Fran Schwartz on thu 1 jul 99
Dear clayarters,
For the last few years,since retirement, I've obsessed over clay and
taken continuing education courses,(all the firing was done by the school)
and, still trying "to find my own voice,"I'm now I'm setting up a small
studio, bought an 18" L&L kiln, and have done a few bisque firings and on ^04
glaze firing..but all I've done is put a jr. cone in the kiln sitter,begun on
low for 2 hrs.,medium for two,and then let the kiln fire off.
Now in my reading your postings,the archives,books,etc. I read about
raising the temp so many degrees an hour, or soaking at a certain temp. etc.
Obviously, I can't do that with the equipment I have.
Should I buy a controller now? What about a pyrometer?
Is there a book that is available, and in a very simple style that
will hold my hand through a firing that I control ?
Any help you can give about the specifics of what exactly I should
have and where I can get the "things" I need to use my kiln will be greatly
appreciated.
If this is all too elementary for a response to the list, would you
e-mail me at Franandal@aol.com? TIA for any help, Fran Schwartz
Christine Laginess on fri 2 jul 99
Hi
a great resource available for firing electric kilns is Richard Zakin's book,
"Electric Kiln Ceramics" Hope that helps...
Christine
Heidrun Schmid on sat 3 jul 99
Dear Fran, if you are happy with the result of your cone 04 glaze firing, than
that is what you do! I have a friend who has a similar firing schedule as you do
only she goes up to cone 6 and she has no other control than the little cone on
the kiln sitter. Her glazes are beautiful and look different from mine (same
recipes, same clay) which are fired by electronic control. I often get overfired
glazes because the electronic control reads temperatures different from the cone
But that really does not matter as long as we are satisfied with the result, no
matter how we arrive at it and as long as it is more or less repeatable! Do your
own thing and it is o.k.! Heidrun
Fran Schwartz wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Dear clayarters,
> For the last few years,since retirement, I've obsessed over clay and
> taken continuing education courses,(all the firing was done by the school)
> and, still trying "to find my own voice,"I'm now I'm setting up a small
> studio, bought an 18" L&L kiln, and have done a few bisque firings and on ^04
> glaze firing..but all I've done is put a jr. cone in the kiln sitter,begun on
> low for 2 hrs.,medium for two,and then let the kiln fire off.
> Now in my reading your postings,the archives,books,etc. I read about
> raising the temp so many degrees an hour, or soaking at a certain temp. etc.
> Obviously, I can't do that with the equipment I have.
> Should I buy a controller now? What about a pyrometer?
> Is there a book that is available, and in a very simple style that
> will hold my hand through a firing that I control ?
> Any help you can give about the specifics of what exactly I should
> have and where I can get the "things" I need to use my kiln will be greatly
> appreciated.
> If this is all too elementary for a response to the list, would you
> e-mail me at Franandal@aol.com? TIA for any help, Fran Schwartz
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