centa on mon 17 apr 00
Hello,
I share with you my experience to save you from it! I have an old semi -
automatic kiln in that it has a different switch system that will
increase the power incrementally depending on the setting. Anyway,
beside the point. What happened, I believe, is that I put a heavy large
wide platter balanced on one kiln shelf (half the width of the kiln) at
the top of the kiln, balanced by tall, not very stable threee sided
stilts. What I imagine happened is that at some point in the firing the
shelf with platter toppled onto the kiln sitter and broke the mechanism
and from then on everythingproceeded to melt with the ever increasing
temperature, collapsing the shelves, the stilts, .... so that I have
quite a mess on my hands that I will attempt to hammer out to see if I
can save the kiln, minus some elements and brick. Sooooo, the lesson is,
to make sure you give enough support to your wares in the firing or
else! Fortunately, I have another smaller new Skutt kiln that I have yet
to really use because it is the 3 switch type (normal, but that I have
no experience with) with only the kiln sitter and no pyrometer. Think I
will get a digital pyrometer. Any current recommendations? Aside from
this disaster I can sort of see why the attraction to a fully automatic
deal, computerized and all. Has this discussion been beaten to the
ground? I mean, if you are going electric anyway, why not have as much
control as possible? Or is it only an illusion of control? Whatever, I
would like to have some control at some point!
Thanks for listening,
Centa
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