperature where my clay will freeze? 3. Other garage/outdoor studio artists - in what ways do you keep your studio warm while you are working? 4. Also I have not used my kiln yet this winter and I was wondering if I have any cause for concern when starting it up to fire? Do I need to warm the garage up a bit before I start the kiln? There have only been a handful of days where the temp has dropped to or below freezing. While it has been unseasonably warm here in Indiana this year, I still need to know about the minimum temperature my garage can be before i have to worry about freezing clay, glazes, etc. Sorry if these are repeat questions. I tried a dozen or so search terms and just cannot seem to find this topic in the forums. So forgive me if the topic already exists. Thank you Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trina Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 ********Sorry - this is posted in the wrong forum. I am new to posting and was not aware of how to make sure it posted where I want it or how to move or delete it. I am growing out of my current indoor studio space (a spare carpeted bedroom believe it or not). I am, at this point, strickly a hand builder. My kiln is currently in my non-heated cinder block garage. I have been thinking about moving my studio to the garage which would give me more space and less concern about messing up the carpet in the spare room. My questions, which I bet have been answered in other posts but I can't seem to find them, are as follows: 1. At what temperature will clay freeze? If I store my clay in the unheated garage at what temperature will I need to worry about freezing? 2. Are there some low cost ways to keep my garage/studio above the temperature where my clay will freeze? 3. Other garage/outdoor studio artists - in what ways do you keep your studio warm while you are working? 4. Also I have not used my kiln yet this winter and I was wondering if I have any cause for concern when starting it up to fire? Do I need to warm the garage up a bit before I start the kiln? There have only been a handful of days where the temp has dropped to or below freezing. While it has been unseasonably warm here in Indiana this year, I still need to know about the minimum temperature my garage can be before i have to worry about freezing clay, glazes, etc. Sorry if these are repeat questions. I tried a dozen or so search terms and just cannot seem to find this topic in the forums. So forgive me if the topic already exists. Thank you Kelly Hi there, I live in a very warm climate so i dont really suffer from the problems of cold. Clay freezes at the same temps as water, normally I would think that as long as your temps dont go under 0C you should be good. Although working with reall cold clay must be hard on the hands brrrrr.... I know some people use small coal bricket ovens to keepthings warmer, but I dont know how feasable that is for you. I get cheaper rate if i use electric at night so that might be an option. My kiln is outside and have used it in the coldest days here 5C with no problem. Hope that helps a bit... Trina Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atanzey Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I have my kiln in an unheated shed. I do a fairly long low temp dry cycle, to get the ware AND the kiln dry and avoid big temp shocks. We have a propane heater (from Tractor Supply in the spring clearance) that works really good for heating. In a previous post this winter, there were serveral really good options for keeping clay from freezing - you should be able to find them easily in the recent post list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted January 28, 2012 Report Share Posted January 28, 2012 I answered some of these on the other location where you posted. I fired my outdoor large oval in the winter in Montana overnight when I was at home. (I taught full time during the day). It fired the same as if it were indoors. Moisture is not a big issue in Montana as it is a very dry climate. I am more concerned now in South texas where I find mud dabber nests inside my kilns and inside the posts' holes. Also rust is happening extremely quickly down here even inside a kiln shed. I had my test kiln outside on a covered patio for years. Down here the lid chain rusted within a few months. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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