Electric Kilns and Firing - Online Course

Tim’s depth of knowledge and easy thoughtful delivery of the course makes it very understandable and helps to cement the knowledge. Useful for beginners and for more experienced potters alike with good immediate responses to queries and clarification. Course notes too are thorough and continued access a boon. The course is too great value for money.

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 Allen, Christchurch

This is an intensive, indepth course on all aspects of buying and owning a kiln. Tim is very generous with his time and sharing of his considerable knowledge. including additional material and recommendations. Noreen, London

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 Cosby, Norwich, CT, USA

As a first-time kiln owner, I signed up for Tim’s Electric Kiln course hoping I would gain some insight into running a kiln. His knowledge and the course materials provided gave me the tools I needed to complete my first few firings. I look forward to fine-tuning my future firings utilizing the information received from the course. Highly recommend! Pam, Connecticut, USA

Tim’s course provides the theoretical background and practical guidance – backed up by substantial experience – for both kiln beginners and improvers to understand how to develop their firing practice. His encyclopaedic understanding of the subject ensured that all kinds of questions were always well answered and positioned in a practical context. Ian from Bedford, UK

If you are new to firing or want to build on your knowledge, this is the course for you. It covers all aspects of firing from how a kiln is constructed to heat work, loading, unloading as well as potential glaze faults and how to fix them. Each session is well structured and the support materials are really useful once you are back in your studio. Tim has a huge wealth of knowledge that he is willing to share even if you have an off-piste question. Amanda from Bramshall, Staffordshire

I would highly recommend Tim’s course on Electric Kilns. There was a lot of very useful information that went beyond just the basic. Tim is very well organized, easy to understand, extremely knowledgeable, patient and answers all the questions participants have. He is available outside the scheduled classes and very reliable with answering emails. I would take another class with him for sure. Josée Comox, BC, Canada

Very helpful course, wide ranging and detailed, which has massively expanded my understanding and confidence using a kiln. Not too fast-paced so the technical detail was absorbable as we went along, and Tim has a wealth of experience which showed with the questions he responded to. Highly recommended! Jane, Surrey, England

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I learned so much and have a better understanding of what needs to be done. Kristina Smith from Valparaiso, Florida, USA

I found this course to be exactly what I needed to develop basic knowledge and confidence in firing a kiln for the first time and thereafter without fear of burning my house down! Gai from Kiels Mountain, Australia

As someone looking for a kiln for the community, I found this course to be extremely helpful. From the way temperature affects clay and glaze, to how to use the kiln to its full capability, I learnt so much and have the facts and figures to help for future fundraising of the new Kiln – Rachel Birmingham

An excellent and incredibly useful workshop from Tim. His knowledge is extensive and shared in an informative and accessible style. The ability to access the slides post workshop is terrific. Came away feeling enthused and more confident about using my first kiln. Jill, Staffordshire

The course was comprehensive on the structure, furniture and use of a kiln. pleasantly delivered and targeted a wide range of knowledge. I now have more confidence using my kiln. Well worth the cost. Sheridan, Chepstow

A great introduction to how to use a kiln. Gave me a much better understanding of firing. Highly recommend. Steve from Durham, North Carolina

Good basic overview. Liked the available resource information from website. Lee, Virginia, USA

Tim generously shared his in-depth knowledge of the topic. After the course, I feel more confident understanding how kilns operate and how to troubleshoot faults. Elena, London, UK

I’m relatively new to pottery and Tim’s detailed and informative course has given me the confidence to fire, glaze-fire and hopefully maintain my second hand front loading kiln. Thanks Tim!

Tim’s course on Electric Kilns allowed me to feel much more comfortable operating and troubleshooting the first kiln for which I’m solely responsible. The course is a mix of technical and practical concepts that covers everything from how to assess your own personal requirements in selecting a kiln, to why it works the way it does and how to efficiently and reliably operate it to better achieve predictable results (no kiln god lore around here!). As a North American potter currently working in Europe, I appreciated that the material addressed the differences encountered with tools and working behaviours between the… Read more “Electric Kilns and Firing Online Course – Review”

This course is very well put together and gives a good overall picture of firing an electric kiln. It boosted my confidence and provided a ton of information about the firing process from basic to advanced. Tim has been generous with his time and answering individual questions. I recommend this course to people like me who are newbies to firing kilns. Aino from Edinburgh, Scotland

I found the course to be thorough and wide ranging and has given me an excellent grounding in electric kiln operations and maintenance, the behaviour of clays and glazes during the firing process. It also provided useful health & safety awareness. Due to time constraints I relied largely on the presentation recordings rather than the live sessions, so was unable to ask questions directly. Nevertheless, Tim has a knack of structuring the information to anticipate many of the questions that came up for me as I worked my way through each presentations. Completing this course has given me the confidence… Read more “Electric Kilns and Firing Online Course – Review”

I found Tim’s course on Electric Kilns and Firing, super informative and stimulating – I would highly recommend it to anyone considering buying their own kiln or wanting to learn about the firing process in general. The presentation and booklet we received is thoroughly comprehensive and I will be referring to often, I’m sure! Thank you Tim for the huge amount of time and effort you have put into building this course and in your lovely way of explaining things, I really enjoyed it. Lesley from Cape Town, South Africa.

This course was very in depth and provided all aspects of kiln firing, sharing technical and practical information, as well as offering advice and solutions to issues people were having. Tim’s depth of knowledge is vast, and his passion and attention to detail for pottery was reassuring and incredibly helpful. Many thanks! Sue, Mayfield Pottery Workshop, Edinburgh

After years of dabbling via courses I retired from work and during Covid time set up my own little studio at home. When I was offered an old kiln I said yes with alacrity ….but having never had anything to do with the firing of my pieces then felt rather overwhelmed by the process of getting to know how to use it with the glazes I had. It is a whole new area of potting to learn to navigate. I was relieved to find Tim’s course online. It was the first affordable and easilyaccessible one I had come across. I… Read more “Electric Kilns and Firing Online Course – Review”

The course was really interesting and informative and I learnt a lot about kilns and the firing process. Tim’s course is great for people, like myself, who don’t currently own a kiln and just want to understand the basics, as well as more expert potters who have their own studio and kiln setup and have more in-depth questions. Angela, Gloucestershire

The course was absolutely worth its money. Tim’s expertise and experience is huge and covers all pottery related issues. The presentation is clear and structured. Tim is very attentive to the different participants and answers every (!) question, no matter how off topic or detailed it might be. You can tell that he really cares about people understanding and learning and getting as much as possible out of this course. Ruth from Chiusa, Italy

I completely enjoyed this course, learned so much about all aspects of firing the kiln and claywork in general. I would recommend this course to anyone wanting to learn about their kiln and what happens to your clay during the firing process. Tim has a wealth of valuable knowledge regarding all aspects of heatwork, claywork, and so much more, and is very generous about sharing that knowledge. It was also quite special to be experiencing the course with people from all over the world! Paulyn from Florida, United States.

Great course, tons of information. Be prepared to immerse yourself. I am new at firing and used all of the material to make sure I understood what was being presented. Angelina, Portugal

I found this course very informative. I am so glad I took this course before I ordered my own kiln. Tim is very kind and generous with his time. I highly recommend any potter to take this course. Lindsey, Nova Scotia

I highly recommend this course to anyone looking to deepen their understanding and skills in kiln operation. This comprehensive course covers everything from the basics of kiln safety and operation to advanced firing techniques, including both theory and extensive hands-on practice. Amelia, Spain The curriculum is thoughtfully designed to cater to both beginners and experienced potters, detailed discussions on firing schedules, temperature control, and glaze reactions. Tim is a potter with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He not only teach but also share insights from his own practices, offering solutions to common problems and tips for optimizing your firing… Read more “Electric Kilns and Firing Online Course – Review”

I highly recommend Tim Thornton’s Electric Kiln course for anyone who wants to gain a thorough understanding of electric kilns. The course is organized and very well-presented. It covers everything you need to know from installing, firing and maintaining a kiln to safety and technical aspects. Tim is a wealth of information and he is very generous with his knowledge. Thank you Tim!! Patt from Boston, MA

For anyone seriously going into ceramics and buying a kiln or taking on a studio with a kiln Tim’s course is packed with just about everything you need to know from buying a kiln and installation to maintenance, problems and faults and much much more. He’s very knowledgeable and amenable to answering your questions too. However this course is quite technical for the hobbyist potter and may be too detailed at this stage in your journey.

As soon as I found this course two other potters from the studio I go to signed up and it created a lot of discussion and interest with the other members. I would highly recommend anyone with a kiln or thinking of getting a kiln to do it. Tim is incredibly knowledgeable and very helpful from the most basic to the highest technical questions.