Oxygen Probes: How Necessary?

[HAUKSBEE]

For those who fire gas/reduction, how important is it to have an oxygen probe? I'm about to fire my first gas kiln. I'm also going to be breaking in some new glazes which call for reduction at different points in the firing cycle. I've never used one before, and early research seems to put the starting point for oxygen probes at around $1000+ Is it worth it?

[Seasoned Warrior]

There are many potters who seem to fire using a particular protocol to get the proper reduction atmosphere without using a probe. It seems to me that most fire a specific way because that is how they have been taught and others fire a certain way because they took what they were taught and experimented until they got what worked for them. I'm a control freak (I suspect that is why I studied engineering) I need to know how things work. To me an oxygen probe is a necessity possibly just for my own peace of mind and that is probably why I don't trust my cones but use pyrometers too. Now some of the oxygen probes on the market are an oxygen probe with a dedicated multimeter attached to it. You could save a some money if you have your own multimeter and just buy the probe. You won't be albe to save a lot of money because the probes contain platinum and if you've been watching the price of precious metals lately the price of platinum has achieved nose-bleed heights. One thing I do religiously is keep a log of firing parameters and note results so that I can go back and see what happened if things didn't go well or if things went exceptionally well.

 

Best regards,

Charles

[Marcia Selsor]

I never used one. If you want to see if you are in the reduction state, hold a dry stick in the blue green flame coming out of the peep hole. If the stick doesn't burn, you have reduction atmosphere. You should also be able to smell it.

You don't need excessive black sooty smoke to be in reduction. That sooty smoke means you are wasting fuel.

Marcia

[Seasoned Warrior]

I never used one. If you want to see if you arwe in the reduction state, hold a dry stick in the blue green flame coming out of the peep hole. If the stick doesn't burn, you have reduction atmosphere. You should also be able to smell it.

You don't need excessive black sooty smoke to be in reduction. That sooty smoke means you are wasting fuel.

Marcia

 

 

Great suggestion Marcia! The stick won't burn because there is no oxygen, how simple. It seems that some times the simplest soutions are the best and the most easily overlooked. I've never heard of this before but it makes sense, I'm going to use it the next time I fire.