My Pottery Blog

Kiln Woes

I have spent the last month producing a large mass of both sculptural and functional pottery. Over the past week, I spent all of my daughter's nap-times and most of my nights in my lab mixing and applying glazes. With a very full kiln (and still two shelves full of glazed work waiting to be fired), I started my kiln this morning. Three hours later, the kiln just stopped. ERR1, it said. Basically, that means that my kiln is no longer able to heat fast enough. Best-case scenario, I just need to replace a thermocouple. Worst-case scenario, there is something wrong with the heating coils. If there is something wrong with the coils, it means the kiln will be out of commission until I can get the only kiln repair guy in Utah out to my house (yes, there really is only one in the great state of Utah!)

Argh!! Right now, I have to wait until the kiln cools down enough for me to take the stuff out and open up it's electrical innards. It is such a depressing thing to see all the cheery rows of bisque-fired pots with powdered glaze on them and to wonder if they will get to see the inside of a hot kiln any time soon.