equipment that will last for a beginner
sebres
(she learned to use a wheel) & I'm trying to find a wheel and small kiln for
her, preferably used & thus less expensive, that will LAST (hopefully this
interest will endure if we foster it) but am ignorant about all this myself
& still learning what questions to ask. For example, we have a 240 V outlet
that we can use for a kiln, but no way to vent--can one use glazes that are
safe to fire without venting? Should I always ask whether a kiln has a
pyrometer rather than assume anything? We're in the Baltimore, MD area & I
would be happy to drive to VA, MD, PA, DC to pick up a used kiln to avoid
shipping. Any suggestions, advice, welcome & much appreciated! Susan
Sheridan
ian
expertise, but, as a physician, I can comment on the venting.
Many of the colorants used in glazes contain heavy metals which can be
toxic. Further, my kiln releases an unpleasant, musty odor. You would not
want to inhabit a closed airspace with a hot kiln.
For my kiln (and I am sorry we don't live closer, as I am looking to sell
mine and upgrade to a larger model) I purchased a kilnvent system. It was
not too expensive. Installation was simple. Best of all, I keep 25 feet of
4 inch plastic clothes dryer duct compressed in a bucket. When I want to
fire, I stretch the plastic duct to a window and drop the end outside.
Another option is to put the kiln in a garage or carport. If your electric
service box is located nearby, running a 240 volt line is not too expensive.
Good luck.
DKat
"ian" <ian...@sc.rr.com> wrote in message
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Annemarie
"sebres" <seb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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mature enough to be working alone, especially firing a kiln. I would advise
you continue with lessons, join a group or finding a local potter willing to
help her. It is a complicated process with many pitfalls and many dangers
with toxic materials.
Good luck I hope she continues.
Annemarie
Don & June MacDonald
advanced for a 10 year old. I teach teenagers (aged 11 and up) and in
the 17 years I have been teaching I have never run across a student of
this age who would be mature enough to deal with a kiln and safety
precautions about glazes, etc. I think that if you give a child a "toy"
that is too advanced, you run the risk of giving them a frustrating
experience which will turn them off from a truly enjoyable long term
experience which they could have if they were mature enough to handle
it. Would you give your 10 year old the keys to your car? I think
probably not! A kiln is a little more than just an oven to cook things
in, and should only be given to someone who understands exactly that.
Keep up with the lessons, if the child is really keen, the teacher will
likely give that child more challenging assignments to ensure that the
interest is kept up, and in about half a dozen years down the road,
about the same time that you consider your child is capable of taking
charge of the wheel of a motor vehicle, if the interest in pottery is
still there, then go for the equipment.
sebres
intention of turning her loose to operate this equipment unsupervised! That
being said, I'm learning this along with her, and at this stage don't even
know what questions to ask. My original plan was to just find her a wheel
and then take her pottery to the school to be fired in the kiln there. But
I was advised that the dry clay is too fragile to be transported like
that--that she would need a kiln at hand to fire what she made. The biggest
obstacle at present seems to be a means to vent the kiln. All of the small
kilns are advertised as being appropriate to use in one's home, yet nothing
is mentioned about how to vent them. We have tubing to vent our dryer
exhaust, but are afraid that the plastic would be melted by the exhaust from
a kiln. I'm also reading all kinds of details now about needing cones,
"cone sitters", etc. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that I need
to first find and digest a good book to educate myself before daring to make
an intelligent decision about any of this, completely apart from prices.
The time and location we were taking her to for her class turned out not to
be feasible, entailing a couple of hours of driving each way. If anyone in
this group is in the Baltimore, MD area & interested in giving lessons, I
would be very happy to hear from you! Susan
"Don & June MacDonald" <ju...@shaw.ca> wrote in message
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Jan Clauson
is too young to operate a kiln. May I suggest an alternate material
that will help her hone her skills while not endangering her. It is
called Sculpy. It is used extensively to make "pottery" for doll houses
and to make mockettes for large sculptures. It can be baked in your
kitchen oven
Monika Schleidt
sebres wrote:
> I'm really grateful for all your advice! Just to reassure people: I have no
> intention of turning her loose to operate this equipment unsupervised! That
> being said, I'm learning this along with her, and at this stage don't even
> know what questions to ask. My original plan was to just find her a wheel
> and then take her pottery to the school to be fired in the kiln there. But
> I was advised that the dry clay is too fragile to be transported like
> that--that she would need a kiln at hand to fire what she made. The biggest
> obstacle at present seems to be a means to vent the kiln. All of the small
> kilns are advertised as being appropriate to use in one's home, yet nothing
> is mentioned about how to vent them. We have tubing to vent our dryer
> exhaust, but are afraid that the plastic would be melted by the exhaust from
> a kiln. I'm also reading all kinds of details now about needing cones,
> "cone sitters", etc. It's becoming increasingly obvious to me that I need
> to first find and digest a good book to educate myself before daring to make
> an intelligent decision about any of this, completely apart from prices.
> The time and location we were taking her to for her class turned out not to
> be feasible, entailing a couple of hours of driving each way. If anyone in
> this group is in the Baltimore, MD area & interested in giving lessons, I
> would be very happy to hear from you! Susan
I also teach kids for the last 14 years and must agree with Annemarie and the
others about the childs age. Another thing is, that their interests change so
fast at that age, that i would not invest in something so large. On the
contrary, you put a certain pressure on her by giving her now all this equipment
and maybe she wants to take up scubadiving next year or ballet or horseriding,
and you will make her feel she has to stick with pottery, because of this large
present.
That the things are too fragile to be transported is not really so, thousands of
people do that, with a little care and lots of newspaper it works fine I used to
live in the Baltimore area many years ago, (now i live in Austria) there are
shops to have your things fired all over the place, and i am sure that you find
some place closer to your home.
Get her a wheel, she will be thrilled, find a place to fire it closer, and if
she changes her mind next year, she will not feel obligated to continue with
pottery.
Monika
> --
Monika Schleidt
Mon...@schleidt.org
www.schleidt.org/mskeramik
sebres
news:3E06C426...@aon.at...
Yes, this is sounding more & more like the way to go. To explain a little
my readiness to spend some money on this, it is SUCH a relief to have one of
my kids finally show some interest in spending time, not to mention money,
on something vastly more CONSTRUCTIVE than videogames & computer virtual
reality games! Thanks to all for your kind advice! Susan
ps I guess I have to confess that part of my motivation is that this is
something I've always thought it would be fun to learn myself!
Marmaj40
Having a hobby with your child will be really fun.
I agree that getting a wheel first, and then transporting the pieces to be
fired is the way to go initially. It is quite an investment to buy a kiln.
Good luck to you both. I have never enjoyed a hobby as much as making pottery.
I used to do oil painting, but for 6 years, the oil paints haven't been
squeezed out of the tube.
Martha
Dewitt
>I agree that getting a wheel first, and then transporting the pieces to be
>fired is the way to go initially.
And probably a good way to encourage folks to keep only their best
pieces and to recycle the rest.
deg
DKat
how dry it is - it still has enough water in it not to be fragile....but is
dry enough to hold it's form.... it would feel like leather basically) and
let it dry where the kiln is you should be fine.
"sebres" <seb...@comcast.net> wrote in message
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