Briggs Shore Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Hi all. I'd love some advice. I have a 15ish-year-old Skutt that so far has only been used for bisque firings. I'd like to use it to glaze fire ^6 porcelain. My boss has suggested doing a 'burnout' firing before the first ^6 firing. I'm wondering if anyone can give me more info on what exactly that kind of firing entails, how quickly I should fire, to what temp (boss has suggested ^4), and if there is anything else I should do to/for this kiln before the first ^6 firing. Thanks for any help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Sounds like a waste of time and energy to me. What is the benefit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 A burnout? What exactly is he thinking will burn out? Everything burns out in the bisque firing. There is absolutely no need to do a burnout firing. If anything, the bricks are more likely to become contaminated during a glaze firing that a bisque firing. Just load it up and fire it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Briggs Shore Posted December 20, 2016 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 My boss (she/her) said that gasses build up in the soft brick during a bisque firing. She was a little vague about it, so I was hoping to get more concrete info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 As others have noted, the notion of burnout to clean the bricks is a stretch. Glazes might have metals in them that will volatize and contaminate the brick, such as lead in very old glazes, but even when that has happened in the past, a single clean firing will not refresh the contaminated brick. You say yours has only ever been used for bisque, so there are no metal contaminants involved. However, I caution you about expecting the kiln to perform to your expectations. Elements last for what seems like forever in a bisque-only kiln. There isn't enough wear and tear on the elements at bisque temperatures to result in inability to reach bisque temperature. The kiln may slow down a bit after many years (and that may actually be a good thing as the longer firing allows more thorough burnout of organic and other contaminants from the clay body) but it will still get there. However, there will probably be enough accumulated wear that the elements won't go the extra 400F degrees needed to reach ^6. Before committing your work to the kiln, get a multi-meter and take a resistance reading on the elements. If the measured resistance is more than 10% higher than factory spec, you probably will have trouble getting to glaze temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted December 20, 2016 Report Share Posted December 20, 2016 Your boss may be suffering from burnout which happens when you work to much. The best cure is a vacation. Just fire the cone 6 fire when he's out of town and hopefully thats soon before he /she burns out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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