A couple of years ago I started thinking that it would be interesting to work with glass, particularly with kiln formed glass. I started looking at small kilns, with a plan to buy one second hand.
I soon realised that the firing chambers in the small kilns or microwave kilns were extremely small and would quickly become quite limiting. I found a couple of larger second hand kilns suitable for mixed media firing which unfortunately sold outside of the price range I had set myself but I kept looking.
I am not quite sure what moment of madness led me to the kiln I finally chose. When it arrived, battered and in need of restoration I am certain that most of my friends and family thought I had lost the plot.
However with the help of my husband, some clever engineering and a few strong armed friends, we managed to get this Goliath located in its new home.
Over the course of a few days I painstakingly re-bonded the damaged fire bricks and relocated any loose elements. This was my first crazy step on the journey towards creating my own fused glass work.
After a thorough overhaul and lot of careful reconstruction I am pleased to say this beast of a kiln now works perfectly.
It still needs a lot of tender loving care, so I fix it and tinker with it between firings but each time I use it I become better at manipulating the firing sequences to create the different effects that I want.
My kiln was in a sorry state on arrival and I know many people thought I had lost the plot if I thought this wreck was going to fuse glass.
With a bit of care and attention my kiln now runs perfectly and I love it, even though it still secretly scares me!