B.H

Hello, that’s good to know, thank you! The electrical side of it truly sounds like a different language to me haha, I think like you say having an electrician come to see if the property can handle a kiln would be needed. (Not as easy as just buying one and plugging it in hahah!) May I ask, when you say ‘vented’, is this something that would usually get put onto the kiln, or something that’s put in the room? Thank you!

Hello, thank you for that! (Yes I’m UK!) Gosh for someone who’s not good with the electrical/ technical side of things it all sounds so confusing! When I try to research, I just get more confused haha, makes me feel like I shouldn’t bother in concern I’ll get it wrong! But thank you for your reply I appreciate it!

Hello- Thank you for that! With running a separate circuit for the kiln I’m guessing that’s involving re-wiring the home to accommodate? May I also ask, in regards to adequate ventilation, would you know if a window would be okay to suffice? Or whether a kiln would usually require an exhaust/ extraction type system? Thank you!

Hello, I am fairly new to ceramics and (hoping) to purchase a kiln for home studio use, but have no idea what is best.. so hoping for some advice on what may be best to get! I understand the voltage needs to be lower (I think what I have read is around 120 Volts for it to be compatible for normal home electricity usage?), it will have to be a fairly small size for me too although may be scope to have a larger one. I am slightly unsure of the health-and-safety pointers to look out for when thinking of having one at home too. Iv read the room needs 'proper ventilation' but not sure if having it in a separate room with a window will be enough to suffice. Does anyone know what health and safety tips I should be aware of when choosing, setting up and running? Does anyone have any knowledge on types of kilns/ makes/models that may suit home-usage a bit better? I usually fire stoneware up to cone 8. I also have a budget of £800. so not sure if this is even enough money to purchase one- so was hoping to look second hand! Thank you very much in advance- appreciate any advice!

I see!! (As I say, I am very new and am still trying to learn about clay properties, language ect! So that’s really useful). I think I was under the impression that firing to eathernware, being a slightly higher temp would make the piece more durable and less prone to breakage than if it was left at bisque! That is useful to know that I should be looking at the range of temperature my clay should be fired at to help gauge. Thanks.

Thank you Babs:)

That’s interesting I did not think of doing this, thank you Pres

Thank you Chilly, that’s helpful:)

Hi Community, I am quite new to ceramics and have a question re firing that I hope someone may be able to help me with! (Not sure if it’s a stupid question so please bear with me haha) I have made a piece which is ready to fire, but I want to leave it unglazed. I am not sure whether it should be fired to bisque and left, or fired to bisque and then fired again to earthenware, or whether it can be fired straight to earthenware! Hope someone may be able to kindly offer their expertise, and thank you in advance:)

Thank you very much Pres, in case you were wondering at all I spoke to the GP who thinks it may be asthma triggered by dust, never had this before so even more of a reason to be cautious and for others out there to be cautious too (even though most are haha). And referred for a chest x-ray just to rule out an infection ect. Thank you for the reply:) take care

Hello, thank you v much for your reply and reassuring words. Yes, Iv definitely not been doing any industrial work or anything of that sort, so the exposure to dust from the one sanding job may have just likely irritated things rather than caused a full blown development of silica. I think I tend to panic easily when it comes to health and experiencing some symptoms, and it is hard to go through all of the information on the internet without becoming more fearful! So I appreciate the reassuring and useful words- thank you.

Hello, thank you for the reply- that’s made me feel better that the amounts of dust likely to have been in my home would have been relatively small- I think once I started to experience these symptoms I started to panic hahah. In case you were wondering, I did speak to to my GP today who thinks the symptoms may be related to asthma (which Iv never had before, but may have just been triggered by the dust) and referred on for an x-ray just to be sure there’s no chest infection ect, and didn’t seem to think the symptoms were in relation to silica like you also suggested, which is reassuring! But with my new knowledge I definitely agree that trimming when leather hard, wet wiping/ moping at regular intervals is 100% something I will be implementing now! With what I’m making, I shouldn’t really need to sand, but I’f I do I’ll be straight outside and with a mask! I feel crazy I didn’t do that before, but at least I have learned now. Thank you for your reply, I appreciate it. And if one thing has come out of having these symptoms, it’s been that Iv found this forum full of knowledgeable potters which is great! Thanks

Hello! Thank you so much for your reply- I agree, now I have read up more and am more aware, I definitely will not be doing any sort of sanding inside + taking better precautions. That’s great advice in terms of when too much dust may be indicated, and the process of how you sand outside! And thank you very much for the links to threads- that’s been so helpful to look through!!! I wonder what your thoughts may be to working in an open studio which is basically your home, where there aren’t walls/ doors ect so studio is open to your lounge, kitchen ect. I know this would be a personal choice and not everyone’s choices would be the same! Just wondered what someone with more experience may think! I am now for sure going to implement much more stringent safety precautions such as wiping clay bits with water straight away, moping floors every day, and changing out of my clothes/ wearing an apron and taking it off before I go into other parts of my home! Thank you again for your reply, hope you have a lovely rest of your day:)

Hello, I also have a question similar to this topic and hoping to see what others within this community think! I would be really grateful for any comments that might be helpful- In regards to exposure to dust/ risk of developing silica. I am fairly new to pottery/ ceramics and only started seriously making things within the last month or so. I work in my home, which is an open flat with my ‘studio’ basically being open to my lounge and kitchen ect. I have been handbuilding and coiling vessels, and trimming ect in the same space. There was one piece that I had accidentally left uncovered, but really wanted to try and salvage, so basically started sanding this down which created a lot of dust, and when I say a lot, it really was a lot. When I realised it was creating dust, I did put a mask on, and also have a HEPA filter that I put on, I don’t usually put this on when working with clay. But obviously with my ‘studio’ being my home, and everything being open, I can imagine the dust would have gone all over my flat! There have been other pieces that I have trimmed, that haven’t created nearly as much dust as trimmed when leather hard, but wouldn’t wipe down the surfaces until the end, which would have been hours of exposure at a time. I was wiping down my surfaces after each session, but wasn’t always wiping down all areas of the floor, just the bits I could see!! (the HEPA filter, for context is for other art pieces I have been making with gypsum plaster, which I wear a mask for and don’t take off until the ion metre goes green on the filter!) Fast forward to now, over the past week I have started experiencing a constant pain across my chest and a feeling of needing to breathe deeper than normal, I also have a bit of a cough- all symptoms/ feelings Iv never had before! I have been away from my home for the last week on holiday, and thought it might have been pollen or something random, but as it has persisted and hadn’t seemed to get better when back home, I started to worry about what this could be. This is when/ why I started to look further into the effects of clay, as wondered if it would be linked, to then discover the prominent health risks of clay dust and silica!!! I feel so stupid for not looking into this before. I have now wiped down all my surfaces in both my studio area, and the floor of my home (I did clean my floors in the ‘normal’ part of my home, but with ‘flash wipes’ not water, and had notices there were bits of dust within my floor boards). I would often walk across my floor to get to my sink, and think there could have been dust on my feet. I am so, so worried and concerned that I have caused myself irreversible lung damage during this period of not wiping down surfaces as regularly as I should have been, and not as thoroughly on the floor, and the time I sanded down that large piece in my home. But I am also not sure if I have been exposed to it long enough, as a lot of pages I have read inform it can take years to develop and see symptoms! However I had also seen on some pages that there is an ‘acute’ version which can occur after short periods of lots of inhalation. I am basically not sure if I am worrying for nothing, or whether I really should be concerned! Im not expecting medical grade advice as know no one is able to give me that, however I am just hoping that someone may possibly be able to give some clarity, if at all able, if this sort of exposure in this way would be warrant for something serious!! I have been absolutely loving working with clay and building vessels, it was something that was making me geniounly happy, and now I worry I won’t be able to work with it again if I have caused myself damage from being clueless and careless:( I’m 25 years old, so fairly young(ish), and was genuinely looking forward to many many more years of creating with clay, and feel a big loss that this might not be the case now. I know this was a lot to read, so whoever has made it through it reading this all, and whoever may reply, I really thank you in advance!!! As I really am worried, thank you so much.