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"test firing" new gas kiln- help please!

updated wed 15 may 02

 

Tamara Schulz on tue 14 may 02


Hi,
The community arts & craft center where I work just installed 2 new gas
kilns, a Laguna brick downdraft and a Geil fiber lined downdraft.
The ventilation system is currently being installed. Today I was told by the
manager and the head of the maintanance dept. that they want to "test fire"
the kilns this week. I asked what they meant by "test fire" and was told
that they would bring the kilns up to max. temp(cone 10) to see if the
ventilation system could handle it.
Okay, bells and whistles are going off in my head. Aren't you supposed to do
a bisque fire first? or break a kiln in slowly? Will it hurt the kilns to
bring them rapidly to cone 10? They will be empty of course.
Is it okay to go to the max. temp without doing a break in bisque first? If
so, how long should it take to go to temp?
We are LONG over due for these kilns so I don't want to see anything go
wrong. I need all the info/advice I can get on this.
Thank you all so much.

Tamara
Nervous in Okinawa----but the weather is wonderful. Hot and SUNNY even
though the rainy season has officially started!