Sheri Butler, age 12, of Albuquerque, N.M., for her question:

HOW HOT DOES A KILN GET?

A kiln is a furnace in which ceramic pieces and some other clay materials are baked, burned, dried or melted. The temperature in some kilns reaches more than 32,00 degrees Fahrenheit.

Potters fire or bake ceramics in kilns to give the pieces permanent shape. Kilns are also used to dry grain and lumber, to harden bricks and for other industrial purposes.

Electricity or natural fuels can be used to heat kilns. But oil  and gas kilns can fire at higher temperatures than most electric kilns.  Tunnel kilns, widely used in industry, can bake many items at once.  Temperatures in brick kiln s. range between 1600 and 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.