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I'm getting a new kiln next week. The one I have right now still works but It sustained water damage a couple of weeks ago. Even after drying it out I consistently get scum on my glass which I think has something to do with crud from the water that got absorbed into the firebrick. You can see the dirt in the firebrick. The second thing is the temperature seems to be way off. Things are getting over fired. It doesn't have a controller, just on/off, high/med/low... and it's 18 years old. I don't want to keep it... how do I recycle it or do I try to give it away letting whoever takes it that it's got issues? it's a little Jen-Ken that I've mostly used for jewelry. When I get the new kiln, I won't have room in my studio for it. Maybe there's someone out there who would like to try and fix it? I just don't know. Any suggestions are most appreciated.

Try turning it into a vitrograph stringer kiln...that's what I'm doing with mine...

Otherwise, if you put an ad on craigslist or somewhere, offering it cheap, needs work, you'll probably get some takers.

Great ideas! Thanks.

If you can't sell it, try Freecyling it (just google freecycle).

Dana W.

As for the scum, try taking it up to its top temp (1600F, say) and holding there for a couple of hours with the lid propped open an inch or so. You may just need to burn off guck in the kiln.

Someone will always take a kiln off your hands. Just be careful if you offer it for free on Craig's List. My experience with giving stuff away is that you'll get dozens of 'wants' immediately. Be safe when allowing someone to come to your home to pick it up.

If you decide to go the vitrigraph route, here's how I've got one of my kilns up and out of the way. This is one of my studio doors, so there are studs on each side of the door frame. Simple metal shelf from a restaurant supply company. I cut a few of the bars with my Dremel tool to allow me to pull cane.