PRICE@MASTER.PS.UCI.EDU on sat 20 jul 96
I am getting ready to (finally) buy a kiln controller. Since I generally fire
rather high, I want one that uses a platinum (type R or S) thermocouple.
Do any of the commercially available controllers take such a thermocouple?
TIA.
LeRoy Price
Spehro Pefhany on sat 20 jul 96
PRICE@MASTER.PS.UCI.EDU wrote:
: ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
: I am getting ready to (finally) buy a kiln controller. Since I generally fire
: rather high, I want one that uses a platinum (type R or S) thermocouple.
: Do any of the commercially available controllers take such a thermocouple?
Yes, the Perfect Fire controllers (made by CIC) are available with type R
thermouple input, as well as the more usual inputs.
There is a only a slight price premium for the controller, but of course
the thermocouple is much more expensive because of the high cost of
precise platinum/rhodium alloys.
S.P.
Pat Colyar on mon 14 feb 05
Kim,
I can't say enough good things about the retrofitted Skutt
controllers that we use at the Kirkland Arts Center. They're wall
mounted, easily, logically programmable, and there is no rewiring
involved: you simply plug the kiln into them, and the controller
into the receptacle.
The three kilns (Skutt anf Crucible) also have timers and
kiln-sitters, and I can't imagine resting easy with a kiln that
only has a computer controller without a backup shutoff system.
On particularly slow sculpture firings, sometimes the cone
bending shuts the kiln off before the program is finished, but
that is the proper result, just means I could have fine-tuned the
program better.
All you purists may tut-tut about those of us that trust that
our kilns will shut off appropriately and go home and sleep well
at night, but that ignores the monetary and time constraints of
schools and art centers such as ours that have a large volume of
bisque and part-time staff.
Skutt is in the Portland, OR area, and has offered good tech
support for my queries. Good luck! Pat Colyar, in
snowy (!) Gold Bar, WA
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