Denise Kupiszewski on thu 13 jan 00
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Anybody out there that can guide me or give a =22hands-on=22 workshop in =
firing an
Olympic kiln (with crank) in reduction =5E6? Please respond to: Denise at
peroche=40intrepid.net
Norman van der Sluys on fri 14 jan 00
Hi Denise,
I got my Olympic 23 inch raku kiln last May. I use it for raku, of course, but
also for bisque at cone 06 and stoneware fired to ^6 or ^7 in reduction. I hav
done 5 firings so far and am pleased with the results.
A few pointers: The way the ware is stacked is quite important for maintaining
even temps throughout the kiln. Olympic recommends a top shelf 1 = in. from the
top as a heat baffle. I have followed this in all but one firing - just before
Christmas, with a small load of must do stuff. Of the five ^6 firings I have don
so far, three have come through with less than a cone difference in temp from
topto bottom in the kiln, one with about one cone difference and one with closer
to 2 cones, the bottom being the hottest :-( That load had a bunch of flat stuf
loaded to the bottom and a few large pieces up top.
I have an analog pyrometer that is very useful for the raku stuff and for the
bisque fire - I don't use a cone any more for that, but for the glaze firing in
reduction cones are essential. Be sure to build your stack so the posts don't
block the peep holes. I try to keep the cone packs in the center of the shelf,
which means leaving a sight line from the peep hole to the cones. Be sure your
kiln is set rock solid because raising and lowering the kiln body produces a bit
of vibration. make sure your shelves are solidly stacked as well - you don't wa
a wobble!
One difference from conventional round kilns when loading is the fact that when
the kiln is open the peep holes are not in their final position. I made a stick
like a carpenter's story pole. On it I have marked the height of the peep holes
when closed. Incidentally, I find the top peep hole is about useless as it come
right about at the level of that top shelf.
I hope this gets you started. I like the kiln very much. We get really pure
colors, perhaps because it is new - our other kiln did duty at a community colle
for twelve years before we bought it for $199. We love it for its mellow result
but the purity is a nice change. The smaller size of the Olympic enables us to
loads of a single glaze and experiment with new firing techniques. You can see a
picture of it on our website.
I'm posting this to the list as well as directly to you. Perhaps others have so
input. Feel free to ask me any questions you have.
Norman van der Sluys
http://jackpottery.tripod.com
Denise Kupiszewski wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> -------------------
> Anybody out there that can guide me or give a "hands-on" workshop in firing an
> Olympic kiln (with crank) in reduction ^6? Please respond to: Denise at
> peroche@intrepid.net
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