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Skutt KS kiln overheating


Maddriel

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Hi All,

I have a firing problem and I wonder if anyone can help me. I have a Skutt KS 1027-3 that is probably 15 yrs old. (I work in a school environment) It has a kiln sitter (LT-3 or LT-3K, I am not in the studio and can't remember!) During the last two bisque firings (I have not tried a glaze firing in this kiln recently) the kiln has overheated, going well beyond 05 - probably more into the 6 range! Bisque pieces are coming out well vitrified, we use a mid-range clay and the pieces have a sheen on the surface in spots. The kiln sitter bar melted and the kiln did not trip. The first time it happened, I made sure the sensing rod was moving freely and replaced the rests, using a coat of kiln wash just in case. I then fired the kiln with just posts, shelves and witness cones. During this firing the kiln performed fine. I then loaded up the next bisque load (kept it relatively light, we do have some heavier sculptures, but I kept it sparse-r), held my breath and fired again. Again, the kiln overfired, the bar had melted. Thank goodness for timers! The witness cones I put in (05 and 04) were black puddles on the shelves. This kiln had the elements replaced late last school year, top to bottom, but it doesn't seem that it would be an element issue. The kiln seems to be heating up just fine, it's the shutting off part that is the problem!

Thanks in advance for any ideas!

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Sounds like there may be some corrosion in the sitter mechanism, or the sensing rod is bent. Take the whole thing out and check for corrosion. If the rod tapers down at the end or is bent, it should be replaced. Check the calibration of the sitter as well.

 

Does your sitter have a timer?

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Reading your post I am wondering about the loading of the kiln. You said that you did an empty firing and it was fine. Make sure that you are not loading ware too close to the KilnSitter. Keep all ware away from the Sitter at least 2".

 

Do not allow anything to touch any part of the mechanism; and don't allow your pyrometric cones to be too close to the Sitter as well.

 

Finally check the pyrometric cone numbers to be sure they are correct. If you need to, get a magnifying glass to help you read the numbers.

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  • 6 years later...

This exact scenario just happened to me. I am bewildered that metal can melt like that. Cone 5 and 6 were white but not even bent. If the bar is replaced can the kiln sitter  be replaced? Or is it toast? Wondering what you did to repair this and avoid it happening again. 

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You may want to watch this video

Skutt has a nice video on the Dawson sitter from operation to recalibration and the special reminder not to place your cone up against the ceramic insulator instead place it squarely on the rests and not above the notches in the rest.

skutt you tube video

 

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2 hours ago, DawnMyers said:

This exact scenario just happened to me. I am bewildered that metal can melt like that. Cone 5 and 6 were white but not even bent. If the bar is replaced can the kiln sitter  be replaced? Or is it toast? Wondering what you did to repair this and avoid it happening again. 

Just buy a new sitter tube with rod and install that and adjust it and happy firing.

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Possible to set cone packs so they're visible from the peeps? I'm watching the thermocouple readings; at the end, the conepack as well. The idea painting a stripe of iron oxide on the cones to make'm more visible worked for me.

Be sure to get the proper glasses for looking in the peep!

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Apply kiln wash to sitter cone support  bars before your next dmfiring and after you check the rod for wear and calibration of sitter.

Never trust sitter to turn off kiln, aafer to have a timer attachwd and set it fir about half hour after estimated end of firing schedule

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And eyes crossed and  extreme care taken not to disturb the ambience with human mutterings even if you drop the prop, pot shelf etc on toes....

Freaking here, have to make acquire a new god... grandchild in arms as I reached to get something high near kiln. I swear this child, though too young, still struggling to pick up anything, extended an arm and swiped the unmentionable off its posi.

 

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45 minutes ago, Babs said:

And eyes crossed and  extreme care taken not to disturb the ambience with human mutterings even if you drop the prop, pot shelf etc on toes....

Freaking here, have to make acquire a new god... grandchild in arms as I reached to get something high near kiln. I swear this child, though too young, still struggling to pick up anything, extended an arm and swiped the unmentionable off its posi.

 

*gasp* this... Demands a sacrifice....

luckily my kiln god loves beer.

 

IMG_20190323_141429-1036x777.jpg

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8 hours ago, liambesaw said:

*gasp* this... Demands a sacrifice....

luckily my kiln god loves beer.

 

IMG_20190323_141429-1036x777.jpg

I do believe you have a glass there and your powerful potting arm is so steady that you are not wasting a drop!!

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On 4/3/2019 at 10:26 PM, liambesaw said:

The kiln gods demand the good schtuff.  Tried coors once and the kilnsitter cone broke in half about halfway through the firing

Muhaha!

 

If you give it PBR, does the kiln spontaneously grow an "ironic mustache"?

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