William & Susan Schran User on fri 26 oct 07
On 10/25/07 8:42 PM, "Cheryl Fisher" wrote:
> The person who fired has been firing for 30+ years and only had this
> happen once before. She is very attentive to the kiln. She left for a
> period of time and it seemed that it went faster than normal. It was a
> cone 6 firing but went way above that if the cone evaporated. When she
> opened the kiln the cone had vaporized. The kiln person used the term
> "encapsulated cone" putting the blame on the cone. We had never heard
> that term so were asking to see if anyone else knew what he meant. I
> suggested she contact Orton.
That she "left for a period of time" concerns me since she was probably
guessing when the kiln might be shut down by the Kilnsitter and her
experience firing the kiln with worn out elements that was causing longer
firings.
Folks need to understand that the Kilnsitter should be used as a back-up
device. The Kilnsitter in this case may not have been adjusted properly or,
as sometimes happens, the small cone is not seated correctly, melts into a
blob holding the rod in place instead of letting it fall to shut off the
kiln.
As has been repeated many, many times - use witness cones.
That this individual has been firing for 30+ years AND has had this happen
before does mean she is experienced, but apparently has not learned from her
experience and is not knowledgeable about firing kilns.
So the everybody else out there - learn and become knowledgeable about your
kiln. The information is out there! Here's a couple resources to get
started:
http://www.paragonweb.com/Kiln_Pointers.cfm
http://www.hotkilns.com/fire-manual-kiln.html
http://www.skutt.com/support/support.html
http://www.ortonceramic.com/resources/
Ok, be warned! There will be a test at NCECA! Study hard! ;^)
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Taylor Hendrix on fri 26 oct 07
How much will this test affect our final grade? If I'm already getting
an A, do I have to take the test?
Just asking,
Taylor
On 10/26/07, William & Susan Schran User wrote:
...
> Ok, be warned! There will be a test at NCECA! Study hard! ;^)
...
Michael Wendt on fri 26 oct 07
May I chime in here:
As noted, mechanical relays have a finite
service life. Statistical models try to predict
how many times they will successfully open
and close but your results may vary.
When they fail, the usual result is a welded
contact in the powered position. This is going
to happen eventually if you fire enough.
It has happened to me twice. We only fire
during business hours and check the kiln
regularly by using a timer that rings annoyingly.
(hard to ignore or miss :-)))
Each time it happened, the kiln suddenly
accelerated the firing rate and it was clear
something was wrong so I shut it off.
I finally replaced the mechanical relays
the last time it happened with Mercury
displacement relays. Silent and reliable.
Since they rely on a small pool of mercury
to make contact when a plunger raises
the level of the liquid in the sealed chamber
to complete the circuit, the contacts cannot
stick in the contacted position and the kiln
has worked perfectly since.
Side note:
Like David Hendley, I had a near fire experience
with the 60 amp kiln plug and as a result,
hardwired it into a breaker box. No more troubles
in that department.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave.
Lewiston, Id 83501
U.S.A.
208-746-3724
wendtpot@lewiston.com
http://www.wendtpottery.com
http://UniquePorcelainDesigns.com
William & Susan Schran User on fri 26 oct 07
On 10/26/07 10:46 AM, "Taylor Hendrix" wrote:
> How much will this test affect our final grade? If I'm already getting
> an A, do I have to take the test?
Yes, you have to take the test, even Mel won't get away, but you're getting
the special essay question too since you don't know the difference between
45 and 450!
Bill
May Luk on fri 26 oct 07
Hello All;
If the kiln doesn't come with a plug, then everybody will be forced to hardwire. (ahem, like in England) This advice should be given to the kiln manufacturers rather than the potters. I just wired my kiln. I told the electrician twice I need the kiln hardwired. But when his colleagues came, they saw the plug and they just wired it for the plug. (softwire?) I was having such an eventful kiln delivery that I have no energy to dispute. Now I would have to wire it properly later on.
Regards
May
Kings County
[...]Like David Hendley, I had a near fire experience
with the 60 amp kiln plug and as a result,
hardwired it into a breaker box. No more troubles
in that department
Michael Wendt
Doreen P. Diamond on sat 27 oct 07
I am still in the process of having my new L&L Kiln installed, which includes the kiln sitter.? I am totally new to firing a kiln.? I've read over the manual numerous times and even though they mention how to use cones, they don't state if they?are necessary with my type of kiln.? I went to a large local ceramic distributor that sells my kiln to purchase some cones-, (among some other supplies I needed),-?and was told that they were 'not necessary' with the kiln I purchased.??Are cones necessary with the new kilns or not?
Doreen Diamond?
-----Original Message-----
From: William & Susan Schran User
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Fri, 26 Oct 2007 9:06 am
Subject: Re: cones, now a warning and resources
On 10/25/07 8:42 PM, "Cheryl Fisher" wrote:
> The person who fired has been firing for 30+ years and only had this
> happen once before. She is very attentive to the kiln. She left for a
> period of time and it seemed that it went faster than normal. It was a
> cone 6 firing but went way above that if the cone evaporated. When she
> opened the kiln the cone had vaporized. The kiln person used the term
> "encapsulated cone" putting the blame on the cone. We had never heard
> that term so were asking to see if anyone else knew what he meant. I
> suggested she contact Orton.
That she "left for a period of time" concerns me since she was probably
guessing when the kiln might be shut down by the Kilnsitter and her
experience firing the kiln with worn out elements that was causing longer
firings.
Folks need to understand that the Kilnsitter should be used as a back-up
device. The Kilnsitter in this case may not have been adjusted properly or,
as sometimes happens, the small cone is not seated correctly, melts into a
blob holding the rod in place instead of letting it fall to shut off the
kiln.
As has been repeated many, many times - use witness cones.
That this individual has been firing for 30+ years AND has had this happen
before does mean she is experienced, but apparently has not learned from her
experience and is not knowledgeable about firing kilns.
So the everybody else out there - learn and become knowledgeable about your
kiln. The information is out there! Here's a couple resources to get
started:
http://www.paragonweb.com/Kiln_Pointers.cfm
http://www.hotkilns.com/fire-manual-kiln.html
http://www.skutt.com/support/support.html
http://www.ortonceramic.com/resources/
Ok, be warned! There will be a test at NCECA! Study hard! ;^)
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
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Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery on sun 28 oct 07
On Oct 27, 2007, at 9:41 PM, Doreen P. Diamond wrote:
> I am still in the process of having my new L&L Kiln installed,
> which includes the kiln sitter.? I am totally new to firing a
> kiln.? I've read over the manual numerous times and even though
> they mention how to use cones, they don't state if they?are
> necessary with my type of kiln.? I went to a large local ceramic
> distributor that sells my kiln to purchase some cones-, (among some
> other supplies I needed),-?and was told that they were 'not
> necessary' with the kiln I purchased.??Are cones necessary with the
> new kilns or not?
>
> Doreen Diamond?
Hi Doreen,
If your kiln has a controller, you will need witness cones in the
peep holes to make sure the kiln reaches temperature.
I would not assume that the thermocouple is correct--you will need
to tune it or adjust the cone you program in. You should bracket the
witness cones, at least at the beginning, until you know how this
thermocouple works. (By bracketing, I mean that you should have the
cone you are aiming for, for example cone 6, with the next one cooler
in front of it, and the next one hotter in back of it: cones 5,6,7 in
a row.) It may take a couple of firings to get it to fire the way you
like. Make sure you are around for the firing! The only way to assure
that the firing ends properly is to be there and make sure it does,
in fact, shut off after reaching temperature.
Good luck!
Lynn
Lynn Goodman
Fine Porcelain Pottery
Cell 347-526-9805
www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
WJ Seidl on sun 28 oct 07
Doreen:
Please see my recent "semi-rant" .
Yes, you do need cones.
You need cones in the kiln sitter, and you need witness cones to tell
you when the heat work for your work has been reached.
Don't listen to that "person" at the distributor. Just thank them,
smile, and buy the cones anyway. If you fire to cone 6, you will need cones
5,6,and 7, plus cone 6 bars for the kiln sitter. (One cone below, one
cone at and one cone above your firing range, plus the range cone or bar
for the sitter.)
Best,
Wayne Seidl
Doreen P. Diamond wrote:
> I am still in the process of having my new L&L Kiln installed, which includes the kiln sitter.? I am totally new to firing a kiln.? I've read over the manual numerous times and even though they mention how to use cones, they don't state if they?are necessary with my type of kiln.? I went to a large local ceramic distributor that sells my kiln to purchase some cones-, (among some other supplies I needed),-?and was told that they were 'not necessary' with the kiln I purchased.??Are cones necessary with the new kilns or not?
>
> Doreen Diamond?
>
>
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