Skutt Firebox 8x6 LT review
The Skutt Firebox 8x6 LT is my first own kiln for ceramics. I have had my pottery pieces fired at the studio I work at, but I’ve never run a kiln on my own (even during my residency last year I was too short to reach the bottom of the big kiln and had help with it). I obsessively studied the instruction manual which was very specific and helpful. The price of the kiln came to around $1,200, inclusive of tax and handling and free shipping directly from Skutt. I placed my order through Blick online and it took 2 months for it to arrive with no tracking (imagine!!).
The interior of the electric kiln measures 8”x8”x7”, but with a 1” shelf (including posts) at the bottom so height is really 6”. She’s tiny. It can fire up to cone 6, but so far the hottest I’ve fired it is to cone 04 for pyrometric cone testing and a bisque fire. I’ve only ever used low-fire glazes so I’m excited to experiment with cooler glazes now. I have a chalkboard glaze that I really want to try. If anyone has suggestions for something small I could use that glaze for, let me know!
It came with the instruction manual, 1 pound of kiln wash, a shelf, 3 small posts, and an extra thermocouple. The whole thing probably weighs around 50 pounds, so it’s manageable to move around alone. It also runs on regular electric, so I could plug it into my wall outlet and get started right away. There is a digital screen with 3 buttons to navigate through menus. It automatically came set to Fahrenheit, but I think there’s a way to change it to Celsius.
The instruction manual said not to run the kiln if the ambient room temperature outside the kiln reaches 100F or more, which might be a problem for me in the summer. I’ll have to get a good digital thermometer to keep an eye on that since my shed doesn’t have AC. While running it at cone 04 I barely noticed any heat around the kiln, though I assume that’s standard for most electric kilns?
Since I now have my own kiln I decided I could experiment with new techniques. For my first firing I did a raw clay firing of a mug I made, let dry for 2 weeks, glazed, then fired. I skipped the bisque firing step just to see what would happen…mostly because I was impatient, honestly. I used basic Blick brand cone 06 underglazes that didn’t require a clear glaze. It worked! The glaze did have some pitting in it which I assume was from not setting a hold — definitely a learning experience there!
For my second and third firings I did a bisque fire of a pinch pot bowl, a small strawberry, and some tobacco pipe holders I made (I am a member of the Long Island Pipe Club, after all) and then glazed the holders normally and fired with a 5 minute hold. They came out way better even though I wasn’t a fan of the glazes. Next I’m going to add homemade underglaze decals to the bowl and see how that turns out.
All-in-all this is probably the best kiln I could ask for at this stage in my ceramics career. I still make a ton of pottery at the studio I work at and I can fire my bigger pieces there. Most of what I make are mugs, cereal bowls, and succulent planter pots, anyway.
I hope somewhere out there finds this helpful! Feel free to ask any questions!