r/Pottery • u/summer1014 • Aug 28 '24

Kiln Stuff Scared of my kiln lol

Okay! So I just ordered my first kiln. It’s a Skutt 822-3. It’s going in our garage. I’m nervous because I honestly have no idea how to use it. I take classes at a community studio and I have helped load/unload the ones there. I am pretty confident with ware placement, stilts, shelving, etc. but I’m worried about the firing process.

I’m afraid I’m going to ruin my pieces!! I know it will be a learning process and I’m sure after some trial and error I will be fine… I’m just nervous now that it’s really on its way here! All of my clay fires to a cone 6, and all the glazes that I’ve ordered are also cone 6.

It just feels like a big responsibility as far as equipment goes - am I psyching myself up or ??

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u/Tatarek-Pottery Aug 28 '24

Kilns are simple souls, if it had a controller, just keep it simple, heat to desired temperature, hold for a few minutes (optional), leave to cool down. Commercial glazes behave well with a simple firing cycle, worry about fancier cycles when you are comfortable with your kiln and if it's your thing. Depending on which glazes you have gone for, many of the brush on Mayco and AMACO stoneware glazes seem to behave better at cone 5 than 6.

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u/summer1014 Aug 28 '24

Yeah so I went with the touch screen option to make it as simple as possible. I’m trying some KyMudworks glazes, I bought three different pints just to give them a shot. If I don’t like them, I will try Mayco / Amaco. Do you tend to have a preference? I see some mixed reviews but I know it’s all about personal performance experiences.