Saturday, November 17, 2012

Early Christmas Gifts: New Kilns

When I started fusing, I didn't know whether it would be a viable business for me, so rather than spend $1000 to install 220 voltage for a larger kiln, I went with the largest kiln I could get at 120 voltage.


This has been a great little work horse for me. But now it' time for me upgrade as I'm doing a little more complex work and could use the extra space.  I just happened to be at San Francisco Open Studios at Public Glass and mentioned this to a fellow artist when another artist overheard me.  Long story short, I ended up purchasing two of his kilns!


This first one, almost doubles the amount of glass I can fire in a load.  While I was hoping to get an even larger kiln, I couldn't beat the price.  Here's a sample of what it looks like with coasters:


The second kiln is much smaller and will be used as a vitrograph for making and pulling my own cane glass that I'll cut up and use in future work.  Of course, this means that I'll be taking a class from Bullseye in the near future to learn the technique.  My favorite part of the glasswork is experimenting and planning. So, I have a habit of getting items or taking classes well in advance of when I actually make it.  Most likely, I won't be pulling any cane until 2014 but the kiln was such a good deal that I couldn't pass it up.  Anyway, look for new items from me using this new kiln in 2013.

For other glass enthusiasts, fusers or artists, what are you hoping to get from Santa this year?