oldlady

liam, they look like they are a barbershop quartet singing a very happy tune!

liam, they look like they are a barbershop quartet singing a very happy tune!

liam, they look like they are a barbershop quartet singing a very happy tune!

nataniajoy,  you are very fortunate to have such a nice manual kiln as a gift.  i thought by now you would have received an answer that addresses your problem as a totally new kiln user.
couple of things might help you understand the manual fred has so helpfully found for you.  you need to realize that the kiln is a very old one as far as its manufacturing date is concerned and there was a slightly different vocabulary used then.  "Automatic"  back then meant your kiln was equipped with a Kiln Sitter that would mechanically turn off the kiln when a particular temperature was reached.  the manual keeps referring to it as the ASD, automatic shutoff device (or sitter. prior to the use of a sitter, the potter had to watch the firing and turn it off at the end by looking into the kiln peep holes and judging the temperature at which to turn off the electricity. ) cones have been use for over a hundred years to help do that.
the temperature you select for each firing is commonly referred to by a cone number.   that means the same kiln can be used by potters who fire earthenware or stoneware which is usually fired to a higher temperature.  so you need to select the cone number for the clay and/or glazes you are using.
the number on the cone indicates a temperature but the firing can take a little longer as the elements wear out over time.  so the cone ,which you place HORIZONTALLY across the two little arms, will determine the time and temperature of your firing.  the arms hold up the cone and the rod end of the "claw" of the sitter sits over the cone resting on it.   SINCE THE INVENTION OF CONE BARS MANY PEOPLE USE THEM IN THE SITTER.  bars are of a uniform size end to end.  cones are tapered and some people have trouble putting them onto the arms and getting the claw rod in the middle of the cone.
when the cone gets hot enough for a long enough time, it will melt.  that means it sinks down and allows the rod end of the claw to sink as well.  the other end of the claw, the part outside the kiln, is really the claw looking end and it is holding a weight that will be released by the rising of the claw.  the weight will snap down and activate a round electrical shut off button that is located on the outside of the sitter.   (if you find you cannot start your kiln at any time, check that the claw is holding the weight and the button is close to the kiln, not sticking out.) 
i hope this is enough to help you read the manual and that will explain your particular kiln.  
the most important thing you need to learn is that it is CRITICALLY IMPORTANT that you understand the cone numbers of your clay and glazes.  look at a CONE CHART and read the numbers and the temperatures carefully.   there are some essential facts that are commonly glossed over when experienced potters are talking to each other.   
09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 AND THEN CONE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 ETC.  are each a little hotter running from left to right.  check the chart!  and check your clay.  write the cone # on the bag of clay so you  DO NOT make the mistake of thinking that cone 6 is the same as cone 06.  that is a completely different temperature and if you use cone 06 clay and use a #6 cone in your sitter, you will probably melt everything and ruin the kiln.
see the recent post by benzine for what can happen.
hope you bothered to read this long post and understand it.
 
 

If you really want to do a stress test for freeze/thaw, the best time to do it is in the fall when things are beginning to freeze but the days are still nice, or at the first hint  of spring when you have warm days but nights are still below freezing. You want a nice temperature vasilation between -3 and +3 C. I’ve killed more terra cotta pots by not covering them up soon enough.....

Drill bits are less likely to crack the piece, since they remove material as they make the hole. Hole cutters force the clay to expand to make room for the wall thickness of the cutter. If the clay is too firm, or the hole is too close to an edge, it will crack.
The biggest problem with all holes, and one that many, many people do not address, is the sharpness of the edge of the hole. Rubbing out the edge with a sponge or finger takes forever. The simplest solution I've learned is to use a countersink LIKE THIS ONE. Just twist it lightly in the hole once it's just past leather hard, and it will knock off the sharp edge. I use this on all my colanders, and I can do all the holes in a matter of a minute. It puts a nice little bevel that looks rounded once it's glazed.

cracking can also occur in flat slabs with deep indentations.  picture the typical cookie cutter with a shape that has sharp angles, like the deep notch in heart shaped cutters.   if you cut something like this, a rounded dowel or the used pencil eraser that is rounded over, can be pressed into the angle to compress the clay.  

making a combination of things.  big pieces with leaves and birds and small, about 3 inches across lace impressed bowl shaped "containers".  the small items will sell if i can get a nice glaze in several colors.  the bigger ones also sell, depending on the venue.  but the small stuff is my version of mark's sponge holder bread and butter item.  not that they hold sponges, just that they sell quickly and bring in cash.


got to make some glazes!

cracking can also occur in flat slabs with deep indentations.  picture the typical cookie cutter with a shape that has sharp angles, like the deep notch in heart shaped cutters.   if you cut something like this, a rounded dowel or the used pencil eraser that is rounded over, can be pressed into the angle to compress the clay.  

sorry i was not clear.  i do not mean pressing down vertically on the whole clay surface, i mean forcing the sharp indentation into a curve, not a sharp angle.  that means shoving the dowel horizontally along the work surface  into the deep angle to round it.

sorry i was not clear.  i do not mean pressing down vertically on the whole clay surface, i mean forcing the sharp indentation into a curve, not a sharp angle.  that means shoving the dowel horizontally along the work surface  into the deep angle to round it.

we lost several of the best last  year.   
mitch lyons gave a lot of workshops introducing people to the broomstick method of making cylinders.   i attended a meeting where he explained how he made his  monoprints  and showed the making of one print.    he was a kind and gentle man.
we should not take for granted the continued  presence of the potters we know of but do not have direct contact.

we lost several of the best last  year.   
mitch lyons gave a lot of workshops introducing people to the broomstick method of making cylinders.   i attended a meeting where he explained how he made his  monoprints  and showed the making of one print.    he was a kind and gentle man.
we should not take for granted the continued  presence of the potters we know of but do not have direct contact.

if you eliminate the bowl with the white glaze interior, you would have two sets of similar looking work when viewed from above.

if you eliminate the bowl with the white glaze interior, you would have two sets of similar looking work when viewed from above.

today i had things on my workbench i would be happy to let anyone see.  hope they all make it through the next steps to finished product.
i would be happy if i could capture in the final firing that soft color of the slip.  who knows how it will look when it is finished?

i did not realize, mea, that your studio was big enough to hold 20 ELEPHANTS!

making a combination of things.  big pieces with leaves and birds and small, about 3 inches across lace impressed bowl shaped "containers".  the small items will sell if i can get a nice glaze in several colors.  the bigger ones also sell, depending on the venue.  but the small stuff is my version of mark's sponge holder bread and butter item.  not that they hold sponges, just that they sell quickly and bring in cash.


got to make some glazes!

i did not realize, mea, that your studio was big enough to hold 20 ELEPHANTS!

lee, what is the brand name of the clear panels you use as windows?   my tiny trailer in florida has a wonderful porch but its "windows" are a little thicker than saran wrap.  would love to keep the heat, (there is none out there) inside the porch.   last year the temps hovered in the low 60s for months and i was sort of stuck inside.   
the studio heater is ok but the space is not insulated well and the door has huge gaps all the way around it.   a thick, folded bath towel keeps the  wind under some control at the bottom of the  big doorway  but it still gets in at the edges.
the wv house is heated well by radiators, a separate zone for the studio.  the boiler, though, runs on  oil which is too expensive to make it all comfortable for the whole winter.  so i go away.  sitting here in the house with the thermostat set at 70, i am freezing and my nose is running.   you see why i leave?

lee, what is the brand name of the clear panels you use as windows?   my tiny trailer in florida has a wonderful porch but its "windows" are a little thicker than saran wrap.  would love to keep the heat, (there is none out there) inside the porch.   last year the temps hovered in the low 60s for months and i was sort of stuck inside.   
the studio heater is ok but the space is not insulated well and the door has huge gaps all the way around it.   a thick, folded bath towel keeps the  wind under some control at the bottom of the  big doorway  but it still gets in at the edges.
the wv house is heated well by radiators, a separate zone for the studio.  the boiler, though, runs on  oil which is too expensive to make it all comfortable for the whole winter.  so i go away.  sitting here in the house with the thermostat set at 70, i am freezing and my nose is running.   you see why i leave?

Here’s how the gravy boat redesign turned out. 

maybe the best "tool" is the way i keep them at hand for use all the time.
my slab roller was built on top of a table that i created with 2x4 legs, stretchers of plywood for storage and a very heavy wooden slab door.   the table is wide enough that i have space between it an the wall for the large number of plastic jars for my sprayer and several pieces of foam rubber for pressing slabs.  a heat gun and hair dryer live at the end near a 36 inch rolling pin i bought long ago when i thought i would need it.   the front edge hangs a few inches over the legs and provides a space for 2 little containers that will hold the tiny bits of excess clay that otherwise would end up smashed onto the back of a freshly rolled slab.  there is also a stack of sticks to judge thickness, i do not trust the little dial on the roller, i want to feel the thickness with my fingers.
the top is supported by a 2x4  on its narrow edge.   this is the best tool,  it allows me to hang all the things i need when making slab work.  they are under the table top a few inches so i do not hit the nails or the tools themselves while working above on the table.   i marked the top with a thick sharpie just where the nail  can be found below.   this means that i can find something without looking, the sharpie mark says it is right here.  whether a cheese cutter, a pizza roller, a wallpaper smoother, a wide, narrow or extra wide putty knife, a towel or a cutoff wire.  a glance at the black line and the tool is in my hand.

maybe the best "tool" is the way i keep them at hand for use all the time.
my slab roller was built on top of a table that i created with 2x4 legs, stretchers of plywood for storage and a very heavy wooden slab door.   the table is wide enough that i have space between it an the wall for the large number of plastic jars for my sprayer and several pieces of foam rubber for pressing slabs.  a heat gun and hair dryer live at the end near a 36 inch rolling pin i bought long ago when i thought i would need it.   the front edge hangs a few inches over the legs and provides a space for 2 little containers that will hold the tiny bits of excess clay that otherwise would end up smashed onto the back of a freshly rolled slab.  there is also a stack of sticks to judge thickness, i do not trust the little dial on the roller, i want to feel the thickness with my fingers.
the top is supported by a 2x4  on its narrow edge.   this is the best tool,  it allows me to hang all the things i need when making slab work.  they are under the table top a few inches so i do not hit the nails or the tools themselves while working above on the table.   i marked the top with a thick sharpie just where the nail  can be found below.   this means that i can find something without looking, the sharpie mark says it is right here.  whether a cheese cutter, a pizza roller, a wallpaper smoother, a wide, narrow or extra wide putty knife, a towel or a cutoff wire.  a glance at the black line and the tool is in my hand.

My gravy boat needed a redesign, because the other one was too fussy. So I made a thing.