search  current discussion  categories  kilns & firing - misc 

buying a kiln: horror stories

updated fri 3 sep 99

 

Arnold Howard on sun 29 aug 99

Dear Friends:

Today I heard about someone who had to load his new kiln into his
studio through the front window, because it wouldn't fit through the
door.

What horror stories do you have about buying a kiln?
(Examples: 208 volts instead of 240, no one around to lift kiln off the
truck when the kiln arrives, kiln is too tall for you to load, etc.)

What information could have prevented that horror story?

Thanks,

Arnold Howard
Mesquite, Texas
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com

Barb Lund on tue 31 aug 99

I guess I thought ahead on the building question. When I built the
studio-which was designed as a studio-not another building conversion-I had
a garage door put in then double doors that opened into the next room which
is the kiln room. Also, I have a huge set of shelves made out of old solid
core doors on wheels, that rolls out of the way of half of the double
doors. Now, I have 2 10 ft electric kilns-we're not talking gas here-so
this building style worked just fine. As far as after thought moving of
equipment into the studio-I remember when my parents installed a full sized
pre-formed bath tub in the second story bathroom. Dad cut out a section of
the outside wall and put it on hinges. I have photos of my brothers and
Dad standing at the gaping hole in the side of the house while the tub was
being hoisted up. As far as the kilns being too tall-I do have that
problem with one of the kilns. I carry the top section to a nearby table
and rest it there. I know that is not an option for most folks and I don't
know how much longer my back will tolerate that. My nice husband did make
a hoist system above the kilns that is on a metal track-but I have yet to
figure out how to use it. I will be interested to hear other peoples
dilemas. Barb in Bloomington







At 01:33 PM 8/29/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Dear Friends:
>
>Today I heard about someone who had to load his new kiln into his
>studio through the front window, because it wouldn't fit through the
>door.
>
>What horror stories do you have about buying a kiln?
>(Examples: 208 volts instead of 240, no one around to lift kiln off the
>truck when the kiln arrives, kiln is too tall for you to load, etc.)
>
>What information could have prevented that horror story?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Arnold Howard
>Mesquite, Texas
>__________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com
>
Barb Lund
barblund@bluemarble.net
520 West 6th St.
Bloomington, In 47404
USA
812-339-8476

Marvin Flowerman on wed 1 sep 99

Logistic problems can be daunting depending on where you want to install the
new kiln. In my case it was out of doors (a propane fired kiln) but reaching
that place with a pre-made kiln weiging 1 1/2 to 2 tons and presented on the
back end of a truck with the message ("you want it, you lift it off the
truck, place it etc.") and having to move it to my location to which there
was no easily accessible route, led me to have the kiln built on the spot by
Donovan Palmquist of Master Kiln Builders in Minneapolis. He stayed at my
house for 5-6 days, ordered all the materials to be delivered to my house,
where moving bricks or steel or other materials was a lot simpler than trying
to move a 3000 pound kiln, and did an excellent job of fabricating a good
looking and efficiently operating propane-fired car kiln.

If you can work out something like that, that could solve your problem.

All the best.

Marvin Flowerman (marvpots@aol.com)

gail sheffield on thu 2 sep 99

For those of you who have problems getting a piece of equipment off of a
truck, or up to a raised level, or to some location the truck can't go,
check with your local rental place for a "materials lift." Its a little
crank or hydraulic lift on a wheeled base. The small size for lifting
furniture up to the 2nd story window or door of a house costs, in our area,
only $40.00 day. That would not be strong enough for a really heavy kiln,
but there are probably industrial models also available.

Gail Sheffield
Covington, LA