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Why Buy A Cone 10 Kiln?


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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

 

I wouldn't worry about slamming any doors if you don't buy a cone 10 kiln, over the last 35 years I have bought 4 kilns and the only new one was my test kiln. I am a handbuilder an work in the Cone 5-6 range, if I ever decided to work in Cone 10 I would buy a small kiln hopefully used. I bought a funky kiln at an estate sale for 100 dollars because it had a hundred new stilts with it and several new shelves. Having several different sizes is kilns is nice, if you have some smaller work you don't have to wait until you have enough to fill the big kiln. Over the coming years the kilns will come to you. Denice

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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

I think a lot of us potters buy a high fire kiln because we never stay with the same clay body all the time. And we like the idea of the possibilities. In my case in the past 6 years I have used: a white speckled stoneware body, 2 different white earthenwares, 2 different terra cotta stonewares, low fire slip, med range porcelain and I plan to use Grolleg porcelain in the very near future; all having various firing temperatures and ranges.

 

Some potters may want to create ware, sculptures or fountains that can withstand all variations of weather conditions. They may need to fire a stoneware body that can take below zero cold and freezing rains without cracking the work. Having a high fire kiln just gives us the freedom to do it and anything else we can possibly imagine. Cone ten is mostly our maximum in decorative ceramics. It is in no way the maximum available in the industry. There are some kilns that can achieve 3000ËšF and more.

 

We potters are after maximum vitrification, strength, stability of glaze colors, simplicity of maintenance, and at the lowest possible cost to achieve all of this. We purchase our kilns not necessarily for what we are doing now but for what we may want to do in the future.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

 

 

 

 

 

I think a lot of us potters buy a high fire kiln because we never stay with the same clay body all the time. And we like the idea of the possibilities. In my case in the past 6 years I have used: a white speckled stoneware body, 2 different white earthenwares, 2 different terra cotta stonewares, low fire slip, med range porcelain and I plan to use Grolleg porcelain in the very near future; all having various firing temperatures and ranges.

 

Some potters may want to create ware, sculptures or fountains that can withstand all variations of weather conditions. They may need to fire a stoneware body that can take below zero cold and freezing rains without cracking the work. Having a high fire kiln just gives us the freedom to do it and anything else we can possibly imagine. Cone ten is mostly our maximum in decorative ceramics. It is in no way the maximum available in the industry. There are some kilns that can achieve 3000ËšF and more.

 

We potters are after maximum vitrification, strength, stability of glaze colors, simplicity of maintenance, and at the lowest possible cost to achieve all of this. We purchase our kilns not necessarily for what we are doing now but for what we may want to do in the future.

 

 

 

 

Thank you both for your insights. One question regarding ceramics that can take the weather: I can imagine that at some point I would want to make sculptures that could go outdoors. Would firing to cone 10 be a necessity for that? Or does anyone know of a clay that can withstand tough weather, fired to cone 6 or 8?

 

 

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I use a ^1 terra cotta for architectural ceramics pieces. I have a freeze proof good at Montana temperatures. I started firing stoneware and porcelain for ^6 reduction in 1980 after firing to ^10 for 11 years and the results could not be distinguished. The cost of fuel, the saving of time and the wear and tear on equipment justified the switch to a lower temperature in my productive university program in Montana.

 

 

There is a reason a the warranties differ from ^10 to ^8 ...the higher temperature is tough on kilns.

My personal reason to lower temperatures and go green is a personal choice.

 

Marcia

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A quick check at bigceramicstore.com shows the price difference between an Olympic ^8 and ^10 kiln to be about $200 or so; the cost of future flexibility to work at a higher temperature might be worth the extra money up front. Much cheaper than the amount of time looking for and buying another kiln -- new or used -- to fire at ^10 later. If you fire at ^10 regularly, there is more wear on the kiln (which is why the warranty period is shorter, I guess). But, since you seem to fire mostly at low fire ranges, you won't be putting that extra wear and tear on the elements, relays, etc. Compare the quality/features -- brick thickness, element ratings/gauge, thermocoupler types, size/capacity -- its not just the firing range.

 

My at home kiln is an L&L model, capable of firing to ^10; however, I work at ^6 and do not anticipate firing higher. The studio I work at has a ^10 gas kiln -- so I have an option there. I was most influenced by construction of the kiln -- particularly 3" brick for better insulation, the element holders, etc.

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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

 

I wouldn't worry about slamming any doors if you don't buy a cone 10 kiln, over the last 35 years I have bought 4 kilns and the only new one was my test kiln. I am a handbuilder an work in the Cone 5-6 range, if I ever decided to work in Cone 10 I would buy a small kiln hopefully used. I bought a funky kiln at an estate sale for 100 dollars because it had a hundred new stilts with it and several new shelves. Having several different sizes is kilns is nice, if you have some smaller work you don't have to wait until you have enough to fill the big kiln. Over the coming years the kilns will come to you. Denice

 

 

 

Denice, that is an interesting reason to buy a kiln; for the accessories.

When you said ‘funky’ what did you mean?

 

Did it need a lot of work?

 

 

 

 

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I'm planning to buy an Olympic 2527 kiln for my sculpture work. I work in lowfire to midfire clays, but I don't want to slam the door on a potential cone 10 firing in the future. At the same time, since a cone 10 kiln (HE by Olympic designation) costs more and has a shorter warranty (one year compared to two for a cone 8 kiln), I'm wondering if going for a cone 10 is a smart or dumb move. Why does a potter choose a cone 10 clay? As a sculptor, is it likely that I will ever want a cone 10 clay? Someday I'd like to try porcelain, but most that I've seen don't require cone 10. Any advice on this MAJOR purchase for a newbie would be soooo appreciated.

 

I wouldn't worry about slamming any doors if you don't buy a cone 10 kiln, over the last 35 years I have bought 4 kilns and the only new one was my test kiln. I am a handbuilder an work in the Cone 5-6 range, if I ever decided to work in Cone 10 I would buy a small kiln hopefully used. I bought a funky kiln at an estate sale for 100 dollars because it had a hundred new stilts with it and several new shelves. Having several different sizes is kilns is nice, if you have some smaller work you don't have to wait until you have enough to fill the big kiln. Over the coming years the kilns will come to you. Denice

 

 

 

Denice, that is an interesting reason to buy a kiln; for the accessories.

When you said ‘funky’ what did you mean?

 

Did it need a lot of work?

 

 

 

I already owned the same high fire model paragon, this one had the interior bricks stapled together the wiring looked wrong and they had managed to get glaze on some of the fire bricks. I figured if it didn't work I could salvage some bricks from it. I did fire it I think it got up to 06, it was a strange firing, there was red heat leaking out of every opening, it reminded me of firing a wood kiln. It had three shelves, 40 brand new stilts from 4 to 10 inches and then about 25 more covered in glaze. I salvaged them with my tile saw cutting 2 inches stilts out of them. I'm interested in the naked raku technique so I'm going to use the funky kiln for that. I had a chance recently to buy a large high fire kiln in great shape for 300 but it had the same wiring so I passed. I'm afraid that someone in this area is rewiring kilns for people with the wrong wire. I think the sales of all the computerized kilns has made the standard kiln lose resale value, recently a estate sale company told me they almost have to give them away any more. It could be our economy here our unemployment rate has been hovering around 10 percent for several years. Denice

 

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