Lori Wilkinson on sun 16 jul 00
Sometime ago on Clayart I think I remember reading that an electric kiln
should be fired empty to protect or add to the life of the elements. Could
someone please address this. What was the reason for this? To what cone or
temp and how often? TIA
Lori
Tim & Lori Wilkinson
DOWN TO EARTH POTTERY
Roswell, New Mexico
LorWilk@dfn.com
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/1165/
WHew536674@CS.COM on sun 16 jul 00
Lori,
Usually kiln manufacturers recommend that you do a couple test firings at
come 020 and they include a couple cones for that purpose. Following that
you can go to a bisque and as far as I know, that's that!
Joyce A
chris@euclids.com on mon 17 jul 00
> Thanks for the input but If I am not mistaken, it had something to do with
> the life of the elements AFTER it had been fired for a while.
Hi Lori,
That`s right ... it can be a good idea to re-oxidize the elements @ roughly
half of there life span. In particular if they are exposed to an extremely
harsh environment.
If you take good notes, you can prove to yourself whether this can benefit
you or not.
Dorothy also remembered correctly about the initial oxidization firing ... "
The recommendation was to fire the kiln empty to 1050C (1922F) with peep
holes open and lid slightly raised.
Hold at temp for 8 hours. "
This firing should be supervised & watch out for overhead sprinklers & fire
alarms, since raising the lid slightly can let a considerable amount of heat
into the room.
Feel free to give us a call,
chris
chris@euclids.com
www.euclids.com
800-296-5456
BobWicks@AOL.COM on mon 17 jul 00
Hi Lori & Tim:
To my knowledge there is no reason to fire the kiln empty. The only thing
this proves is that it gets hot. I would advise to fire with cone wads on
each shelf to determine if the temperature is even on all shelves. Some Clay
Arts people have been spraying the elements with ITC before firing, however I
have been working in pottery since 1950 and can see no significant advantage.
When the elements burn out or have a heavy deposit of oxide on the surface
the kiln does not reach the required temperature and even then the only fix
is new elements.
Bob Wicks, Professor Emeritus, Art
Arnold Howard on mon 17 jul 00
Paragon recommends that a new kiln should be fired
empty the first time to cone 01. This temperature is
hot enough to soften the elements and seat them
properly in their recessed grooves. It will also form
an oxide coating on the elements for longer element
life. This procedure should also be followed when
elements are replaced.
Before firing, make sure the elements are not bulging
out from the grooves.
Arnold Howard
Paragon
--- Lori Wilkinson wrote:
> Sometime ago on Clayart I think I remember reading
> that an electric kiln
> should be fired empty to protect or add to the life
> of the elements. Could
> someone please address this. What was the reason
> for this? To what cone or
> temp and how often? TIA
>
> Lori
>
> Tim & Lori Wilkinson
> DOWN TO EARTH POTTERY
> Roswell, New Mexico
>
> LorWilk@dfn.com
> http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/1165/
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change
> your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be
> reached at melpots@pclink.com.
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Lori Wilkinson on mon 17 jul 00
Joyce,
Thanks for the input but If I am not mistaken, it had something to do with
the life of the elements AFTER it had been fired for a while. Or maybe it
was to "clean" or purge the brick from some,residue? I know about firing to
"condition" a new kiln or new elements. These "senior moments" are the
pits!
Lori
>Lori,
>Usually kiln manufacturers recommend that you do a couple test firings at
>come 020 and they include a couple cones for that purpose. Following that
>you can go to a bisque and as far as I know, that's that!
>Joyce A
>
GSM_ENT on mon 17 jul 00
H!
New kilns or kilns with one or more heating elements replaced should be
fired to cone 01 without any furnitute and all peephole plugs out. This will
create an oxide coating on the elements.
If you are interested in learning more Paragon Industries is having their
In-Plant kiln repair seminar this week at their plant in NE Dallas
(Mesquite) on Friday and Saturday (Jul 21 and 22, 2000). During the seminar
we also cover the Orton Firing Seminar for everyones benefit and better
understanding of what is required by the kiln to mature the pieces.
Their registration number is 1-800-876-4328.
Tony
----- Original Message -----
From: Lori Wilkinson
To:
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 8:24 AM
Subject: Electric Kiln Advise Needed
> Sometime ago on Clayart I think I remember reading that an electric kiln
> should be fired empty to protect or add to the life of the elements.
Could
> someone please address this. What was the reason for this? To what cone
or
> temp and how often? TIA
>
> Lori
>
> Tim & Lori Wilkinson
> DOWN TO EARTH POTTERY
> Roswell, New Mexico
>
> LorWilk@dfn.com
> http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Gallery/1165/
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
GSM_ENT on mon 17 jul 00
Hi!
The cono 20 firing cones that come with some new kilns is for the testing of
the functioning of the Kiln Sitter only!
Heating elements need to be fired to cone 01 in order to create an Aluminum
Oxide propective coating.
After that a number of "base test firings" should be done to find out the
"DELTA" of difference between your firing cone required and the proper 6
o'clock bending of your witness cones to assure proper maturity of the fired
pieces. If you wish a copy of the "Base Test Firing" instructions pls let me
know at GSM_ENT@MSN.COM
and I will E-Mail you a copy.
Regards,
Manuel R A "Tony" Diaz Rodriguez
MAJ., US Army (Ret.)
Master Kiln Repair Technician
Multi-Company Certified - Senior Educator
Multi-Company Product Certified Teacher
----- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Sunday, July 16, 2000 5:54 PM
Subject: Re: Electric Kiln Advise Needed
> Lori,
> Usually kiln manufacturers recommend that you do a couple test firings at
> come 020 and they include a couple cones for that purpose. Following that
> you can go to a bisque and as far as I know, that's that!
> Joyce A
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Dorothy Kelba on mon 17 jul 00
Lori,
There was a post from Chris @ Euclid's 2 years ago about firing electric
kilns to oxidize elements and extend their life.
The recommendation was to fire the kiln empty to 1050C (1922F) with peep
holes open and lid slightly raised.
Hold at temp for 8 hours. You may want to check the archives. The thread
was on itc and smoke or sagger firing (I think)
Dorothy Kelba
dkelba@telus.net
Vancouver, B.C.
Canada
Lori Wilkinson on tue 18 jul 00
Thanks for the replies guys. It looks as if there are several trains of
thought on the subject. It IS comforting to know that at least I wasn't
dreaming it. At my age, that sort of stuff gets pretty scary.
>> Thanks for the input but If I am not mistaken, it had something to do
with
>> the life of the elements AFTER it had been fired for a while.
>
>Hi Lori,
>That`s right ... it can be a good idea to re-oxidize the elements @ roughly
>half of there life span. In particular if they are exposed to an extremely
>harsh environment.
>If you take good notes, you can prove to yourself whether this can benefit
>you or not.
>Dorothy also remembered correctly about the initial oxidization firing ...
"
>The recommendation was to fire the kiln empty to 1050C (1922F) with peep
>holes open and lid slightly raised.
>Hold at temp for 8 hours. "
>This firing should be supervised & watch out for overhead sprinklers & fire
>alarms, since raising the lid slightly can let a considerable amount of
heat
>into the room.
>Feel free to give us a call,
>chris
>
>chris@euclids.com
> www.euclids.com
> 800-296-5456
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