Mudfish Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 exactly. This kiln has shut off automatically before due to heating too slowly, so I had to replace the thermocouple. I think either the elements are wack or the thermocouple isn't in sync with the orton digital controller... idk.. and it just kept trying to reach temperature - for about 10 hours. I miss my old gas kiln where I had to babysit it the whole firing time. Oh, but the convenience of a digital kiln.. I'm a mess right now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 27 minutes ago, Mudfish said: aww, geez!! The exact same thing has happened to me. I came home from work looking forward to a cooled off kiln and ready to open the lid and Whoa!! I see red heat ! The kiln was programmed for a customized slow cool... I have no idea what happened or how but right now it looks like the kiln stayed at just below the soak temp for about 10 hours. I'm on pins and needles. I'm sure I will be up with the jitters all night long with anxiety. It is just meant for potters to suffer, right? You cannot always trust everything to work well.It may have been a controller /program error of a thermocouple error-=. Either let us know how it turns out so others can learn. Potters learn and suffering is part of that sometimes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 Thanks, Mark. Will do. I imagine I will be cracking that lid open at around 500 degrees at least for a hot minute just to relieve my anxiety, or to verify the worst. I'm guessing around 4am Memphis time. I will post the results and details. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 50 minutes ago, Mudfish said: Thanks, Mark. Will do. I imagine I will be cracking that lid open at around 500 degrees at least for a hot minute just to relieve my anxiety, or to verify the worst. I'm guessing around 4am Memphis time. I will post the results and details. Yikes man, 20 hours of firing it ain't gonna be pretty... I'll pour out a beer for your shelves. I once ruined an entire kiln load in my gas kiln by turning down the gas at the end of the firing to let it slow cool and went over to talk to my neighbor for a minute. Cone 6 bodies and glaze, came back 20 minutes later to cone 9 in the kiln. Was long enough to bloat every piece in there and firmly adhere them to the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 well ok, I'm prepared for anything here. I've got a whiskey, box of tissues, a bed that I might actually get some sleep in tonight... I will never take a firing for granted again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 2 minutes ago, Mudfish said: well ok, I'm prepared for anything here. I've got a whiskey, box of tissues, a bed that I might actually get some sleep in tonight... I will never take a firing for granted again. I feel for you, imagine how fun smashing time will be though! Catharsis abounds, bubbling up in the form of Earth shattering delight. Luckily all pots that have been made can be made again, be thankful your home is undamaged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 Lets hope the kiln and elements and kiln furniture are ok. Ok your works as well but that can be replaced a bit easier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 12 hours ago, Mudfish said: well ok, I'm prepared for anything here. I've got a whiskey, box of tissues, a bed that I might actually get some sleep in tonight... I will never take a firing for granted again. What was your firing schedule? What temp did it hold at? What model is the kiln? Usually when we see long holds like that it's human error. Hit the review button and see what you programmed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 https://www.facebook.com/patricia.zachery.3/videos/10216257207216228/?t=11 Here are the results of a 10+ hour soak. Yikes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 I would embrace the results-yes thsy are dark but the glaze did not ruin youir shelves and elements and kiln floor.Just make some new ones and do not trust bjusta controller.Put some guide cones in next time so you can see whats going on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 sure will. I can't survive another Malox Moment like that again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Wow no bloat! You're a magician Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Ha! I'm very lucky. And I was thinking about your adventure with your gas kiln. I used to have one of those portable gas kilns that would NEVER reach cone 9-10. Later I learned that I should have installed (I forget what it is called), something like a psi regulator and it would have fixed the problem. So all the heat would just go right out the top of my updraft kiln. I would wrangle with it for ever trying to squeeze out another 150 degrees...to no avail. I did discover, though, that when temperature would not build anymore, if I turned down the flame a bit, the temp would actually climb. So the gas pressure was so high at about say cone 3 or 4, I guess all my heat was just shooting right out the top. I'm not good at troubleshooting, obviously, but I wish I knew then that this regulator from Ward Burners would have fixed the problem because I would probably still have that kiln. So yeah, heat in those cookers can actually climb when the flame is turned down. Thanks for sharing your misshap, I sure felt I was among understanding folks last night. This forum can really be potter's therapy sometimes! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Neil, There was no error in the program, not that I can tell. I really think it was from the thermocouple that was installed. It was not for that kiln but I think the problem was because the inferior thermocouple would only read to 2150 degrees F. I had used it for several cone 06 and cone 6 firings, but not with a customized program, just the quick start, generic program and it worked fine. It reached temp for both types of firings, even though it quit reading the temp at a certain temperature, the kilns temp would still climb as I would turn it to "off" and it would give a true temperature reading. So with the inferior thermocouple, it would reach whatever cone I set it to, but not so with a programmed segment, obviously as it just stayed at the temp that the thermocouple could read. It never went to the slow cool segment, it never reached soak temp, so it kept trying I guess. All that to say I now have the manufacturer's thermocouple in hand and it will be installed before I do any more firings. My kiln is a Paragon DTC 800. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 @Mudfish That makes sense. Was it not a type K thermocouple? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 mudfish, your results are really beautiful! i do not normally like dark pots but these are lovely. are there others you can show us so we can see what you hoped to produce? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Neil, I'm not actually what type of Thermocouple it was. The metals artist from the studio behind me installed it for me to get me by until the manufacturer's one arrived. It looked like an antique workhorse, though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Thank you so much, OldLady! The base glaze was a clear glossy that I actually hated because the original formula stated it was a buttery, matte white. I'm not a gloss fan at all unless it is a metallic type gloss. Anyway, I added 10% EPK hoping it would cut down the gloss. The top of each piece I sprayed WooDoBlue. I usually dip a base glaze then spray an accent glaze over that. Until I get a gas kiln, that is what I do to make it look like I painted laytex paint on my pieces, which I have found that electric firings can look like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 *To NOT make it look like I painted laytex paint on my pieces! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 OldLady, I'm kinda new to Instagram, but I have several examples of my work there and of course, on my Facebook page. Please look me up .https://www.facebook.com/patricia.zachery.3 and patriciazachery on Instagram. Please ignore any of the political rants and memes! I try to keep them to a minimum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudfish Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 Also, I use Brooklyn Red clay, which I think attributed to the rich dark color with this firing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 mudfish, thank you for the link. unfortunately, facebook won't let me in. i have an account but they tell me my password is old and to change it. they promise to send me a code but it never gets here. tried on several occasions. anyhow, this website allows editing of your posts. once you click on submit reply below on the right, your post appears. if you look at the bottom left, you have a choice to edit the post. that way, you can correct any errors or add something to clarify what you said originally. you also have the option to insert other media so you can add a photo directly in the post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 25, 2019 Report Share Posted January 25, 2019 2 hours ago, Mudfish said: Neil, I'm not actually what type of Thermocouple it was. The metals artist from the studio behind me installed it for me to get me by until the manufacturer's one arrived. It looked like an antique workhorse, though Sounds like it wasn't the correct type of thermocouple. Most kilns, at least in the US, use type K. Put in any other type and the controller will have problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrick Posted February 28, 2019 Report Share Posted February 28, 2019 Whew , lucky break . So glad all turned out well and hope the day was a success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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