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Thanks for that. In the laser there are 4 burners at front right, through the floor. Flue outlet is most of back wall ca 3” high so bottom shelf can be set above it. is there a manual for this kiln? also, I’m new to this community. Is there a “notification “ or “search topics” function?

I was thinking about getting some advancer shelves and was wondering if you all prefer full shelves or half shelves for your electric kilns? Say for a typical size like 23"x27" or something like that. I was thinking about doing a full shelf for the bottom and then all half shelves, but then lining up posts would be a little trickier (I could put 6 posts under the bottom full shelf I guess) and I couldn't do very many platters since I don't want to span the two half shelves. But all full shelves really doesn't seem too flexible...

Underfired glazes can craze for sure. I always stress test glazes for fit before putting them into production.

I have a very long-time, very picky gallery owner, so that's why I'm anxious about sending it as is. His gallery is my "bread-and-butter," so I don't want to upset things. Yes, the crazing doesn't bother me, but . . . . Plus, it's only about 8 hours to get another one built, fired, etc. Thanks again. I agree with what you said about the crazing's coming back slowly even with a fix, (bad fit is bad fit) and I really don't think the higher fire will solve the problem. (I think I'm going to have another happy relative pretty soon.) I know from experience, too, that spending too much time on a piece that has a problem is usually a waste of time and that I could have made another one in the time I've fussed over the bad piece -- which probably wouldn't have turned out right anyway. Oh, well, it's only work -- and experience. Thanks.

A glaze that is close to crazing, or crazes only a little - the crazing will be worse by putting the glaze on thickly. That's my understanding and experience but putting on a thin layer mostly masks the problem, where the crazing will come along later, starting in the thicker parts and spreading as time marches on. When I was re-formulating to eliminate crazing, several times I thought we had done it, but crazing began to appear ...the next day, after a few days, after a week! With a good fit, the thick parts don't craze, the glaze withstands temperature extremes and months - years - of daily use. Firing higher, I don't know, good question. Would the glaze and/or clay COE change from having more heat work? Perhaps some others have experience/knowledge and will weigh in. Crazing can look nice! When it's not a functional flaw, isn't it "crackle" glaze?

I prefer some IR Comp - where it's helping but some throttle is required to hold rpm - so I tweaked it up a smidgle. That said, I felt comfortable with feathering the pedal without it; I just like it. The persons I bought my wheel from had bought it from Clay King ...I see they have green Classic and green Professional available today. If I were shopping new, I'd be looking for what beats that 1/3 hp Classic. I like, uhm, really like the cast splash pan. I like the ssx drive, but the standard is fine for me. If upgrading, I'd choose it over the horsepower bump though.

Hi, Tom. Thanks so much for the info. The reason I was considering re-firing is I think my glaze, just a commercial clear, was a bit too thick, and maybe?? that had something to do with the crazing. So, since it's a fit problem, perhaps firing at a higher temperature might work? That's an uneducated guess, but I'm willing to risk it all rather than just toss it -- or give it to a relative, and they're not at all discriminating and will take anything that I've made that has a flaw in it. I've done these pieces for years and have only had one other problem with them: During Covid, for some reason I had a terrible shivering problem; and, of course, there's absolutely no solution for that. I lost around 4-5 pieces and never did find out what my problem was. I got rid of all my clay and glaze and just started over in that situation. Again, thanks for your help. Dottie

Well you all are making me lean towards the brent cxc (although neil still has me thinking about skutt ;-) ). Especially considering new skutt wheels are out of stock and have an unknown ETA due to manufacturing issues apparently. I will talk to skutt next week, but one vendor said they would be able to do a 1/2hp or 1hp wheel by april 2025. No thanks lol.

@HenryBurlingame I own 8 of the 1/3 hp models and 1 of the 1/2hp models. I cannot tell the difference unless I have something really, really, really big on the wheel. I've centered 25 pounds on the 1/3hp models just fine. They can handle anything a Brent CXC can handle because they have a ton of torque despite the lower hp rating. As for the controllers, there are 5 or 6 different adjustments that can be made in the Skutt controller, such as IR Comp, top speed, low speed and a couple others, so you can dial in the pedal exactly how you want it. If you like IR Comp then you can turn it up. It's there, they just turn it off at the factory. Brent only has top and bottom speed. The Skutt pedal also has a much longer travel, which gives you better control. Skutt parts will be cheaper, although you shouldn't need any parts for either brand for a long, long time. I don't know what changes they made with the new Red line, but they still offer the SSX drive, so it doesn't sound like they changed much.

Like @Mark C., I have used a number of wheels over the years. I have found even in these later years that I can torque some wheels when centering for throwing off the hump. I also have not noticed much in the way of noise difference between 1/3, 1/2 or full. Years ago I used a Brent CX that was a gear drive, it was noisy! I throw on a CXC, and am using the original belts and have only had to replace a potentiometer when the shop got flooded. Over 20 years old now, but then I don't throw on it every day. best, Pres

Great question, and as you see, there are reasons for different answers. I dip all of my test tiles, so the are the same on both sides. Then I use small shot glass type testers to see if the glazes interact with each other in weird ways. . . . why the shot glasses? Easy to throw off the hump, simulate a pot form and allows me to test inside and outside combinations. Finally if there are any weird interactions from different glazes that may cause the pot to crack, craze, shever or anything else, the shot glass shape is more stable and will keep the glaze from doing too much to the kiln. Lots of them can be fired as extras in any load. best, Pres

I only use Brent wheels -I have a model A (1/3hp) for trimming and Model B (1/3 hp) and a model C 1/2hp to thrpw and a CXC for throwing .They use IR and I like it. I cannot imangine not having it. I have demonstrated on a whisper shimpo and it was super quiet but I could stall it with medium size clay and a load on it. I would never as a pro have one. Its a great beginner or lite use demo wheel. I'm a brent fan and yes they make noise but its never been an issue as I like music and hear it fine and can talk just fine while throwing. I have zero red skutt experience.

One other thing that I am wondering about skutt vs brent: skutt says on their website they don't use IR comp (i.e. it doesn't attempt to keep the wheel speed consistent when you apply resistance). Brent wheels do do this. Anyone have a preference one way or the other (or even notice this)?

@Dot, the op hasn't been back since they made their post. I would send them a private message with your extruder question. To send a private message click on their name then the little envelope at the top of the page that comes up and follow the prompts. They will get an email letting them know of your message.

Maybe of slight help:

Good question. The larger motors may be louder - or they may be quieter under the same load? Someone with direct experience may yet weigh in... From what I've read, Skutt wheels are noisier than similarly rated competitor's wheels; I don't know that to be a fact... I like my Skutt, a lot! It was much louder in clockwise than counter clockwise, at first; it's quieted down with use. Previous experience limited to Brent A,B,C and CXC models at the Junior College ceramic lab. I liked them all just fine, but didn't give the A model much of a test... The noise level varied quite a bit; all had been used a lot, for a long time. Added: Skutt support has a good reputation; you might ring them during business hours and ask them!

Do you know if the larger motors are more noisy than the smaller ones? I was thinking of just getting the skutt classic with the 1/2hp or 1hp motor just in case since I don't see any drawback aside from possibly greater noise...

Oops, double post.

Hi Dot, Welcome to the Forum! Crazed wares, almost certainly weaker*, and liquids can be a concern, particularly where the fired clay's absorption rate is "high"... For sculpture (and other non-food ware), however, crazing may be ok? Reversing crazing, that may not be possible. My understanding is that crazing occurs when the clay and glaze COE** are different enough, and that can only be corrected by changing the glaze and/or clay. If the clay matures at a higher cone (than 04, in your case), the fit may change when fired higher, but not necessarily a better fit! Check back for more responses... *A well fitted glaze makes for stronger ware **Coefficient Of Expansion Co-efficient of Thermal Expansion (digitalfire.com) see also Mr. Hansen's articles on glaze crazing, glaze fit, glaze compression

HP rating are not all the same -that said 1/2hp is usually enough for all size pots one could ever what to make. The 1/3 hp is a bit weak for larger work

Ah, I didn’t know there were options for motor size with the new skutts. I can’t seem to find an option to customize on the websites I have been looking at, but I’ll look into it!

! That was my choice as well, excepting the vent, as I retained the vent from prior kiln setup... Moving from fully manual to three zone numeric control ...oh, how I like the sound of clicking relays!

Wheel vendor hp ratings may not be equal. The Skutt hp ratings are "continuous duty"... The "pounds of centered clay" ratings also may not be equal. Last sentence on Skutt's "Motor" webpage*: "Most people will be fine with a 1/3 HP motor, but, if you are throwing big stuff you might want to step up to the 1/2 HP or 1HP motor." I'd agree with that, err, with edit to "...lots of big stuff for a long time, you might want to step up..." My 1/2 hp model, maybe it's "broken in" by now, after six years? Both are good wheels! *The Motor - Kilns | Ceramic Pottery Kiln, Glass Kiln, Pottery Wheels | Skutt Added: Looks like Skutt has changed their product line; I'm not seeing which models have the 1/2 or 1 HP motor. My Stephen Hill (~2016) is fitted with a 1/2 hp motor; its twist is something to respect, for sure...

I make rather large vertical sculptures, low-fire bisque 04, underglazes, and glaze, 04, and one of them has some crazing just in bright light, but I can't sell it with a good conscience. Is there anything at all I can do to fix it? It took many hours to make it. It went through the glaze fire fine, also 04. Any advice will be appreciated.