Bisque firing earthenware & stoneware

[neilestrick]

6 hours ago, Hils said:

Thanks for that Neil - I am shocked that it is so few firings  - elements are pretty expensive aren't they   would it be likely that they would have to be all be replaced at once?   I think we would probably try to keep the higher firing to a minimum  but it still sounds like it might get costly.   Cheers

If you break it down to cost per pot, the price of elements and electricity isn't really very much at all. I can fit 240 mugs in my big kiln. At approximately $35 per firing, that's $70 to get them through the bisque and glaze. A set of elements costs about $900, so $6 per firing. That puts it at $82 to make a full batch of mugs, or 34 cents per mug, or about 1% of the sale price. In my small kiln I can fit about 30 mugs, and the math comes out to about $1 per mug. Still pretty cheap.

There are expenses with everything you do in life. Your car needs gas, oil changes, new brakes, etc. Your skis need waxing. You kitchen knives need sharpening. Your bike needs a tuneup. Your piano needs tuning. Your house needs a new roof. Your clothes dryer needs a new heating coil. Your refrigerator needs a new compressor. Etc. The nice thing about a kiln is that it can be used to make money, not just spend money. And even if it's not, 150 firings can take a few years to reach, so you can save for it.