I bought a 'beginner friendly' kiln shelf that cracked after two firings

Blair Patel · 2026-03-12T06:50:08.510426+00:00

So I was setting up my new garage studio last month and saw this kiln shelf online for $75. The ad said it was perfect for beginners and could handle up to 2000 degrees. I fired it twice on some simple color tests, and on the second cool down, I heard that awful ping sound. A huge crack went right across the middle. Now I'm out the money and have to wait for a new one to ship. Part of me thinks I should have just spent the extra $50 on the known brand from the start, but the other part says a good shelf shouldn't fail that fast no matter what. Has anyone else had a shelf fail super quick, and what brand do you actually trust?

avery6295mo ago

My old Skutt shelf lasted through three moves and like a hundred firings.

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the_ray6mo ago

Tbh that "awful ping sound" is basically the pottery version of a sad trombone.

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morganj816mo ago

Feel your pain, that sound is the worst. Had a cheap shelf from a craft store do the same thing on its first glaze firing. Makes you wonder what "beginner friendly" even means if it can't survive basic use.

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