New studio

[Alex Harrington]

Hi All! This is my first time posting on here. 
I’m moving to a new studio and I’m sharing a space with another artist who paints. She’s concerned that my kiln will cause condensation and ruin her work, does anyone know anything about this? She is also concerned about the fumes, I plan on firing over night while there’s no one there but can anyone shed any light on these subjects for me? 
She’s also concerned about dust. Do air purifiers help? Thanks

[Hulk]

Hi Alex,

Welcome to the Forum!

Good questions.

Moisture:
Water is driven off (as vapor/steam) during the firing process, true, however, the majority of the wet clay's water is lost via evaporation whilst waiting on the kiln.
In addition to drying raw ware in the Studio, add evaporation from clay trimmings; open throwing, cleanup, mopping buckets; just glazed wares; damp - just cleaned - surfaces; any other open containers of wet stuff.

Fumes:
Several gasses (besides water vapor) are produced when clays and glazes are fired.
Kiln fumes (digitalfire.com)
The typical powered kiln vent (that pulls a stream of superheated kiln atmosphere from a small hole in the bottom of the kiln and expels it outside via a duct) gets most, but not all the fumes. With provision for adequate make-up air*, a kiln vent may be adequate.
Better, imo, would be to open up doors and windows whilst firing and run a powered kiln vent.
Even better, a powered kiln vent and an overhead hood with a powerful fan**.

Dust:
Working with clay, some dust will be generated, however, dust can be minimized via consistent housekeeping and "low dust" practices.
Number one culprit, typically, is dry clay on the floor.
Next might be the wedging station.
A wet mop for floors and a bucket and sponge for work surfaces can make a big difference.

There are several archived threads on fumes and dust here!

*air coming in to replace what is being pushed out by the fan.
**an overhead system can help with accumulated heat - firing a kiln indoors will heat the space, a lot!

[Alex Harrington]

Thank you, that’s very helpful. 

[Hulk]

Reflecting on Alex's questions, again, how does one assess dust generation?

Given that one is mopping the floor and wiping down work surfaces daily, and wiping storage and secondary work surfaces regularly, and opening the area to air movement only after cleaning - to minimize dust blowing around - how to gauge, how to quantify the dust situation?

How much dust accumulates on horizontal surfaces in the area? How quickly?
How does the dust compare to other areas? Typically, one's dressing area, and where shoes and socks go on and off gather dust quickly.
Depending on cooking preferences/methods, kitchens can get dusty quickly as well.

Monitoring and comparison may help with sharing workspace, particularly if the evidence indicates that clay dust is well controlled, as in look, the Studio is less dusty that the closet!

When I'm keeping up, most of the Studio's dust comes from having the rollup door open and what the cars bring in.
When I'm lax, the wedging station and the floor are main culprits.

Edited March 26 by Hulk
origin

[oldlady]

 the word "dust" is misleading.   ordinary household dust is bad enough but pottery making involves many chemicals, well, minerals, that are toxic to the lungs.  when in the powder state, silica is the main culprit and handling it carefully while wearing a respirator provides the safest way to use it in a home studio. 

keep a damp sponge near any handbuilding area and use it all the time.  no work surface should be covered in dry clay.   and tossing tons of water at the piece  while working at the wheel is just silly.  only your hands need enough  water to control the clay.  cleanup is so simple if you do not make a mess in the first place. 

sloppy working conditions are not necessary in any studio.  keep it as clean as you would like your lungs to be when you die.