J Lutz on wed 9 mar 05
This is a follow up of my initial post on 2/22 about the new Skutt kiln
with an envirovent I had just purchased. It was firing very unevenly, the
lid did not fit properly and it rocked on the stand.
I want to thank all those of you who responded with such great advice -
especially Arnold Howard who when above and beyond the call.
This is a recap of the suggestions I received.
1. Re arrange the kiln load so that the coldest areas are the least dense.
The hottest part of the kiln is the most densely packed. and Stagger
shelves to even out the firing.
2. Adjust the hold time to get a more even firing and to get closer to the
cone desired. 15 minutes is a suggest beginning time.
3. Use an S type thermocouple vs a K type
4. Controller can be re programmed.
5. Adjust the "thermocouple offset," or tCOS on the control window.
6. Adjust the "cone offset."
7. Put another shelf at the very top of the kiln under the holes in the lid.
8. shim the legs of the stand
My comments:
As far as the wobble of the kiln - the studio floor is level. I shoved
fiber between the envirovent plate and the kiln stand. That helped a
lot. The representative from the dealer took that out and shimmed a leg of
the stand. This tells me that the stands are not all that solid if it's
going to bend that easily. My suggestions for anyone else getting a new
kiln - once you establish that your floor is level make sure the stand is
level and all legs are the same length prior to placing the kiln on it.
Since he didn't dismantle the kiln and remove it from the stand I don't
know if it was the stand that was not even, if the envirovent plate was not
even or if the bottom of the kiln was not even. But in any event I would
suggest that all these things be checked prior to placing a kiln on the
stand in any new installation.
My suggestions to anyone buying a new kiln - It isn't so much the brand of
kiln you purchase but the reputation and customer service of the dealer
from which you purchase it. Even though Skutt was anxious to get the kiln
working I was required to work through the dealer. If you have any
suspicions about the willingness or ability of the dealer to make a timely
delivery, follow up on problems and provide knowledgeable personal to do
so, get everything in writing! Including promises to return phone calls,
make repairs timely - specify a time limit acceptable to both parties,
provide personnel equipped with the proper tools (batteries charged in
power tools) and who are trained. It took 35 days from the first phone
call to Skutt to get someone to come look at the problem. I had to make a
real pest of myself to get that!
The lid was dismantled and the skin on the top ring was moved up. This
resulted in the fire brick being gouged and new holes being placed into it
to re attach the lid assembly. Then the lock had to be moved which
resulted in more holes in the skin and fire brick. The lid now appears to
be sitting evenly on the top of the kiln. At least it doesn't hang over one
edge and no longer has a gap on one side. However, I don't feel that I
have a "new" kiln. I have one full of extra holes. It's a little like
buying a new car and immediately having a bad job of body work done on it.
I realize that these extra holes are probably more cosmetic than functional
but they just shouldn't have been necessary. It seems that the kiln just
wasn't assembled properly.
I did a bisque load after the lid adjustment and it does seem to be firing
more evenly. I arranged the load as evenly as possible and didn't make any
allowances for loading the middle any heavier than I usually did. After a
few more different type firings I'll know for sure whether the unevenness
is solved.
My mistake was in assuming that a piece of equipment costing over $2,000
would come as advertised - ready to use without additional repairs and
adjustments. I had no idea that I should have been looking for any of these
type problems. If I had, I could have refused delivery of the kiln and
requested another. I'm just too gullible.
I have such a bad taste in my mouth from all this that I just wish I could
return the stupid kiln and forget the whole thing.
I know this was a long harangue but I just had to get it off my chest.
Thanks also to Roger Korn for offering to "stand by me".
Jean Lutz
Prescott, AZ
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