KID-IN-CLAY

Hello, everyone. It's been a tough but exciting month for me. About a month ago, I was researching and got a larger kiln that was a project to fix up and repair. I had checked it and saw, for the most part, it had good bricks, and the size was to my liking, so I decided to take a chance on it. Between the times I was free from work, I would spend a few hours making progress on the repairs, which was a learning curve. Somehow, through all the repairs, I found another crack, which will be linked to this post. https://imgur.com/a/V03CfAB I wanted to get some feedback from others. I thought it might no be too bad, and I could just put some kiln cement on top of it as a back in case anything goes down, but I'm not sure if I'm just nervous, and it's not strictly needed. any advice is greatly appreciated

link to CMW https://www.ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com Essentially I tried one of the corses while covid was going on (understanding glazes) and while I enjoyed the information and really learned quite a lot, I found my self realizing it was more of a packaging justifying the price situation. for some time ive been searching for alternatives as Id like to learn more about glaze chemistry without having to pay a heavy prices on a time limited information package. Ive already gotten a 2 glaze books recipes around the mid cone range and have been looking into digital fire along with glazy.org ... thank you guys for any advice or knowledge you can share

Hello Fellow ceramist my name is Johnny and Im somewhat experienced in ceramics, I just recently graduated with a BFA. So I'm kinda knowable but this is out of my expertise a bit. I recently was able to purchase a sort of used equipment set up. This older gentleman explained that his wife who passed away about 20 ish years ago did ceramics full-time. and when she passed he couldn't get rid of her things and placed it in storage until recently. it was a few molds a Manuel kiln that I was able to repair and upgrade. and a casting table. https://imgur.com/a/govkJfd Ive been searching online for a few days now trying to understand roughly what pieces are what and how it's placed together. ive attached some images of the casting table and the machinery. things I didn't take photos of but I have are the pouring device (kinda the same one you use for gas but all metal with no rubber on it) which I don't think works because it wasn't clean properly or maybe missing some lubricant. I also have one metal rod with 2 set of 3 bladed fans on them which I'm fairly sure is for spinning the slip around from the rough videos I've been able to find. Mostly im trying to find out if anyone knows the tools I have and if Its worth dedicate the time to fix them or if they are too old and should dedicate my time to getting more recent equipment instead of the machinery I have being problematic or prone to breaking more easily or if I'm missing some important items. None the less thank you for your assistance Sincerely Johnny