Josh Berkus on mon 15 sep 08
On Monday 15 September 2008 19:46, John Rodgers wrote:
> have Paragon cone 10 kilns with the three inch brick - and I discovered
> something unexpected when I high fired the first time - and, by the way,
> this discovery is not unique to Paragon, but all high fire 3 inch brick
> kilns .... it takes significantly longer to do a complete firing cycle.
Also, if you do regularly fire to Cone 10, you wear out the coils a lot
faster.
I'm not sure it takes much longer to do a Cone 6 firing, though. Watching my
firing graph, something like 1/3 of the total firing time is spent between
Cone 6 and Cone 10 ... it's really pushing things for an electric kiln. It
does take a long time to cool, though.
--
Josh "the Fuzzy" Berkus
San Francisco
Pat's Pottery on mon 15 sep 08
I have been having my pottery fired in a community kiln for the last three
years. I have my own wheel, a dedicated studio and make my own glazes. Its
time for my own kiln!
I need to put it in my garage, and use my dryer outlet (240 volt, 30 amp
circuit). I was thinking of ordering this Paragon Kiln
http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/kilns/BCSBLKKiln.htm but just found
out the plug is different then the one on my dryer. I have a 10-30 plug
and theirs comes with 6-30 plug. Can the plug be changed out easily and do
you have any other small kilns I should check out before buying this one?
Any other advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
Pat
************************************
Pat Parker's Stoneware Pottery
Web Site: http://www.stonewarepottery.net/
***********************************
Lynn Goodman Porcelain Pottery on mon 15 sep 08
>
Hi Pat,
How many watts is your dryer? That may be the issue. Since the
amperage matches, you might consider calling up Paragon to see if it
would be safe to change the plug.
Lynn
> I need to put it in my garage, and use my dryer outlet (240 volt,
> 30 amp
> circuit). I was thinking of ordering this Paragon Kiln
> http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/kilns/BCSBLKKiln.htm but
> just found
> out the plug is different then the one on my dryer. I have a
> 10-30 plug
> and theirs comes with 6-30 plug. Can the plug be changed out
> easily and do
> you have any other small kilns I should check out before buying
> this one?
> Any other advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
> Pat
Lynn Goodman
Fine Porcelain Pottery
Cell 347-526-9805
www.lynngoodmanporcelain.com
John Rodgers on mon 15 sep 08
Pat,
I took a look at the kiln referenced and that looks like a pretty kool
little kin well designed to fill a special niche. One caution - I too
have Paragon cone 10 kilns with the three inch brick - and I discovered
something unexpected when I high fired the first time - and, by the way,
this discovery is not unique to Paragon, but all high fire 3 inch brick
kilns .... it takes significantly longer to do a complete firing cycle.
This caught me by surprise. I just had not thought of it, and it ws not
expected, that is all. It is normal, given the thcker bricks, that you
have much more mass to heat and cool so it is going to take longer for
the process. So you might want to look carefully at your firing cycle
needs before you commit.
Regards,
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
Pat's Pottery wrote:
> I have been having my pottery fired in a community kiln for the last
> three
> years. I have my own wheel, a dedicated studio and make my own
> glazes. Its
> time for my own kiln!
>
> I need to put it in my garage, and use my dryer outlet (240 volt, 30 amp
> circuit). I was thinking of ordering this Paragon Kiln
> http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/kilns/BCSBLKKiln.htm but just
> found
> out the plug is different then the one on my dryer. I have a 10-30 plug
> and theirs comes with 6-30 plug. Can the plug be changed out easily
> and do
> you have any other small kilns I should check out before buying this one?
> Any other advise you could give me would be greatly appreciated.
> Pat
> ************************************
> Pat Parker's Stoneware Pottery
> Web Site: http://www.stonewarepottery.net/
> ***********************************
>
>
May Luk on tue 16 sep 08
Hello Pat;
Before you order any kiln, call an electrician to come give a free quote on=
hard-wiring the kiln. Give him the spec of the kiln you are thinking of bu=
ying and let him see if there's enough juice and give advise on the wiring,=
etc.
And....don't make a platter 17" wide. :-)
Regards
May
Brooklyn NY
>=20
> > I need to put it in my garage, and use my dryer outlet
> (240 volt,
> > 30 amp
> > circuit). I was thinking of ordering this Paragon
> Kiln
> >
> http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/kilns/BCSBLKKiln.htm
> but
> > just found
> > out the plug is different then the one on my dryer. I
> have a
> > 10-30 plug
> > and theirs comes with 6-30 plug. Can the plug be
> changed out
> > easily and do
> > you have any other small kilns I should check out
> before buying
> > this one?
> > Any other advise you could give me would be greatly
> appreciated.
> > Pat
>=20
=0A=0A=0A
Chip Richards on wed 17 sep 08
I too am thinking about buying the "Biggest Little Kiln", based on its specs
and my positive experiences with Paragon kilns over the past couple of years.
I'd love any advice or comments anybody might have about it. Just for
reference, it's here:
http://www.bigceramicstore.com/Supplies/kilns/BCSBLKKiln.htm
On Mon, Sep 15, 2008 at 09:46:14PM -0500, John Rodgers wrote:
> I took a look at the kiln referenced and that looks like a pretty kool
> little kin well designed to fill a special niche. One caution - I too have
> Paragon cone 10 kilns with the three inch brick - and I discovered something
> unexpected when I high fired the first time - and, by the way, this
> discovery is not unique to Paragon, but all high fire 3 inch brick kilns
> .... it takes significantly longer to do a complete firing cycle.
I've decided to postpone any notion of firing to cone 10 until I am in a
position to have a "fuel" kiln. Yes, electrics can do it, and I know that a
gas or wood kiln requires a lot more babysitting, but in my judgement, firing
to cone 10 in a regular consumer-grade electric kiln is just not The Way To
Go. (Am willing to be persuaded differently, though, so fire away.)
I currently have a tiny little Skutt, a KM-614-3, that's rated to cone 6.
It's a fine kiln, and I've fired it to cone 5 a lot of times, but it always
seems like The Little Engine that could--it's really straining to make those
last few tens of degrees. Never tried going to cone 6, and now that I've been
firing it for a couple years, I'm not even interested in trying.
BigCeramicStore, the ones who are selling the Paragon-made BLK, wisely
recommend buying a "hotter" kiln than you plan to fire. That's why the BLK
seems like such a great idea to me: It's rated to cone 8, so should do the
currently-popular cone 6 without a lot of sweat. And it won't require a
three- or four-figure electrician visit to install a higher-amperage circuit
in my thirty-five-year-old crackerbox house. I'll take their word that it's
as big inside as they could make it; it's certainly far larger than my Skutt.
> This caught me by surprise. I just had not thought of it, and it ws not
> expected, that is all. It is normal, given the thcker bricks, that you have
> much more mass to heat and cool so it is going to take longer for the
> process. So you might want to look carefully at your firing cycle needs
> before you commit.
Good advice. Even my little Skutt takes a goodly while to cool down after
getting to cone 5. Not long enough to satisfy the MC6G recommendation for
"slow cooling", but long enough to make me impatient to see the results! (But
then, I get impatient waiting for microwave popcorn, so maybe I'm not a good
example.)
--
Chip
May Luk on fri 19 sep 08
Hello Chip;
When I was in England, I have a similar size (slightly bigger, but not much=
) kiln. The couple I bought from put the kiln in the laundry shed in the ho=
use. The kiln is on wheels. When they fire, they wheel the kiln half way ou=
t the laundry room so there's no fume problem (There are no kiln vents in E=
nglish kilns)=20
When I have the kiln, I also wheel it closer to the door when firing, where=
's there more air flow, to fire. maybe the wheels would be helpful dependin=
g on your space.
Please hardware your kiln, if it's your home, don't mess with it. It's very=
easy to unplug when you move. Just a screwdriver will do. I done it myself=
. Don't feel like your kiln is stuck to the wall permanently hard-wiring it=
.
I have a (larger) Paragon now and I am very happy with it. The customer ser=
vice is very good and I enjoy Arnold Howard's e-newsletter. I fired to cone=
8/9. It's about 12 hours (max) glaze firing. (approx $29 with a rate of 38=
cent /KW)=20
May
Brooklyn NY
--- On Thu, 18/9/08, Chip Richards wrote:
> From: Chip Richards
> Subject: Re: Buying a small kiln
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Date: Thursday, 18 September, 2008, 3:06 AM
> I too am thinking about buying the "Biggest Little
> Kiln", based on its specs
> and my positive experiences with Paragon kilns over the
> past couple of years.
> I'd love any advice or comments anybody might have
> about it. Just for
> reference, it's here:
=0A=0A=0A
Chip Richards on sun 21 sep 08
Thanks for the response, May.
On Fri, Sep 19, 2008 at 01:40:43PM +0000, May Luk wrote:
> When I was in England, I have a similar size (slightly bigger, but not much)
> kiln. The couple I bought from put the kiln in the laundry shed in the
> house. The kiln is on wheels. When they fire, they wheel the kiln half way
> out the laundry room so there's no fume problem (There are no kiln vents in
> English kilns)
My main worry is the room getting too hot. I have my Skutt in a small
all-cement laundry room, and it increases the room temperature anywhere from 2
to 10 degrees during a firing. I'm quite nervous about firing a
three-times-larger kiln in that room, not so much because there's anything
particularly flammable in the room, but I seem to recall reading that the
controller box doesn't like to be above 115 degF (46 degC). I do plan to get
a vent for it, so I'm not as worried about fumes.
The idea about wheeling it closer to the door sounds like a good one, thanks.
I'm considering making a wheeled platform to set it on, and I think the cord
is long enough to let it get very close to the door. That, plus a
strategically placed fan or two, should control the heat buildup. I hope!
So how did you put your kiln on wheels? I was thinking of a fireproof
platform, like cement board or something, with regular casters underneath.
But would love some better ideas. I'd need flexible vent ducting too.
> Please hardware your kiln, if it's your home, don't mess with it. It's very
> easy to unplug when you move. Just a screwdriver will do. I done it
> myself. Don't feel like your kiln is stuck to the wall permanently
> hard-wiring it.
I know that larger kilns pretty much require hard-wiring, and it's recommended
even for smaller ones. I had planned to just plug this one into the dryer
outlet, where I've been running the dryer for 16 years without incident. Then
again, the dryer doesn't run for 10-12 hours straight, nor does it heat up the
room. What hazards arise from using an outlet as opposed to hard-wiring? I'm
not sure I can afford to have an electrician out, and I don't feel confident
doing it myself.
> I have a (larger) Paragon now and I am very happy with it. The customer
> service is very good and I enjoy Arnold Howard's e-newsletter.
One of the first messages I read on Clayart was from an established potter who
had bad experiences with Paragon kilns in the past, and at Mr. Howard's
request had tried one again. She was extremely pleased with the changes in
both the kiln and the company's customer support policies. I bought a very
small Paragon as my first kiln and it served honorably for a year and a half,
until I upgraded it with a newer version of itself, which has also done
workmanlike duty. And I have seen Arnold as an extremely knowledgable and
helpful member of this list, ready to step in with useful advice for any kiln,
Paragon or not, so the company definitely has my business!
> I fired to cone 8/9. It's about 12 hours (max) glaze firing. (approx $29
> with a rate of 38 cent /KW)
Holy crow, that's expensive! We have a time-of-use billing plan for
electricity, and can get it as low as 7 cents per kWh during off-peak times.
(I think; maybe it's gone up since the last time I looked.) I'd totally plotz
if I had to pay 38. You have my sympathy.
--
Chip
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