neilestrick

Are you sure the kiln is model P, or is that the model of the sitter? There should be a serial plate on the kiln that says model, voltage, phase, etc. There is little to no information about Nova kilns on the internet. Someone on the forum had one a couple of years ago, and it was a funky little thing with elements embedded in the fiber walls. My general recommendation is to avoid kilns that are no longer made unless you're sure you can get parts for them.

If the kiln doesn't have a downdraft vent attached, keep the top peep open throughout the firing. You really don't need to prop the lid. Make sure everything is dry before firing. No need to warm up the kiln before loading. Keep the lid closed after firing until it's cooled down below 250F. If you have a teacher that would let you help load and fire his/her kiln a couple times that would be good.

You need small cones or bars, for whatever cone you're firing to. Most folks bisque to cone 04, then you'll glaze to whatever cone your clay matures at. Your clay and glaze should mature at the same temp. In electric kilns, that generally means either cone 04/05 or cone 5/6. To use the cone, lift the weight on the sitter, push down the claw that holds the weight, then place the cone inside the kiln on the two bars in the sitter, with the rod sitting on top of the cone. That rod is connected to the claw on the outside. When the cone bends, the rod goes down, the claw goes up and releases the weight which hits the switch that shuts off the kiln. Have the number on the cone face toward the inside of the kiln, so you can see it. The timer on the sitter should be set to about 20 minutes longer than the firing is expected to take. It is just a countdown timer, it does not control how long the firing takes. So you'll need to do a bisque and glaze firing to figure out how long the firing will take and set the time accordingly. For the first firing just set it to 12 hours and do the math afterwards. You need a new cone for every firing. Witness cones are not necessary once you have the sitter calibrated. You may want to use them for the first couple of firings to make sure everything is good.

I went to grad school with Boomer Moore, who doesn't necessarily make toys, but makes pots that look like toys: Fun stuff!

Yep, talk to speedball. However, the thing with wheels is that the parts that would need to be replaced- electronics, belts, motors, most bearings, etc., are not specific to wheels. They are standard parts that can be found elsewhere.

I've got a very busy week ahead of me. I currently have 101 pots under plastic that I will have to start trimming and decorating tomorrow, including 2/3 of a dinnerware set, a bunch of mugs, cups, tumblers, oil bottles, and soap pump bottles. I've got a show on Saturday, so my goal is to have it all done by lunchtime Friday so I'm ready to fire for the next show, when I'll need all of this work. Wish me luck!

I've always hated that name 'clotted cream'. I don't want to eat anything that's clotted. Sour cream, however, sounds delicious! Go figure.

When you have a cylinder that is open on the bottom, as it tries to shrink it will catch on the shelf and warp. By putting a slab under it, the slab will shrink with the cylinder, allowing the cylinder to shrink freely. I've even had tall foot rings on large bowls warp.

@GEP Definitely on a waster. Otherwise that foot's gonna warp.

I love trimming on kick wheels. I totally miss that, haven't had a kick wheel for 10 years.

Busy day glazing today! These are all waxed and ready to dip.

I'm with Callie- why the iron? There should be plenty of CO produced by the charcoal. Iron is sometimes used in copper red glazes (although tin is much more common) to provide a nucleus for the growth of the red crystals. I'm not sure how it would affect the glaze by being in the saggar, though. Plus it'll goober up the bottom of your saggar, which should otherwise last for many firings. I would run the same test without the iron and see if there's a noticeable difference.

In my studio, 266 likes to bloat at cone 6, so we fire it to cone 5. What cone are you firing to?

Pretty sure that's an Evenheat brand kiln. Good kilns. I used to have one just like it but only 18" tall. I used it for many years. The down side of this kiln is that is only has on-off switches for each element, so it's difficult to fire slowly. It works, though, it's just not as forgiving as kilns with low-med-high switches. It's a good candidate to hook up to an external digital controller. The bricks are in great condition, so that's good. I think Marcia is right, about $200 with furniture.

You'll need a phone app that can resize the pictures for you. You only need them to be about 8x8 at 72dpi.

There is no age limit. Kiln bricks can sit for a hundred years and still be good as new as long as they have stayed dry. If the bricks look good and aren't turning yellow or dark- which happens when they've been fired a bunch- then they're good. The wiring can get brittle over time, but that's cheap to replace. The contacts on the sitter itself can also corrode, but you can always pull it apart and clean it up. I've worked on kilns that have been fired weekly for 40+ years that are still good.

As long as that controller has the functionality you need, then just use it till there's a problem. If it does not have the functions you need, then I recommend the Bartlett V6-CF. The Bartlett might not fit into the same hole, though, so you'll have to cut the box or add a piece of sheet metal to make it fit.

If your kiln wash is relatively fresh, it should do the job just fine. Putting alumina in the wax is not a mistake, by the way. I've been doing it that way for years with no problem. Wax and alumina in one step, quick and easy.

If I read the pst right, the alumina/wax ran in the kiln, not during application. Otherwise it would not be on top of the glaze, it would leave an unglazed bald spot. Only really thick wax could run like that as it melts.

I'm thinking maybe your wax was on way too thick if it ran. You only need one thin coat. Possibly too much alumina in the wax, too.