Port Townsend on sat 8 dec 01
I have question about the proper loading technique for an electric kiln.
I just bought a Skutt model no. KS 1018 with kiln vent. The instruction
manual really doesn't go into the basics of shelf-spacing but I have two
friends with diametrically opposed opinions on the matter. One person
says that the shelves should always be staggered, so there is space
between them for air flow and heat cirulation. (Makes sense to me.) The
other friend insists that kiln shelves should butt up edge to edge. She
says its a less efficient use of space to do it the other way, and this
system has always been used at the pottery center where she worked. Both
people have used electric kilns for a long time and have much more
experience than I do. Does anyone out there have an expert opinion to
offer? This kiln is used both for bisque firing (cone 06) and glaze
firing (cone 6). We usually fire mixed loads of functional type ware
and decorative tiles. Thanks!
Laura Reutter
cedar@olypen.com
Cl Litman on sun 9 dec 01
I used to butt the shelves together and when I started using cone packs
on each shelf I noticed a 2 cone difference from top to bottom. I talked
with Perry at Skutt and he suggested putting the bottom shelf on a 1"
post (I had it on a 1/2") and staggering the shelves and doing a soak.
After that the difference was no more than half a cone. Since I made
several changes at once, I can't say which change contributed the most to
even out the firing but together it worked.
Cheryl Litman - NJ
cheryllitman@juno.com
On Sat, 8 Dec 2001 02:27:37 -0800 Port Townsend
writes:
> I have question about the proper loading technique for an electric
> kiln.
> I just bought a Skutt model no. KS 1018 with kiln vent. The
> instruction
> manual really doesn't go into the basics of shelf-spacing but I have
> two
> friends with diametrically opposed opinions on the matter. One
> person
> says that the shelves should always be staggered, so there is space
> between them for air flow and heat cirulation. (Makes sense to me.)
> The
> other friend insists that kiln shelves should butt up edge to edge.
> She
> says its a less efficient use of space to do it the other way, and
> this
> system has always been used at the pottery center where she worked.
> Both
> people have used electric kilns for a long time and have much more
> experience than I do. Does anyone out there have an expert opinion
> to
> offer? This kiln is used both for bisque firing (cone 06) and glaze
> firing (cone 6). We usually fire mixed loads of functional type
> ware
> and decorative tiles. Thanks!
>
> Laura Reutter
> cedar@olypen.com
>
>
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Dannon Rhudy on sun 9 dec 01
A
.....question about the proper loading technique
for an electric kiln.....
.... One person
>says that the shelves should always be staggered,... The
>other friend insists that kiln shelves should butt up edge to edge....
For electric kilns I prefer to stagger the shelves, the same
as I prefer that for gas kilns. I like to give the heat some
openings to move around/stay more even.
If you stack the shelves level, then
at least leave a gap between the shelves to help the kiln fire
evenly.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Earl Brunner on sun 9 dec 01
Staggering the shelves is more critical in a fuel burning kiln in my opinion. If
all of your elements are working properly staggering shouldn't be an issue,
especially if you have one of the newer models that has more than one pyrometer
probe and self adjusts. I have fired two Skutt 1027's at the art center for 5
years now and I don't worry about it. My standard practice is to lay the shelves
evenly unless I split the height to accommodate different size pieces.
Port Townsend wrote:
> I have question about the proper loading technique for an electric kiln.
> I just bought a Skutt model no. KS 1018 with kiln vent. The instruction
> manual really doesn't go into the basics of shelf-spacing but I have two
> friends with diametrically opposed opinions on the matter. One person
> says that the shelves should always be staggered, so there is space
> between them for air flow and heat cirulation. (Makes sense to me.) The
> other friend insists that kiln shelves should butt up edge to edge. She
> says its a less efficient use of space to do it the other way, and this
> system has always been used at the pottery center where she worked. Both
> people have used electric kilns for a long time and have much more
> experience than I do. Does anyone out there have an expert opinion to
> offer? This kiln is used both for bisque firing (cone 06) and glaze
> firing (cone 6). We usually fire mixed loads of functional type ware
> and decorative tiles. Thanks!
>
> Laura Reutter
> cedar@olypen.com
>
>
Cindy Strnad on sun 9 dec 01
Dear Laura,
For best air flow and equalization of heat, you'll
want to stagger the shelves. However, this is not
an absolute. If it doesn't work out that way for
me (ie: I want to put all the mugs on the bottom
level), I just make sure there's a respectable
crack between the shelf halves. Since I fire quite
slowly, this seems to work just fine.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels Pottery
RR 1, Box 51
Custer, SD 57730
USA
cindy@earthen-vessels-pottery.com
http://www.earthen-vessels-pottery.com
Maid O'Mud on sun 9 dec 01
I've mostly used full round shelves, so they are not staggered. My kiln
fires very evenly from top to bottom whether I'm firing to ^6 or ^10. I
pack VERY fully - maybe that is part of the equation.
sam
Maid O'Mud Pottery
Melbourne, Ontario
CANADA
Cindi Anderson on sun 9 dec 01
Cheryl, did you have a vent system? I've never had such a temperature delta
doing it your old way, but I have a vent. I wonder if that is the
difference.
I would love to know what difference a 1" at the bottom makes over a 1/2"
though.
Cindi
Fremont, CA
vince pitelka on sun 9 dec 01
I've never liked the inherent stacking inefficiency in staggered shelves,
and have used this method only in cross-draft salt and wood kilns, where it
really helps circulation through the kiln. Otherwise I have never seen the
necessity of staggering shelves to achieve even firings in gas or electric
kilns. An electric kiln fired reasonably slowly usually fires pretty evenly
top to bottom. To help insure this, when glaze firing in an electric with
manual switches I like to keep the bottom element one setting ahead of the
top two. In otherwords, I turn the bottom element to low, and two hours
later turn the bottom to medium and the others to low, two hours later the
bottom to high and the others to medium, two hours later the others to high.
When firing a normal hodge-podge mix of stuff in an electric kiln, stacking
efficiency is pretty drastically compromised with staggered shelves. I like
to use the shelves side-by-side because it is more efficient, and even more
so when you use common posting, where one post surpports two adjacent
shelves. It is amazing the number of people who do not use common posting,
instead using six posts per level, three under each shelf, which wastes
space and furniture. You only need four posts per level, using a single
common post at either end of the joint where the two shelves meet. This is
standard practice in all our gas and electric kilns.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
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