sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Once you go gas you see electric sucks ass!
The introduction of electric kilns led to the pussification of Pottery. They became so available to every moron that the entire industry
is now flush with lies and half truths by hobbyists who think they know something. I despise them for this reason.
That's actually the last aha moment I came to that led me to reverse engineer that cycle to understand why rectangle bonsai pots are 3 deep into layers of BS. (Blind spots)lol.
I recently went over cost analysis with another Potter in PM, hopefully they see this and copy and paste that info here...I may find it.
Energy cost is such that, I could fire my electric kiln here for much cheaper than BNUT could fire one in peak hours on California electric costs. Though more expensive per firing my gas than my electric, firing my gas is still incredibly cheaper than it would be for BNUT to fire an electric in California.
I use 2 large propane tanks. So where continued element replacement is the cost and labor in electric firing, my continued cost and labor is taking them to be refilled.
For these reasons, the most cost effective and least continued labor would be utilizing natural gas, or even propane if your house is ran on it, to a slightly lesser degree since those mega tanks must be refilled too.
My biggest concern with using electric, is that it leaves you reliant on things most out of your control. Power outages. Should that happen, it's not the end of the world, as you can just restart it, but every time you put a pot through crystal conversion points, it becomes weaker. This is why I chose to single fire. One conversion. This is why I boast my pots as "zombie killers", or stronger than any others, because it is just a fact.
Bisque firing is for suckers! Another product of the pussification of Pottery.
A view of the long cycle, the big picture, allows one to see that every difficulty in single firing can be overcome with an indepth study during one 16 hour bisque firing alone. The only real difficulty is glazing greenware, watching Simon Leach dunk glaze greenware and have 0 mistakes is enough to know this true.
So for me, it doesn't make any sense to get stuck in a bisquing cycle. It is goddamn foolish.
I'd argue the conspiracy theory that energy companies have a hand in promoting bisque firings. To hell with them!
Besides cost.... control is very important.
There is just way more control and opportunity with a gas fire, this justifies the higher cost for me now.
If I ever get permanent, firing with piped in endless natural gas will be the move.
Start up costs....
I've seen folks hosed to the tune of 4K on electricians. I ran my own with materials cost at around $600. Because I had to run wire over 40ft from the breaker, costs went up exponentially. Longer distance, larger wire gauge, larger conduit...the closer the better.
You can get hosed on expensive burner rigs too.
I bartered a couple potted trees for mine.
Simon uses a $50 weed burner.
I recommend a unit with a BASO safety valve at least, without it, if your flame goes out, gas continues to fill the space, then if you light it, or it accidentally reignites, boom. Folks die this way.
I think I'm into my gas tanks, hoses, regulators, etc at about $600 too.
Kiln prices are kiln prices, I snagged my 1027, ten sided 27inch tall for $50. I wouldn't pay more for a body to convert. There are free ones out there.
Shelves are probably the most important thing. So much so that smart folks say to select your shelves, and build your kiln around them.
All things considered, I've found that Corelite shelves are the most versatile and safe.
The many ridges keep them straight, seemingly forever from what I've read.
Anything cheaper warps which deems them useless if you wish to make pots that don't rock.
Advancer™ shelves are much thinner therefore utilize less wasted energy to heat, but without a very well sealed kiln with at least 3in walls to have them heat and cool evenly, they propose a risk of cracking due to thermal shock. These do not warp and glaze can be scraped off with no need for kiln wash on the shelves.
A good kiln wash applied properly and properly maintained is easy enough to negate the need for Advancers.
Lotta morons grind their shelves to holey cratered messes of pocketed BS.
Prevent prevent prevent.
I been popping off bits of glaze on properly washed shelves and rewashing them before they cool.
Use "cookies" of there is ever a worry of a runny glaze.
There are so many methods to prevent ruining shelves, yet these above stated moron hobbyists keep providing funding for the grinder wheel manufacturers!
Sorce
) The “interaction” with the living, breathing kiln environment...
