The Sherman's on fri 7 feb 03
Wes Rolley wrote:
Make sure that you pay attention to the instructions for "skip step" as that
is how you can move on to the slow cool steps after you have reached the
proper temperature...per real cones.
I have owned my Skutt 1027-3 for 3 years. I fire it 1-2 times a month (also
continue to use my old Evenheat I started out with). When deciding which
kiln to buy I looked at a number of kiln manufactures and different types of
electric kilns. As a student assistant in an art center located on a
university campus, but not associated with the ceramics department, I had
been exposed to several brands of electric kilns, the firing methods, and
needed maintenance. The 1027-3 has 6.4 instead of 7.0 cubic feet inside
due to the 3 inch brick. The shelves are also smaller. It has no sitter
cone, only a thermocoupler. I decided on this kiln because I wanted to have
the ability to go higher than cone 6, have reliable firings, and more
insulation to save money. I use witness cones in 3 areas of the kiln, set
the max firing temp alarm with each firing, and vent the kiln to outside the
basement studio with a homemade vent system. My firing schedule includes
slow cooling down to 1100 degrees F.
Some observations I have made over the few of years experience I have with
the kiln:
1) It costs me the same amount of money to fire the Skutt as the Evenheat
(it is a 4320 with 2.6 cu ft).
2) Witness cones place in 3 spots in the Shutt, including on pack visible
from a peep, demonstrate very consistent and uniform firing. The firing
length of time is also very consistent.
3) The high temperature alarm has never gone off, even though I set it 5
degrees above my end temp.
4) I have never had to override the programming and "skip step" based on
the witness cones, although I am always there and prepared to do so. I
usually start a glaze firing in the early evening, close the kiln before
going to bed, and am in the studio as the kiln nears cone 6 the next
morning. The alarm is audible in my bedroom.
5) The kiln has been moved once. After resetting up the kiln the LED on
the controller display was not reading all the segments of the numbers. I
found Skutt customer service to be excellent and was sent a new touch pad
promptly, along with clear installation instructions.
6) As the kiln and its parts age I will probably start to have more
problems. The Evenheat was bought used in 1994 and, based on the literature
that came with the kiln, was made in the early 80's. Have replaced the
switches and elements several times and done numerous brick repairs. It's
been moved 3 times and was even dropped off a dolly once. Will still reach
cone 8 but has difficulty. An excellent 1st kiln for me!
This is not intended to be an advertisement for Skutt or Evenheat. There
have been several threads this week in firing, kilns, 3 inch insulation, and
cooling. I thought my experiences with this kiln might help the group when
thinking about kilns. Has anyone had a different experience with Skutt or
had even better experiences with others?
Marcey Sherman
Zephyr Pottery......out on Long Island where a fresh blanket of snow is
being deposited today. Looks like we're up to about 5 inches with no signs
of quitting. New fresh snow, will have to go for a walk later... after I
get some handles pulled.
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