Mothsgal Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Hi all, new to this forum. I have an older Skutt electric kiln (appx 30 years) that I used for clay then transitioned to glass. No problems, always works wonderfully with routine maintenance. I just had a huge problem. I'm teaching a couple 14 year olds fused glass, which has been exciting and fun for everyone. Last night they loaded one shelf of their creations to fire, but didn't just load the kiln shelf, they included the wooden lazy-susan turntable it was sitting on. Absolutely may fault for not triple checking. Of course there was a fire in the kiln. Caught it at 700 and immediately shut it down. Aside from the horrendous smell, everyone is fine. But, the inside of the kiln is black with soot. How can I clean it and make sure it is safe to fire again, or is this a job for a service person? I'm most concerned about the elements. Can I lightly sand and vacuum the brick? Then should I high fire empty to burn off any carbon residue (well ventilated)? Thanks for any advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 All that soot and blackness will burn out, however it's going to stink some more as it does. Run the vent the whole time, or keep the lid cracked and all the peeps open for the first 1000 degrees to get plenty of air in there. Fire it all the way up to bisque temps to get a good burnout. Once it's cooled, give it a good vacuuming to make sure there's no ash residue in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hitchmss Posted February 5, 2019 Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Sometimes I bisque in my gas kiln; when I do I candle overnight with just one burner, barely on. Because of the lack of complete combustion I get a sooty deposit on my kiln's interior. I fire the kiln off, and the soot burns away. Like Neil said, just fire it, and it will be all good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mothsgal Posted February 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2019 Thank you! I thought I was doomed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyAmores Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Hope it's ok to revive this thread for a similar problem...my oil furnace spewed soot all over my kiln lid, controller, shelves, and posts. I vacuumed most up but there are some serious smears. Will petroleum based soot burn out the same as the wood soot? One site I've been to said that the acids in this type of soot will eat through different materials if not cleaned properly. Been afraid to fire the past week, any help appreciated-- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted May 3, 2019 Report Share Posted May 3, 2019 Nancy, that should not be a problem. You should remove as much of the residues as possible, and then fire the kiln to bisque to bisque temp. What I would do, in my humble opinion. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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