Lisa E on tue 13 mar 07
Hello All;
I have a couple of kiln packing questions. I have a small kiln that
measures 18" square inside so I do not have a lot of room to play with. The
size is still adequate since I am a hobby potter but I can only get 12 - 16
pieces in for one firing and less for a glaze firing. I do not have a kiln
sitter but I use a pyrometer and visual cones.
Q1 - Does the cone pack have to be at the back of the kiln in front of the
elements or will I be able to see the cone pack if I place if in front of
the peep if I have a pot behind it? As I only have two shelves, one shelf
gets eaten up by the space required for me to see the cone pack at the back
of the shelf.
Q1a - I have 2 peep holes. I leave the top one open for venting. If I put
the cone pack in front of the peep hole, will this give me a lower reading
due to the cooler air venting into the kiln?
Q2 - Plates are another space hog. If I put a plate on a half shelf and the
bottom of the plate sticks out on either side of the shelf, could this
deform the plate?
Q2a - I currently do not have stilts for plates but is there a risk that
they can also deform the bottom of plates?
Thank you in advance!!!!!!!!!!!!!
--
Lisa E
Sunny Daze Design Pottery Studio
SunnyDazeDesign@gmail.com
Squamish, BC Canada
www.lisaelbertsen.com
http://picasaweb.google.com/SunnyDazeDesign
William & Susan Schran User on tue 13 mar 07
On 3/13/07 3:12 PM, "Lisa E" wrote:
> I do not have a kiln
> sitter but I use a pyrometer and visual cones.
That's fine. I actually wish folks had these instead of a kiln sitter.
>
> Q1 - Does the cone pack have to be at the back of the kiln in front of the
> elements or will I be able to see the cone pack if I place if in front of
> the peep if I have a pot behind it? As I only have two shelves, one shelf
> gets eaten up by the space required for me to see the cone pack at the back
> of the shelf.
The cone pack can be in front of the spy hole. Some will say that you might
not get an accurate reading due to air coming in, but I've had cones all
over the kiln several times and I have never noticed a difference between
the cone pack at the spy hole and anywhere else in the kiln.
>
> Q1a - I have 2 peep holes. I leave the top one open for venting. If I put
> the cone pack in front of the peep hole, will this give me a lower reading
> due to the cooler air venting into the kiln?
If you're venting to allow fumes to escape, you can put the spyhole plug
back in after the smell is gone. I have a downdraft vent, I leave the spy
hole plug out the entire firing with cones right in front of it.
>
> Q2 - Plates are another space hog. If I put a plate on a half shelf and the
> bottom of the plate sticks out on either side of the shelf, could this
> deform the plate?
What temperature are you firing to? The higher the firing the more this will
be an issue. Be sure to have the entire foot ring on the shelf and it
shouldn't be a problem.
>
> Q2a - I currently do not have stilts for plates but is there a risk that
> they can also deform the bottom of plates?
Again, low fire work (06/04 range) is ok for stilts. Stoneware temps could
cause a problem with warpage.
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Arnold Howard on wed 21 mar 07
From: "Lisa E"
> Q1 - Does the cone pack have to be at the back of the kiln
> in front of the
> elements or will I be able to see the cone pack if I place
> if in front of
> the peep if I have a pot behind it?
I have found that it is much easier to see the cones if they
are lined up in front of an element than in front of a pot.
Also, the cones are easier to see if they are away from the
peephole. When they bend too close to the peephole, they
disappear from view.
If the cones use up too much shelf space when placed at the
back of the shelf, try placing the cones on a small,
elevated piece of scrap shelf.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
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