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Hi friends! I’m venturing into a self-build! Will do a small-ish brick kiln. I live in Chile where components of all kinds are either scarce or much more expensive that in the states. Happily I am currently in the U.S. so want to pick up the needed hardware here. Thing is, after doing searches (including this forum) I just haven’t found a clear outline of what is needed. Even the little kiln building book I have seems a little too vague on parts to buy. I do have access to a great plumber who has worked my other propane equipment (our stoves and hot water run on propane). Does anyone here have a novice-friendly outline of hardware needed? Plus a basic set-up? Diagram? And recommendations for branded/sources? My primary firing needs are single-fire to come 6/7, but I will also look to run cone 10 for translucent porcelain. Would be great if I can purpose this kiln for raku also. Is that fine? My work is mostly slip-decorated. Thank you so much for any guidance, tips and of course encouragement!! Warmly, Heather

Hello everyone, I've started dabbling in pottery about three years ago, making bonsai pots. This fits with another hobby of mine, you can guess which :). Point is, after firing my works with some acquaintances, I've decided that my own kiln is a must in order to really progress in the craft. The problem is that I my backwater location the chances of buying a second hand one are next to none, and I can't really justify spending almost $2500 for a new one. So I came up with the idea of actually building one from scratch. Yes, I know it's hard, yes, I know it can be dangerous but I'm trying to be as smart about it as I can and mitigate all the risks as much as I can. I would really appreciate it if you ladies and gentlemen would be willing to part with some knowledge to help me have the best possible outcome for this project. Now for the tech specs: In order to fit the nature of my work, I would need a 50x40x30cm interior. (19.7x15.7x12 inches) The temps needed would be around 1240°C (2264°F) The power I can get away with as a household consumer in my location is 230V 16A ~ 3600W This takes me to my first point: As far as internet wisdom goes, the Wattage needed for a pottery kiln is 0.6W/cm2 which would place me at a needed Wattage of around 5600W. Waaaay above what I can provide. But then I read specs for kilns produced on Germany like Nabertherm that for a 60L pottery kiln with a top temperature of 1300°C produce single phase 230V 16A models, which makes me believe I can do it. I'm assuming that I'll need to go with more insulation and longer firing times, but it's doable. Is that accurate? Next up, elements: luckily I have a provider for Kanthal A1 wire near me and prices are decent. Would 1.6mm 1380°C max, 0,721 Ohm/m be suitable? With this diameter I seem to be able to juggle the resistance, wattage, length and placement of elements as close to optimal, with 2 elements running in parallel. Thirdly the most amusing topic... Well not amusing but maybe the most complex. The controller. Being in IT i'm a sucker for gadgets. Usually buying them, true, but this time I'm thinking about building :). I saw a lot of projects on the web with Raspberry Pi kiln controllers. The features they provide, the adaptability and the connectivity of the systems sounds amazing. Question is: does anyone fire with something like this? How does it compare to commercial controllers that are super expensive and in the stone age as far as features go. Are they worth the trouble? An example project that stuck with me is below. But there are many more Thanks for the help, and looking forward to chatting with you. Mihai