[TheForge] Metal and Pottery questions

[Bob Ehrenberger]

It is an expensive hobby.  When Mom was doing it she went to the potter's 
house once a week (adult ed) and paid for everything, classes, greenware 
castings, firing, glazing, paint. One year she made all her christmas gifts, 
it would have been cheeper to buy the stuff at a craft show.

Dad resisted buying or building her a kiln, and like you said it was a phase 
that didn't last very long.

The mug I use every day I got from ABANA.  When I got it, it had a picture 
of a blacksmith standing at an anvil.  The image must not have been glazed 
on because it wore off in about two years.

Robert Ehrenberger
Shelbyville, Mo.
eforge at centurytel.net

Date: Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:27:47 -0600
From: Paul Novorolsky <crosspein at sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [TheForge] Metal and Pottery questions
To: Blacksmithing List Sponsored by ABANA <theforge at mailman.qth.net>


On the subject of firing/kilns. I've been shopping around at my favorite
tool source: craiglist. I've seen several locally, and fairly frequently
in the $100-$200 range. I'm planning to use an Arduino to convert it for
use as a heat-treating oven. Almost all of these kilns are the bigger,
"standard sized" units, and I'm holding out for awhile looking for a
smaller one.

Anyway, the point is, if you look around used kilns are available for
fairly cheap. Pottery seems to be a popular hobby that loses its appeal
after people sink a lot of money into it.