So you’ve decided to start a ceramics program at your k-12 school and dont know where to start? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Starting up a clay program from scratch can seem like a daunting task. There are so many considerations to be made, so many pieces of equipment to purchase and well as the numerous safety concerns when it comes to the kiln, kiln room, and handling of ceramic materials.
One of the first considerations is the pottery kiln. It goes without saying that starting a ceramics program will require an electric pottery kiln in order to fire student work. But what kiln is best for your program? If you’ve read our pervious blog “What is the best electric kiln?”, then you are probably well aware that our #1 top recommended brand of electric kilns is L&L Kiln Mfg. They are simply put the best electric kiln on the market today. With that said, there are many different kiln options available. Which style of kiln is right for you? This depends on a few factors such as class size, anticipated student work load, electric specs and capabilities of your class room, and even seemingly minor details like the height of the art teacher who will be firing the kiln. Different levels of K-12 schooling, wether they are high schools, middle schools or elementary schools may have different needs when it comes to kilns. The first step would be to determine the size of kiln needed. This is done by determining how many students will be taking clay classes at any given time. 30 to 60 students taking clay will require a smaller kiln than over 100 students. Typically most schools at the elementary and middle school level will require a 4 to 7 cubic foot kiln. The L&L Kiln Mfg model e23t-3 kiln which is a 6.7 cubic foot is the most popular selling model for middle schools and elementary schools. There are many high schools that opt for this model as well. Some high schools might require a slightly larger kiln like an L&L e28t-3 which is a 10 cubic foot kiln. L&L has plenty of helpful diagrams and drawings showing the load capacity of their kilns. This is a great way to see how much work can fit inside their kilns, helping you to make your decision. The height of the art teacher who will be firing the kiln must also be taken into account. As a general rule of thumb, if the art teacher is 5 foot 4 inches or shorter, then they should be ordering a kiln that is either 2 rings tall or 2.5 rings tall. A 3 ring 27” deep kiln is too tall for someone that height and under to be able to load easily. If you are above that height, you will be able to reach the bottom of the kiln to load student work much easier. Different kilns are capable of firing to different temperatures. Most kilns are rated up to ∆10 which means that you can fire across a broad range of temps, from low-fire to mid-fire. Certain size kilns with certain electric specs are only rated to ∆5 or ∆8 which means that those kilns are only suited for low-fire (∆022-∆04) and not mid-fire (∆5-6). You can see how many details there are to deal with when ordering a kiln. At The Kiln Guy, we can help you every step of the way to ensure that you are getting the perfect kiln for your needs.
Once you’ve decided on the size of kiln, the next step would be to determine the electric specs of your building where the kiln will be installed. All electric pottery kilns are manufactured and built to specific specifications. These specifications must match what is at the school in terms of voltage, phase, and amperage breaker size that is available to power the kiln. This is often a confusing process and involves more than one member of school staff to figure out. Typically, you will need a facilities person or school district electrician to look at the electric line of the school, test the voltage onsite, determine and confirm the phase, and also check to ensure that there is enough amperage in the schools electric service to dedicate the the kiln. We have a helpful section of our website thekilnguy.com called “Schools” where we cover a wide range of information that is helpful with regard to selecting a kiln for schools. Once all of these details are ironed out, you can feel confident in moving forward with purchasing the kiln. All of the considerations about size, temperature, and electric specs have been resolved and confirmed, and you are ready to get your new kiln!
After you’ve got the kiln decision out of the way, the next step would be to determine what kind of clay and glazes you’d like to use for your new K-12 ceramics program. Typically, elementary schools and middle schools use only low-fire clay and glazes. These are clays that reach their maturity or “full vitrification” in the ∆08-∆04 range. These clays can be used in conjunction with low-fire glazes which also mature within that same range. Once you have decided on this temperature range of clay and glazes, you should stick with them and purchase only low fire clay and glaze, nothing else. High schools with more advanced programs might opt for mid-fire clay and glazes. These are clays that reach their maturity or “full vitrification” in the ∆5-∆6 range. Mid-fire glazes also reach their maturity in this ∆5-∆6 range as well. This temperature range of firing produces stronger and more durable work as well as different colors and variation in glaze results. No matter what temperature range you decide on, stick with it. You do not want to mix and match. If you fire low-fire clay and glaze up to mid-fire temperatures, you can do irrevocable damage to the kiln. Low fire clay and glaze can melt down to a puddle of molten clay and glaze, completely destroying the kiln, so exercise extreme caution when firing your kiln and always ensure you are firing the right materials to the right temperatures!
Once you’ve selected your clay and glaze range you are free to choose a type of clay within that temperature range. You can then purchase a variety of brands and colors of glazes that fit within that same range.
You’ve now selected the kiln, clay and glaze temperature range, as well as clay type (clay body) and various brands and colors of glaze within your selected temp range. The hard part is over. Now comes the fun part where you get to build out your ceramics room with supplies and other needed equipment!
Here is a list of must-haves for your new ceramics program:
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Clay shaping tools and sponges. These are available as “class packs” that included the most commonly needed shaping and modeling tools.
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Ware carts. These are special carts designed to hold slats of wood where clay work can be stored at its varying stages of greenware, bisque ware, glazed and unfired ware, and finally the finished glazed product.
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Pottery wheels. If you have the space in your classroom and extra money in the budget, pottery wheels are a fantastic edition to your new K-12 ceramics program. They allow students to explore and practice “throwing on the wheel”. This is a fundamental skill for any aspiring ceramic artist. Our favorite brand of wheels for schools is Brent Wheels.
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Wheel bats. If you are purchasing wheels, you will need a good supply of the round “bats” that attach to the wheel head of the pottery wheel. These bats allow for easy removal of pots without mis-shaping them while they are still in their wet stage.
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Slab-roller. This piece of equipment is another great tool to have at your disposal for making ceramic work. Slab rollers are often large tables with metallic rollers that squeeze clay into a flat uniform “slab”. These slabs can be allowed to dry where they are cut out and then shaped into a variety of forms that can be used to build ceramic pieces.
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Plastic trash bags for covering greenware, keeping it in the workable stage for days and weeks while students work on their pieces.
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Rolls of canvas. These rolls can be cut down to various sizes. Canvas is a great material that is often used to work with clay.
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Clay and glaze traps for your sinks. Clay and glaze that is put dow the drain can wreak havoc on the plumbing of your sinks. These special traps are designed to capture clay and glaze before it goes down the drain.
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Texture tools. Every ceramics room should have a variety of “texture tools”. These can be anything from hair brushes to seashells, old stamps, kitchen utensils etc. Pretty much anything that can be used to make an interesting texture on the clay should be saved and put into the texture drawer for your students to use. You can never have too many texture tools!
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Glaze brushes for applying glaze.
There are of course other items that you may need for your ceramics program that aren’t covered here. When it comes to selecting kilns, The Kiln Guy has you covered. For all of your other K-12 ceramics needs we have the experience and know-how to help you get your new K-12 ceramics program off the ground.
One of the most rewarding and enriching experiences for students making art at school is the ability to work in clay. With a little bit of planning (and this helpful guide!) you too can have a thriving ceramics ceramics program at your school. Contact us today and we’ll help you get started!