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castable raku kiln

updated fri 24 may 02

 

Hendrix, Taylor J. on thu 23 may 02


As an introduction let me say that I am new to pottery and raku.

I have been enjoying potting so much that I have convinced my pottery
teacher to build a raku kiln with me and do some experimenting. I'm all
booked up on both the basics of pottery as well as the basics of raku.
I'm in the process of getting materials together for a trash-can-sized
raku kiln and was wondering if anyone on the list has any experience
with casting a similar sized kiln for raku. I'm particularly interested
in the strength requirements (wall thickness, working pressure, need for
reinforcement, etc.) and ease of use (both the finished kiln and the
building material).

Currently I am looking at a total cost of around 300 dollars using the
trash can/Kaowool setup and was hoping to lower cost while circumventing
the associated health concerns of ceramic fiber. If this route is
feasible, does anyone know of castable suppliers willing to sell to
low-volume customers?

Any help?

Taylor from central Texas