Stacey Ballard on sun 17 apr 05
Hi Everyone,
I have a problem I have been trying to solve, with no good results. I do
all low fire bisque 03-04. Glaze 04-06. My problem is the bottom of my
kiln (Skutt KS 1027-240) is not coming up to temp. I have tried
everything. I have had an electrician check all the coils, all the
switches and have even replaced the bottom switch, because it seemed kind
of wobbly. If I fire to 03 I will get 04 or less and then it messes with
my glazes being compatible and I get bubbles. I am up at 6,300 feet
elevation in Tahoe, CA. Didn=92t think it would make a difference, but does=
it? I have tried gradually making the bottom come up slower than the top
(all levels low, then bottom level medium, then all levels medium, then
bottom level high, then all levels high...) but still not working. Then I
am getting problems with my glazes (bubbles) can I ruin glazes by amping up
this way, that the bottom levels are staying hot too long? Ugh! Can anyone
give me anything I may not have tried yet?
Thank you in advance,
Stacey Ballard
http://www.basicelements.biz
Snail Scott on sun 17 apr 05
At 11:33 AM 4/17/2005 -0400, you wrote:
My problem is the bottom of my
>kiln (Skutt KS 1027-240) is not coming up to temp...
My 1027 had a similar habit. I generally compensated
by backing off the top switches late in the firing
until the bottom caught up. I figured it was
partially due to my mismatched elements - some
new, some second-hand, some homemade, all
different ages. I finally replaced the lower
element, which being one of the homemade (and
oldest), was looking not too functional (lots
of dark sections). In the process of replacing
it (with a second-hand one), I also replaced
the floor, which was collaping due (probably)
to thousands of miles in the back of a U-Haul
and my habit of balancing on the kiln rim to
load the bottom. So, I decided to take out a
few birds with one stone.
I cut down the legs of my kiln stand, took the
lid off my old, gutted Skutt 231, and used it
for the new floor. I put the old floor on top
of it, but still managed to increase the insulation
while decreasing the overall kiln height by a
couple of critical inches. It fires much more
evenly now (and it's easier to load).
I don't know why your kiln is cool on the bottom,
but it seems to me that lack of bottom elements
and a heat sink (the bottom shelf) are inevitably
going to keep the bottom cooler than the top (which
has no shelf/heat sink against it). The extra
insulation was an easy fix, though. A layer of
fiberboard would probably do nicely, too. Just
cut it to fit, and stick it between the kiln
floor and the stand.
-Snail
Jorge Nabel on mon 18 apr 05
Stacey,
I know that others will tell you about how to stack the pots,
to put down there the softer glazes, to leave more place between shelves, etc,
but what really worked for me was to put an extra floor.I ordered a new
floor and put it underneath ,reducing the heat disipation in that part.
And got more even firings.
Jorge en Buenos Aires
Stacey Ballard wrote
I have a problem I have been trying to solve, with no good results. I do
all low fire bisque 03-04. Glaze 04-06. My problem is the bottom of my
kiln (Skutt KS 1027-240) is not coming up to temp. I have tried
everything.
Arnold Howard on mon 18 apr 05
Stacey, the first thing I would do is make sure the kiln is up to factory
specs. I would call Skutt and give them the ohmmeter readings for each
element. Maybe the bottom element has the wrong resistance.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
arnoldhoward@att.net / www.paragonweb.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Stacey Ballard"
I have a problem I have been trying to solve, with no good results. I do
all low fire bisque 03-04. Glaze 04-06. My problem is the bottom of my
kiln (Skutt KS 1027-240) is not coming up to temp. I have tried
everything. I have had an electrician check all the coils, all the
switches and have even replaced the bottom switch, because it seemed kind
of wobbly. If I fire to 03 I will get 04 or less and then it messes with
my glazes being compatible and I get bubbles. I am up at 6,300 feet
elevation in Tahoe, CA. Didn't think it would make a difference, but does
it? I have tried gradually making the bottom come up slower than the top
(all levels low, then bottom level medium, then all levels medium, then
bottom level high, then all levels high...) but still not working. Then I
am getting problems with my glazes (bubbles) can I ruin glazes by amping up
this way, that the bottom levels are staying hot too long?
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