In the past clectne kiln users [elt some- what like second class citizens in a ce- ramiec community that idolized high tem- perature gas firing. Whale jt is true that exciting developments in gas kiln equip- ment have made this medium even more compelling, the electric kiln has under- gone a biLal a renaissance in the past five years and most of the cons have been erased, Here are a few examples: Flectronic controllers: 1 you don"t have one get one. Case closed. Electric firing is about consistency and control and these devices take that advantage much further. They work very well and save energy, Crystalline glazes for example were once the domain of aselect few but now they are simple because of these devices. Check the article in May 2000 Pottery Making Iustrated magazine for a pw example. ITC: This cowung matenal can be applied to clements and the insides of kilns to give electric kilns better durability and economy. ITC coated elements last many TECHNO TIP Electric Kilns: catch the wave Tony Hansen limes longer and can withstand reduction fining! Electric Reduction: Nils Low, author of The Art of Firing, has done hundreds of firings using a simple Bunsen burner un- der his (TC-coated electric kiln, [t works and works well. Stoneware is simply dense and strong non- perous ceramic, [1 is no longer synony- mous with cone 10; tf can be made as low as cone |. However making attractive and fitted glazes at low and medium fire is more difficult. But with the recent prolif- eration of books on cone 6 electric firing for example, this is no longer truc, The internet and glaze calculation software have also fostered the spread in glaze technology. Despite what anyone tells you, matte and gloss effects of most types can be done in electric firing, Where do you start to catch is wave? Not wanting to be biased, let me give you two websites that | made: Go to http:// digitalfire.com to learn about glares. See http://axner.com to buy books, ITC and controllers. Useful Websites http://digitalfire.com calculation/database software http: cner.carn books, [TC and controllers hulp: /ceramicsearch.com search engine Help to Convert Glaze Recipes Ron Roy available through: The only clays made from Canadian clay deposits PLAINSMAN inrez Box 1266, Medicine Hai, Ata. T1A 7M9 Phone 403-527-8535 FAX 527-7508 Intemet: htip:/digitatfire com/plainsman _ eee Mang. 7 ans Stay] LAI nae > ae . Ce wy i vi nad Ss, ee Ne, he iy | 2% A complete line of products is Greenbarn Potters Supply Surrey, 8.C. Phone: 604-888-3411 Vancouver Island Pottery Nanaimo, 8.C. Phone: 250-716-9966 Warehouse Inc. Potters Guild of British Columbia June 2000