I've got nothing against infernos just not in the house

February 5, 2007 1:24 PM

Would very much appreciate any advice on building a Lehr. My understanding of it is that it's pretty much a Kiln but with three sections. (Please correct if I'm off track) One section is very hot and contains contains a crucible with molten glass, another is to use while working with the glass to maintain temperature ect. and a third for very slow cooling. Any ideas, hypothetical and/or possibly related suggestions just as welcome. It will need to be rental-friendly, as in relocateable but apart from that consider all things to be possible.
posted by mu~ha~ha~ha~har to sports, hobbies, & recreation (3 comments total)

One thing to consider is the electrical demands. My dad bought a kiln, and had to get a new line run in from the street--that cost about as much as the kiln itself.
posted by MrMoonPie at 2:40 PM on February 5, 2007

I believe that a Lehr does not generally contain a crucible as would be used for offhand glass blowing, although the ones used for industrial glass recycling may melt and mix the glass in some way -- I've never seen one of those and I'm sure it would be much bigger than you are looking for.

What do you mean by 'rental-friendly'? Are you renting a house, apartment, or a large workshop with a concrete floor and industrial sized gas supply? What are you using the Lehr for, and will it be gas or electric powered?

A good reference for general kiln building is Glass Notes, but IIR the word 'Lehr' does not appear in it. I have an older edition though.
posted by yohko at 4:57 PM on February 5, 2007

I can't help you but I bet you might get help or find something in the archives over at warmglass. It's the best kiln formed glass resource I've found and there are extremely knowledgeable and helpful people that hang out there.
Mrmoompie has a point about the power. I don't think you'll get an electric kiln above 1800F, and even that's pulling a lot of juice. But a lot depends on what you'll be doing. If you really want a crucible of molten glass I think you'll need a gas fired kiln. I've been researching building my own kiln and to get up to 2200F you'll need upwards of 100,000 BTU, or a gallon an hour, or $80 a day some I'm told. Keep in mind that getting a molten crucible for blowing meaning a day or two of heating to working temp. Most glass blowers have a separate electric annealing kiln that's easier to control precisely.
Right now I'm really happy with my two electric glass kilns. A good controller lets you pulll off some neat stuff.
If you have any specific questions, I might be able to help some more but probably not as much as the people over at warmglass. My email is in the profile.
posted by princelyfox at 9:07 PM on February 5, 2007