FAQ

No. But we always recommend you give Becky Gieger a call at (513) 616-9112. She’s an amazing electrician who specializes in kilns, and has worked very closely with us for years.

If you know the firing temperature of the clay/glazes, we can absolutely fire your pieces for you! Our firing rates are $2/lb for cone 04-5, and $4/lb for cone 9/10 firings.

No! Clay’s sold at craft stores are (98% of the time) polymer clays. These can be fired in a toaster oven, but be sure to read directions on any clay that you buy. Even at a super low fire temperature, a kiln still reaches over 1000 degrees F.

Sometimes, but unless you know the glaze and/or firing temperature of the tile, we cannot fire them in our kilns.

You can glaze everything but the point where the pot touches the kiln shelf. If you’re doing low-fire work, you can glaze the bottoms and stilt in the kiln to prevent damage to the kiln shelf.

A cone is a way to measure the temperature in your kiln. Many older kilns will have a kiln sitter, which requires a cone to be placed inside the mechanism and will bend when the cone reaches temperature, it will shut off your kiln. Most newer kilns are run by a computer system and a thermocouple. This essentially takes away the need for a cone. However, many potters choose to still place a cone in their kiln to just double check the accuracy of the kiln computer. You can learn more about cones and appropriate firing temperatures here: https://www.ortonceramic.com/en/Pyrometric%20Cones/