Electric Kilns and Firing

Approx. €150 / 160 US$

What is the course about?

This course gives you all the information you need to select, maintain and fire an electric kiln in a safe and efficient way. It also goes over what happens to clays and glazes when they are fired.

What are the Dates?

Select your preferred start date from the list above.
The course is run over nine weekly sessions – eight teaching sessions and then a discussion session at the end.
19:00 – 20:30 UK time / 20:00 – 21:30 CET / 2 p.m. – 3.30 p.m. EDT
Also recorded and put onto the course web page so you can view them at other times.

If you can’t wait until the next run of the course, choose Recording instead of a start date. You get access to all the course material of the last run of the course, and 12 weeks in which to read and view the course material. You’re also free to contact me with any questions you may have during the course.

What will we cover?

The course covers everything you are likely to need to know about electric kilns and firing them.It is ideal for you if you’ve just bought a kiln and want to get to grips with it, or if you use a studio where work is fired for you and you want to understand what happens, or if you’ve had a kiln for a while but aren’t sure if you’re getting the most out of it.

The course covers choosing, installing and maintaining your kiln; kiln safety; how a kiln heats up, how we measure it with thermocouples and cones, and how we control it with the kiln controller; what happens to clays and glazes during the firing; how best to load your kiln and when to unload it; and firing faults, their prevention and cure.

The course doesn’t deal with older technology such as kiln sitters or kilns controlled manually through dials.

What will I achieve?

By the end of this course you should have achieved the following:

• Identify and understand all the components found in an electric kiln and its controller
• Know what to look for when buying a kiln, whether new or 2nd hand
• Understand the mechanisms by which a kiln heats up, and how different materials used in kiln construction and in kiln furniture (shelves etc.) behave
• Understand temperature and heatwork, and how they are measured
• Understand how clays and glazes, and their constituent materials, are transformed through the firing process, and what fumes may be given off from the kiln
• Loading and unloading your kiln, including the best spacing of shelves and positionimg of pots
• Understand and use your kiln controller, and monitor your firing
• Determining the best firing schedules for your work
• Identify firing faults, their identification and cure
• Understand safety issues – heat, electricity, and fumes
• Learn about kiln maintenance, and how to diagnose faults
• Know about how to install the kiln

What do I get?

• Eight live lectures with questions and discussions, plus a discussion session, lasting about 90 minutes each week
• Recordings of all lectures for later viewing during the course, with subtitles in all attendees’ languages
• A discussion session at the end of the course
• Additional online course material, giving background info and greater depth
• Downloadable PDFs of all presentations
• Premium level access to the Tech part of my web site, containing much more information, references etc.
• Course completion certificate

Note that the forum, lecture recordings and premium level site access are included at no cost until 4 weeks after the end of the course. After that, comtinued access is available for just the cost of buying me a coffee every month (US$3 a month).

What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?

Beginner to intermediate.

You should have some experience of making and firing pots in a pottery studio, whether you do the firing or it is done for you.

How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?

The course is primarily run through the weekly online sessions, which are a live lecture where you can also ask questions or get a discussion going.

Additional material that you may wish to explore is on the course website. This will help you go deeper into the subject matter, should you wish to do so.

There will be an additional discussion session at the end of the course, where we can discuss any of the course material or any questions you may have about kilns and firing. 

For those with an imperfect knowledge of English, all session recordings now have subtitles in the languages of all attendees. This uses computer translation, so isn’t guaranteed to be perfect, but should help you in following the sessions.

Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?

There are no other costs or requirements.

Do I get a certificate or anything at the end?

Yes. A course completion certificate (as a PDF) will be sent to all those who wish to receive one.

Feedback from students

Again, Tim, the course was fantastic! I have learned so much from the three courses that I have taken with you! I feel better prepared to set up my own studio and work safely with the equipment and materials. I highly recommend all of your courses! Cathy, Norwich CT, USA

The Kiln Course was very useful to me as someone who has always been a Night-School potter and now embarking on my own set-up with a kiln
Jeremy, Christchurch, GB