jennifer on wed 25 jul 01
Well I have been lerking for about a year. Not sure of what to say, or =
if I had enough experience to reply. I just bought an older Paragon =
kiln.( I had been doing woodfiring for 3 months before.) I had to rewire =
the plug and rewire my garage. At first I was excited and now it has =
been 1 month and I still havent used it. I have only been throwing for a =
year, but fell completely in love . I have taken 2 classes and I just =
want to do it right. We never had anything to do with the firing process =
in the classes I have taken. I am not sure how to begin. So I guess =
what I am asking is just some info on firing. =20
Thank you,
Jennifer
L. P. Skeen on wed 25 jul 01
Howdy. I'm betting you have a Paragon A-99B. That's what I have, but no
matter what, the firing schedule I have always used is this:
2 hours on low
2 hours on medium
High til the cone breaks and shuts the kiln down, usually about 6 hours for
^6 (in my kiln).
Be careful when you load that the bottoms of your pots are clean and there
are no pots touching each other, the walls, the kiln posts or the bottom of
the shelf above them. You can use a ruler stretched between 2 posts to
check clearance of objects between the posts. You want posts at 12:00,
3:00, 6:00, and 9:00 on a round kiln, and also you want 1" posts underneath
the bottom shelf at those positions and in the center.
Good luck and happy firing!
Lisa
----- Original Message -----
From: jennifer
To:
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2001 10:05 AM
Subject: kilns: paragon: help need with first firing!!!
Well I have been lerking for about a year. Not sure of what to say, or if I
had enough experience to reply. I just bought an older Paragon kiln.( I had
been doing woodfiring for 3 months before.) I had to rewire the plug and
rewire my garage. At first I was excited and now it has been 1 month and I
still havent used it. I have only been throwing for a year, but fell
completely in love . I have taken 2 classes and I just want to do it right.
We never had anything to do with the firing process in the classes I have
taken. I am not sure how to begin. So I guess what I am asking is just some
info on firing.
Thank you,
Jennifer
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Julie Ryan on thu 26 jul 01
Jennifer,
I bought a used Paragon kiln too. Mine did not come with a manual, but I was
able to get one from Paragon for about $10. You can call them at
800-876-4328. You'll feel a lot more confident if you're follwing their
directions.
Do a few bisque firings and then get a glaze firing together. You may want
to buy a few commercial glazes as you test your own glazes (assuming you
want to go that way -- commercial glazes are pretty expensive to be using
all the time).
Always load your kiln with three posts - this is the most stable
configuration. If you have 1/2 round shelves, you'll use a post at each
"corner" of the shelf, and one at the middle of the round edge. Line up the
posts on each layer of shelves with the posts beneath. If you've never
loaded or fired a kiln before, ask the teacher at the school where you took
classes if you can watch her/him load and fire. That's the best way to
learn.
Good luck!
Julie Ryan in Dallas
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