If you’re new to pottery, you’ve probably heard someone say, “Fire it to Cone 6” or “This glaze is Cone 06.” But what does that actually mean? Unlike an ordinary oven, a pottery kiln isn’t judged only by the temperature shown on its display. Potters also need to know how much heatwork—the combined effect of […]
/blog/bisque-firing-vs-glaze-firing-whats-the-difference If you’re new to pottery, you may hear terms like bisque firing and glaze firing and wonder: What’s the difference? Why does pottery need to be fired twice? These are two different stages of the ceramic process, and understanding the difference will make pottery much easier to understand. In simple terms: Bisque firing turns […]
/blog/what-happens-inside-a-pottery-kiln Have you ever wondered what actually happens to a piece of clay after you put it inside a pottery kiln? Before firing, your pottery is fragile and can still be softened with water. After firing, it can become a strong ceramic piece that lasts for years. So what happens inside that hot kiln? The […]
/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-fire-pottery-in-a-kiln If you’re new to pottery, you might assume that firing a piece simply means putting it in the kiln, turning it on, waiting a few hours, and taking it out. It’s not quite that simple. A pottery firing can take many hours to heat up, followed by several more hours of cooling before the […]
If you’ve ever looked inside a pottery kiln and wondered “How hot does this thing actually get?”, the answer is: extremely hot. A pottery kiln can reach temperatures of roughly 1,800°F to 2,350°F (about 1,000°C to 1,285°C) depending on the type of clay, glaze, and firing being used. That’s several times hotter than a typical […]
A practical guide for beginners deciding between small, medium, and larger kilns. Choosing your first pottery kiln can be exciting — until you start looking at all the different sizes. Small kilns. Medium kilns. Large production kilns. So which one do you actually need? The answer isn’t simply “buy the biggest kiln you can afford.” […]
/blog/electric-vs-gas-kilns-whats-the-difference-firing-atmosphere-temperature-control-setup-and-typical-uses If you’re shopping for a pottery kiln, one of the first decisions you’ll encounter is whether to go with electric or gas. Both can produce excellent pottery, but they work differently and can produce different firing environments and surface results. The biggest difference isn’t simply the fuel source. It comes down to how the […]
Buying a pottery kiln is a bigger investment than buying a bag of clay or a few basic tools. The price of the kiln itself is only part of the equation. When you’re planning your first kiln, you also need to think about installation, electricity, ventilation, shelves and accessories, maintenance, and replacement parts. So, how […]
Buying your first pottery kiln can feel like a much bigger decision than buying your first pottery wheel. There are different sizes. Different firing temperatures. Different electrical requirements. Different controllers. Different prices. And suddenly you’re looking at a page full of numbers wondering: “Which one do I actually need?” The good news is that choosing […]
If you’ve ever looked inside a pottery kiln and wondered how a pile of ordinary clay turns into a hard, durable ceramic piece, there’s one number that explains a lot of it: Temperature. Pottery kilns get incredibly hot—far hotter than a conventional kitchen oven. Depending on the clay, glaze, and firing process, a pottery kiln […]
