neilestrick

I think it's just not the right glaze for that situation. You either need to do a wipeback to expose the texture better, or use a glaze that is more fluid/breaks better. I'm also not a big fan of having texture like that on the eating surface. It's going to be difficult to clean unless it fills completely with glaze.

Facebook Martketplace is a good place to sell, too.

Yes, the hinge rod is in the correct position in the bottom of the oval hole. But if the body bands have slid down, then it will put extra pressure on the back edge of the kiln, and cause the lid to lift at the front.

THIS type, but you can probably find one for 1/4 the price elsewhere.

Chances are the body bands have loosened and the hinge has dropped a little bit as a result. You'll need to reset the hinge. Remove the tension on the lid spring, loosen the screws holding the hinge plate, then adjust the body bands if they have sagged and tighten them all up. Then push up the hinge so it's in the correct position with the main hinge rod sitting in the bottom of its holes and tighten the hinge screws. Then set the spring. I would also add a latch to the front of the lid to help keep it shut

That's a big gap. Does the lid sit totally flat at room temp, or is it hitting at the back edge?

Yes, I use a needle. You have to let the burrs dry for a bit before brushing them off or they'll just smudge back into the lines.

@Lilith Rockett did you check for the grounding wire? It should go from the Center Tap terminal on the circuit board to a grounding stud in the control box.

It's not just a Skutt thing. Kiln power wires wear out and must be replaced at some point.

What is error 8 on that controller? This one?: In CONE FIRE mode, the temperature is falling in the last segment instead of increasing. It could be because of a power outage, but it could also be a relay sticking when it gets hot. If it's a relay, it'll probably totally fail soon. Were there other signs of power outage in your building- clocks flashing, etc?

Hot spots at the elements connections don't cause the relays to fail, they just cause that connection to fail. There's no safe way to get access to a Skutt relay while it's under load, due to the way the box is constructed. You just track the number of firings you have on a set of relays, and if they're burning out under 150 firings then you replace the wiring harness and it's good to go.

It was the old wiring. I've literally seen it dozens of times. Even Skutt recommends replacing the harness if relays are burning out prematurely.

@Caroline Ennis One of the best features of the Skutt and Bailey wheels is the large splash pan. It keeps the studio much cleaner.

The top and bottom sections do not have the same 2 elements in them. The 1231PK has 2 top/bottom elements, 2 intermediate elements, and 3 center elements. So top and bottom sections each have 2 different element in them- T/B and intermediate. They're wired with crimp connectors, so you can't unhook them, which is why Skutt only publishes the resistance of each section, not of each element.

@Lilith Rockett I would still like you to check the temperature of the power wires when the kiln is reaching its peak temp. I assume you have a disconnect box by the kiln? Open that up and see if the wires are hot in there. Also feel the whip everywhere from the kiln to the disconnect and see if it's getting hot. Also check your breaker and see if it's running hot.

It's a 1231PK 240V1P, so 72 amps. @Lilith Rockett Is your voltage right at 240 or is it running high? What size breaker is it on?

I use the wax from Ceramic Supply Chicago, and it works fine as long you don't let it dry too long, like don't let it sit overnight. It also depends on how soft the clay is. Too dry and the clay will flake, too. I typically apply the wax and then cut my lines as soon as it's dry to the touch.

I have 9 Skutt wheels, and love them. Their 1/3hp models can handle just about anything you would want to make.

Is it in a very cold environment, like a garage? It could be that the pyrometer is not able to read below a certain temp. Also check that the two wires are connected to the correct ends of the thermocouple, red wire to the red end.

@MIsty Can you post a picture of it? What brand is it?

I think it just stays full on at 100%. I haven't really tested that, though. I just assumed there was no reason for it to cycle at 100%. I should have said 'up to' 500ms. It's cool to listen to it cycle. If you get up close to the kiln you can hear it like a steady drumbeat hum.

The controller cycles the SSR's twice per second (500ms). When I put a meter on mine it gives a fluttery reading. @Lilith Rockett This is a long shot, but 3 times in the last 20 years I had kilns similar in size to yours have a very strange stalling problem. It turned out to be an electrical interference issue (there are a lot of magnetic fields and whatnot created by the elements and bricks), and the solution was to make sure the controller was directly grounded, not just through the transformer. It's an easy fix and worth trying if yours isn't already grounded that way. Take a look at the backside of your controller, there needs to be a wire that goes directly from the Center Tap terminal to the grounding stud. Not to the transformer or anywhere else first. You may need to get a terminal doubler so you can add another wire.

There's nothing more or less safe about 3 wire vs 4 wire. It just depends on the needs of the kiln. Having a ground is the real safety issue, which you do. As Dick said the kiln needs to be on a circuit that is 125-150% of the draw of the kiln. I think your kiln draws around 24 amps? Check the serial plate to confirm, but if that's the case it should be on a 30 amp breaker.

I always liked that type of connection. Simple and solid. It was fairly common a long time ago, but nobody uses it anymore.

@JohnnyK I just had a nice conversation with Steve at L&L, and he confirmed what I said above. The non-twisted end will not heat nearly as much as the coils inside the kiln do. For one, the coils feed off each other and run hotter- this is why they get hot spots when they bunch up at the corners. Plus the coils are in an insulated environment, whereas the end can dissipate heat fairly well, assuming the control box has good air flow. That said, there are a couple of things that may be an issue with your Cress compared to the L&L. First, the L&L element connection has a much greater surface area in the connection by using bolts, nuts, and washers. Plus all of that hardware is stainless steel, which is more durable and won't expand and contract as much as brass or copper connectors. The second potential issue is frying out the feeder wires if they're pressed up against the element connections when you close up the box. The L&L control box design directs the wires away from the connections so it's not an issue with their kilns. At this point I don't think there is really anything you can do besides fire the kiln and see what happens, but I think there's a good chance it will be fine.