QotW: Which came first?

[Pres]

Hi folks, no new questions  in the pool.  Recently there have been folks speaking of buying a wheel, and waiting to buy the kiln until later. At other times I have heard of folks buying the kiln or being given one, and later getting a wheel or slab roller or extruder. Makes me wonder how things came about for others out there.

I bought a used wheel from a private school, an Amaco powered kick wheel first, and the same year I ordered my first kiln, an L&L J23. The kiln had 4 sections and was larger than any electric I was used to. I was teaching at the HS already, and had ordered an L&L for the kiln in the newly renovated art department. Liked it so well I bought one for myself.

 QotW: Which came first?

best,

Pres

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Because I like throwing better than hand building, I bought the wheel first. I paid about $1600 for a brand new  Brent C about 20 years ago, after I finished college and had to figure a way to work on my own. My city has good art centres, both public and private, so I was able to rent kiln space fairly easily.. I transported work for years before finally getting to a point where it was impractical for all parties involved. At that point, I needed to find a kiln and fast. In 2016, I got a $500 second hand Cress FT-31 that was built in 1982, and probably fired all of twice in its life to that point.  It was more expensive to build the cement patio pad it sits on, but with the exception of the one misfire that was my own fault, it’s been steadily turning out work ever since. It would not have been a kiln I’d have chosen had I been buying new, but I find I quite like it. 

I don’t have space for an extruder or slab roller in my studio, and even when I had access to them, I didn’t use them much, so I don’t feel the lack. 

[GEP]

I started out in a community studio, so did not need either piece, but was feeling like I was ready to put together my own space, at the same time ambivalent about leaving. 

A chance conversation ended in somebody gifting me a kiln, and I took that as a sign, so I bought the wheel. 

[Roberta12]

The art teacher in the Elementary school where I was working had a wheel stuffed under some storage tubs in her storage closet.  I told her I was thinking of setting up a home studio, since the last child had left home and I had a room that could be turned into a studio.  She said, "here, take this and use it for the rest of the school year.  You can decide if it would be a workable situation for you!" I did.  It was.  After a month, I returned her wheel and bought my Brent C.  I also transported work to be fired for a time, but then we built a shop for the kiln and glazing supplies and shared space with my husband for his woodworking.  The Wheel came first.  

r

[kswan]

My wheel was first. I wanted to practice more than the community studio had open studio hours. My instructor retired and then I bought her circa 1990 kiln a couple years later.  I started using the kiln to bisque, then carry my work to the gas kiln at the studio. Now I've bought myself 2 new kilns (one's a baby) with controllers, woo! I donated the old kiln to a community group, but I believe they just stuffed it in an outdoor shelter and never set it up. Sigh. 

I'm finding that the slab roller I bought to help ease strain on my back after an injury has gotten more use than the wheel these days. 

It seems like you've got to ease your way slowly into acquiring equipment for pottery, it's such a huge investment. 

[oldlady]

i can't remember, both were in the 1970s.  i had a $69 spinning tiger wheel and i had a paragon 88 kiln before i moved into the first home i owned, a condominium apartment.  i remember getting the thick wire run into the bedroom that became my studio there.  i think i replaced the little wheel with a pacifica when i bought the apt.  my mother in law decided to give me the down payment but i had already saved it up so i got the wheel then.  still using it.  don't cry at the price, about $250 for each at the time.  including shelves and posts for the kiln. 

 

 

[LeeU]

Before moving to NH I was used to getting anywhere pretty much within 25 minutes, with lots of city-based resources. Here, it can take 2-3-4 hrs roundtrip to get where I might want to go, and the closest community studios just were not adequate for my fairly modest standards and need for reasonably comfortable working conditions. So, I took my unused vacay/sick leave payout from my retirement and bought the wheel and the kiln at the same time (both new !!!- that mattered to me, psychologically). Given the changes in the economy I no longer have a good  savings buffer for any future bad health/serious aging events...but no regrets, and I'm pretty sure the sell value is solid due to my relatively limited use & their excellent condition. I love not having to go anywhere to do my thing, and there are plenty of opportunites to hang with other clay people if I want to.

[JohnnyK]

In my case, the kiln came first. It was given to me by an 87 year old ceramist who turned me on to pottery by suggesting I take a pottery class. When I let her know I was taking the class, she gave me the old Cress kiln since it was a second kiln that she didn't need anymore. Then, when I was talking with another friend about the pottery class, he said he found a CI MP wheel in the barn on a property he just bought. He said I could "borrow" it for as long as I wanted it. After cleaning all the black widows and webs out of it, ai was off to the races. I've replaced the kiln with something used, but newer, and am still using the CI wheel...I have another friend who hasn't thrown on her Brent C for more than 2 years now. She says she may get back into throwing, but I doubt it. Who knows...I may be able to get that wheel for a reasonable price. If that happens, I may be able to give some private lessons to some individuals who have expressed interest...

[Denice]

My first purchase was a kiln,  I was doing some hand building work and had no place to fire it.   A  lady that worked in the same building decided to sell her Paragon,  I was 20 years old.   My husband and I had bought our first house and we were getting ready to install central air conditioning in the garage.  It was easy to add  the electrical needed for the kiln to the job.  I didn't get a wheel until the college I was attending wanted to sell a old kick wheel.   I was 40  when I went back to finish my degree,  I will be 70 Saturday and still working in my studio everyday.   Denice

[Mark C.]

I bought a Brent model C in 1970 from Robert Brent in Santa Monica cost was 270$-I was in my last year of high school. I moved north to Junior collage in early 71 and had no kiln. In -late 73 I bought a used Skutt kiln from a student while going to Humboldt State collage-also bought our property that year in May-kiln came later in year-it was cheap . The electric service was to small for that kiln and I blew fuses all the time (two 60 amp fuze service. Now the place is 200 amps service with three large sub panels .Man I have been at this a long time.

[neilestrick]

I got my wheel first, but bought a kiln shortly after. In fact, I bought two kilns. The first was a big Olympic oval that was much larger than I needed, but I couldn't pass up the $300 price tag on a kiln that had only been fired a handful of times. The second kiln was an 18x18 Evenheat that I still have. Well, I have again- I sold it to a student who sold it to another student, who I then bought it from. 

Several of my students have wheels at home, which they primarily use for trimming and do the messy work and firing at my studio. IMO, there's not much reason to buy a wheel if you don't have a place to fire. It's a bit like making cakes but never baking them. You're only doing half the process.