val on mon 31 may 04
Hi Simona,
Now I have a couple questions for you...LOL...did you fire inside and
then take it outside and raku it or how did you do it...I am dying to
try this in my back yard but a little nervous...you can email me off
line if you like..
Thanks
Val
Just to a thanks to all those who have offered advice or assistance.
Thought
you'd like to know that last night I tried to raku all by myself for the
very
first time w/my own kiln at my own home. Guess what? It worked! I am
especially pleased since this is a teeny jewelry kiln I'm usng & I'm
just making
guesses on how to fire it. I got good color, learned quite a bit, have
to learn
some more b/c my glazes are a bit dry, I'm guessing they didn't mature
completely. I was in a rush b/c my hubby was helping me & it was way
past his
bedtime LOL. Still, nothing cracked, nothing burnt down, I got good
color, good
smoking on the crackle, good reduction & no one called the fire dept.
Life is
good :-)
I picked up the book that someone suggest on electric kiln ceramics & I
see
there's a chapter on little test kilns, so I'm going to try firing it
using the
author's suggested schedule, but he never gives an expected length of
time to
reach temperature. The one thing that I don't know is if it's 'normal'
for
this little 8x8 (interior) jewelry kiln to take so long to reach
temperature?
It has 2 elements, which are wound in a way to create 4 rows of
elements, so I
think it s/b getting good heat, but it takes 2-3 hrs to get to 1850
degrees.
Since the interior is so tiny, I would've expected it to take a lot less
time. Does several hours seem reasonable for such a small kiln to heat
up?
Thanks everyone & I wish you all a safe Memorial Day!
Simona in sunny, warm Colorado
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Simona Drentea on mon 31 may 04
Just to a thanks to all those who have offered advice or assistance. Thought
you'd like to know that last night I tried to raku all by myself for the very
first time w/my own kiln at my own home. Guess what? It worked! I am
especially pleased since this is a teeny jewelry kiln I'm usng & I'm just making
guesses on how to fire it. I got good color, learned quite a bit, have to learn
some more b/c my glazes are a bit dry, I'm guessing they didn't mature
completely. I was in a rush b/c my hubby was helping me & it was way past his
bedtime LOL. Still, nothing cracked, nothing burnt down, I got good color, good
smoking on the crackle, good reduction & no one called the fire dept. Life is
good :-)
I picked up the book that someone suggest on electric kiln ceramics & I see
there's a chapter on little test kilns, so I'm going to try firing it using the
author's suggested schedule, but he never gives an expected length of time to
reach temperature. The one thing that I don't know is if it's 'normal' for
this little 8x8 (interior) jewelry kiln to take so long to reach temperature?
It has 2 elements, which are wound in a way to create 4 rows of elements, so I
think it s/b getting good heat, but it takes 2-3 hrs to get to 1850 degrees.
Since the interior is so tiny, I would've expected it to take a lot less
time. Does several hours seem reasonable for such a small kiln to heat up?
Thanks everyone & I wish you all a safe Memorial Day!
Simona in sunny, warm Colorado
Arnold Howard on tue 1 jun 04
Simona, several hours to reach 1850°F seems like a long time for an 8" x 8"
x 8" kiln on 120 volts. However, that may be normal for that kiln. You can
tell by looking at the electrical data plate on the side of the kiln. The
maximum temperature should be listed there. If the maximum temperature is
only 2000°F, then taking several hours to reach 1850 would probably be
average.
A long firing time could also be due to low voltage at the wall receptacle.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
arnoldhoward@att.net
--------------
From: "Simona Drentea"
> I picked up the book that someone suggest on electric kiln ceramics & I
see
> there's a chapter on little test kilns, so I'm going to try firing it
using the
> author's suggested schedule, but he never gives an expected length of time
to
> reach temperature. The one thing that I don't know is if it's 'normal'
for
> this little 8x8 (interior) jewelry kiln to take so long to reach
temperature?
> It has 2 elements, which are wound in a way to create 4 rows of elements,
so I
> think it s/b getting good heat, but it takes 2-3 hrs to get to 1850
degrees.
> Since the interior is so tiny, I would've expected it to take a lot less
> time. Does several hours seem reasonable for such a small kiln to heat
up?
Simona Drentea on tue 1 jun 04
<then take it outside and raku it or how did you do it...I am dying to
try this in my back yard but a little nervous...you can email me off
line if you like.. >>
I'll answer publicly b/c it may help others. My husband changed our dolly
configuration from upright to horizontal, so I keep the kiln on the dolly &
wheel it just outside my garage to the cement slab outside the door & fire it
there. It's in my dog's potty area & one thing I learned is that pea gravel is
not a very stable surface :-) I would reccomend doing it all on level ground or
cement if you can. My cement stoop is very small, so I fired on there,but I
reduced on the pea gravel. At one point while crouching & trying to get a lid
off of a reduction chamber, I lost my balance due to the uneven & shifting
ground. It could have been very bad if I'd had a hot piece out. If you have a
level driveway & aren't too concerned about the neighbors, your driveway would
prob'ly be the best bet.
We did it at midnight, so not too many neighbors were out & about LOL. And
even on this very small scale, I would rather do it with help. My hubby's job
was paper tossing & lidding the reduction bins. And I had a fire
extinguisher, plus a hose handy. If you have more specific questions, just ask, I'm happy
to share.
Simona in CO
Laurie Kneppel on tue 1 jun 04
Hi Simona,
Sounds like you had a good time! I haven't done a midnight raku firing
yet, but always seem to end up doing them after dark - maybe I am
attracted to the lovely orange glow of the kiln shell?
Just to add to the level surface idea - even though my raku kiln
started out on my concrete patio, I placed a layer of cinderblocks on
the patio to give an airspace between the floor of the kiln and the
patio because I worried the heat might cause the patio to crack. During
winter firings the amount of steam that came out from the holes in the
cinderblocks was pretty impressive, so I know it got plenty hot under
there and was probably good to have made that insulating airspace. The
way it was layered was patio>cinderblocks>layer of hard firebricks for
the kiln floor. Later on I got the bright idea to line the bottom of
the kiln with some leftover fiber blanket scraps. But it still got
pretty hot under the kiln! Now the kiln is further out in the backyard
because I wanted my patio back for my dog's wading pool. This is pretty
easy to do - level a dirt area and place cinderblocks on a layer of
sand. Tamp them down to get them level. Then I put inexpensive cement
pavers (from HD) around the outside so I would have a level area to
walk around the kiln and also a place to set the reduction containers
that was non-flammable and I wouldn't scorch the lawn - again. Don't
put your cans on the nice green lawn if you have one, after a couple
days you will notice there are round dead patches showing up! Oops!
To see my kiln space go to http://rockyraku.com/RakuFiring.html there
is a photo showing the pavers, cinderblocks, layer of hard firebrick
and IFBs, etc. I did find I have to block up the holes in the blocks
when not using the kiln because little critters like to hide under
there and my dog has helped "dismantle" the kiln a couple of times
trying to get a mouse or squirrel that hid from her under the kiln.
Happy raku-firing! And yes, always have a hose ready!
Laurie
Sacramento, CA
> I would reccomend doing it all on level ground or
> cement if you can. My cement stoop is very small, so I fired on
> there,but I
> reduced on the pea gravel. At one point while crouching & trying to
> get a lid
> off of a reduction chamber, I lost my balance due to the uneven &
> shifting
> ground.
Simona Drentea on wed 2 jun 04
<yet, but always seem to end up doing them after dark - maybe I am
attracted to the lovely orange glow of the kiln shell? >>
THough I'm a night person, I actually prefer to raku during the day, but the
kiln took so long to heat up that it got dark out. I've almost always raku'd
at night, so maybe I like the change of pace of doing it during the day.
Well, that & you can see better :-)
<started out on my concrete patio, I placed a layer of cinderblocks on
the patio to give an airspace between the floor of the kiln and the
patio because I worried the heat might cause the patio to crack. >>
THat's a great idea Laurie, thanks for sharing. We'll be building a house,
so I'm always kind of thinking about how my kiln area s/b set up.
<< Now the kiln is further out in the backyard
because I wanted my patio back for my dog's wading pool. >>
Well, I totally understand this. The pups are always the first priority :-)
<< I did find I have to block up the holes in the blocks
when not using the kiln because little critters like to hide under
there and my dog has helped "dismantle" the kiln a couple of times
trying to get a mouse or squirrel that hid from her under the kiln. >>
I appreciate this tip too as our lot is in a wildland area. Though, my
Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound) didn't even notice the fox on our walk tonight. It was
maybe 100 feet away. Some hunting dog, huh?
Best Regards,
Simona
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