Entry for June 15, 2007

It's been a long time coming and it's not quite all there yet but this is my new kiln - a Geil DL-18F.
Paul Geil makes great kilns (http://kilns.com).
The truck driver, Kyle, who delivered the kiln was fabulous. His job was only to deliver the kiln but went beyond. He operated the forklift and moved the kiln into the kiln room. He skillfully inserted the kiln through the double doors with only a few inches to spare above and below (since the forklift was at a slight angle). He then helped us use a pallet jack to place the kiln in the middle of the kiln room. (It needs at least 36 inches of open space around it.)
We are having some issues with the house attached to the studio so we won't be able to actually use the kiln until they get fixed. (Probably September).
In the mean time I have a manual to read and obsorb. I ordered the kiln with computer controls (of course - I am a "Technical Yahoo!") so I need to become familiar with the way they work. From the manual overview:
"The controllers do exactly the same thing (that a skilled potter would do) but the difference is that they never get bored or tired, and they can make tiny adjustments to both the damper and the gas valve that a normal human would never be able or willing to make."
Any of you who have managed a kiln firing can certainly relate to this.