Tips on Purchasing Your Kiln

Tips on choosing the type of kiln you are looking for were covered in my last article. This time let's talk about the purchase of your kiln. This is a very important decision when you are starting you new ceramic hand print home-based business, doing baby and children's ceramic hand prints, and even pet prints! To help you produce the highest quality clay hand prints you must have a dependable kiln. Now, the decision is whether to purchase a new kiln or a used kiln.

The benefits of buying a new kiln are easy to think of. Let's mention a few that might not come so quickly to mind. The biggest improvement available in new kilns is the new programmable firing controls. This design has made firing much more user friendly and convenient for home studio use. Once you set up the firing program, these new kilns will allow you to fire your work repeatedly, safely, and reliably. They can also be set up to fire in a way that conveniently fits your time requirements and life style. Many new kilns also include new safety features that simply were not available a few years ago.

When I started this baby hand print business over 30 years ago, I was not able to afford a new electric kiln. I was however, able to locate a used kiln that would work for my needs. This kiln had the right electrical requirements, size, and it fit my budget. The next questions was did it work? The first test I used was to keep the kiln lid open, and simply turn all the controls on high and watch the electric cols from the bottom to the top for 20 to 30 minutes. (They should all glow the same color and continue to get hotter evenly). Now, you know that the elements are at least working. The lid and bottom of the kiln should be in fair shape, and the electric coils all where they belong. Any and all of these problems can be repaired with money, time, and know-how, but must be added into the total cost of a used kiln. On the plus side, most used kilns do come with some kiln furniture and this will be a savings for you.

I bought my used kiln for a good price, and it worked great for me for many years. It allowed me to get my ceramic handprint business started at a low cost, generate the extra income that I wanted, and in time, purchase a new kin for my business.