neilestrick

Congrats on the new kiln!

How far back in the tubes are the TC set? Where did you get the thermocouples?

Is this photo the lid?

How are the thermocouples flaking on your pots if they're in protection tubes?

All kiln switches are made for other appliances- stoves, AC, etc. Does your kiln use a neutral wire? Post a pic of the serial plate on the kiln.

I just looked at my 10 cubic foot kiln, which is going through a cone 6 firing with a controlled cooling. It's at about 1935F, cooling at a rate of 175/hr. The top is running at 25%, the middle and bottom are at 0%. This makes sense since the top loses a lot of heat out the lid. All 3 are very close to the traveling set point, so it's staying on schedule. But it means that about 175/hr is the fastest it can cool at this point. If it was programmed for 500/hr cooling, it might error because it can't cool that fast. It all depends on how quickly it gets too out of sync with the traveling set point. Time passes.... Just checked it again. Set point is at 1788. Top is at 20%, bottom is at 8%, both are even with the set point. Middle is at 0% but 30 degrees above the set point. The middle cannot maintain the 175/hr cooling rate at this temperature. I never get an error code with this schedule, so I know it'll stay within the acceptable parameters, but it's definitely lagging there.

This setting can cause errors for some kilns, because they can't always cool fast enough to keep up with it. In your baby kiln it will probably not be a problem, but in larger kilns it can be. You're basically asking it to cool 330 degrees in about 40 minutes.

We are dealing with 2 different functions here. One is a controlled cooling, so that the kilns cool at the same rate and give you the same results. 175/hr (or probably even 200/hr in your kiln since it's not too big) will give you a controlled cooling that's not too far off from the natural cooling speed. But by programming that into both kilns, you get identical firings. The other is a slow cooling, which is done to increase crystal growth and color development in glazes. This is typically done from 1900F down to 1500F. Your e23 does not cool slowly enough to give you the same results as a slow cooling program. You need to cool slowly from 1900F down to 1500F in order for the matte glazes to go more matte. I would start with 150F/hr through that range and see how it goes. So if you want a slow cooling and you want identical controlled cooling: 1. Use whatever program you want going up to cone 6. If you want to use the pre-programmed cone 6 medium or whatever, either look that up and plug it into a Vary-Fire/Custom firing slot, or if you have a Genesis controller, copy the program into a custom slot. Then add the following steps: 2. 9999 to 2132. This is a 100 degree drop from cone 6, to set the glazes before you start a controlled cooling. If you do the controlled cooling from the peak temp, you'll get extra heatwork. 3. 175 or 200/hr to 1900. This is the controlled cooling section that will keep your kilns cooling at the same rate. If you don't need a slow cooling cycle for the the glazes, then take this down to 1500 instead of 1900 and make it the final step. 4. 150/hr to 1500. This is the slow cooling section that will encourage crystal growth to increase mattness and color development in some glazes. The slower this goes, the more pronounced the effect will be. 150/hr is a good starting point, though. 175/hr vs 150/hr doesn't seem like much, but I've seen a big difference in my glazes. If you try to program the controlled cooling at to fast a rate, the kiln won't be able to cool that fast and you'll get an error code. My e28T need 175/hr to avoid that. Your e23 may be able to handle 200/hr, though, since it's smaller.

The schedule I posted is for if you're not using a specific slow-cooling cycle. The goal is not necessarily to match the big kilns cooling cycle, because that is not linear. Instead, put them both on a cooling cycle that allows them to cool at the same rate that's not too far off from the big kiln, without necessarily being a 'slow-cool' cycle that will affect the glazes. 175/hr seems to do that. We drop down 100 degrees first so that the controlled cooling doesn't add heatwork to the glazes. If you cool from the peak, you'll get additional melt in the glazes. If you want to do a 'slow-cool' cycle that affects the glazes, those usually start at 1900F after natural cooling, and slow cool to 1500F. You may be able to let both kilns naturally cool to 1900F and then slow cool, but you'd have to test your glazes and see if they come out the same or not. If they don't come out the same, do the 100F drop, then cool at 175/hr to 1900F, then slow cool at whatever rate you want down to 1500.

Dry them out and they'll be fine.

While ailing elements may still do the job, albeit more slowly, keep in mind that those firings are costing you more than with fresh elements. I once ran my e18T-3 until the elements would no longer reach cone 6, and the last firing cost me twice as much as the new elements. Also, elements that are used to the point of failure are generally more difficult to remove because they are deformed, and because they coils tend to expand in diameter as they wear out. In non-L&L kilns that means they'll do more damage to the element grooves during removal, and in L&L kilns it means they tend to break into small pieces as you remove them, therefore taking a lot longer to do the job. Although changing elements may be a miserable job, it's a lot easier to do it before the elements get really bad. Replace them once the resistance is 10% off from new, or the coils start to lay over on each other.

A new lid fro Skutt is $325. Add another $175-$250 for freight delivery. That's a pretty big cost for a really old kiln. However if the rest of the kiln is in good condition then it might be worth it. Another option is to find a cheap used kiln of the same size that has a decent lid or floor slab that you could use.

Definitely try C&C. I prefer it over OM4 in terms of feel and workability.

In what condition is the rest of the kiln? Post pics.

You can do it either way, but people seem to be more willing to buy if shipping is included in the price, even when that price is higher. Plus it simplifies things because they know how much the item will actually cost them before they go through the checkout process.

Gillespie is known to be a bit stronger than Gerstley. I've always reduced Gillespie by 3%.

First check that you're getting continuity through the fuse. If you're not, then either the fuse is bad or the fuse holder is bad or the fuse isn't tight in the holder. If the fuse is good then measure the voltage coming out of the transformer- when measuring the voltage between the two wires going from the transformer to the controller you should get about 24 volts AC. Set the meter to VAC and put a probe on each terminal. You can either measure from the terminals on the transformer or the AC1 and AC2 terminals on the controller. Be careful since there will be live wires.

First check the fuse. Make sure it hasn't blown for some reason, and make sure everything is tight. Check the wiring on the transformer. Terminals 1 and 4 each get a hot. 2 and 3 have a jumper connecting them. 5 and 8 go to AC1 and AC2 on the controller, 7 is ground. Do you have a multi meter that you can use to check that the transformer is sending out the correct voltage? Wiring diagram HERE.

There's no reason to apply a clear glaze over a colored glaze unless you like how it alters the look of the colored glaze, and it will alter the look of the colored glaze, sometimes just a bit, but often quite a lot. The clear will not just sit on top of the colored glaze. Whenever you layer glazes, they mix and mingle, and often become runnier. To what degree all that happens depends entirely on the formula of the glazes, the thickness of the application of each glaze, and the order in which they are applied. Test, test, test.

Use the same firing schedule going up, then add a cooling cycle that goes full speed cool (rate 9999) down to 100 degrees below the peak temp, then a rate of 175/hr down to 1500. You'll get the same results from both kilns. I've been using this schedule for years for 3 kilns of different sizes (test, 4 cu/ft, 10 cu/ft).

The pre-programmed firing schedules work great. The programs you listed should also work. For testing purposes, I'd just run a medium cone 6 and see if it fires off in approximately the amount of time the schedule says it should. No need to fire it up to cone 9.

What firing schedule are you using? Have you been using the schedule without problems? What model kiln? Are you sure the elements are installed properly? Have you tested the elements and relays to confirm that they're all working?

Testing with the panel open can be dangerous, depending on the kiln model. If it's a digital kiln with a hinged control box, you can generally do a live test with a meter fairly safely. For manual kilns it can be a lot more difficult (dangerous). The safest ways to test are: 1. Turn it on high, let it run a few minutes, then carefully crack the lid and see if all the elements glow. 2. Put a small piece of paper on each element, run it for a couple of minutes, turn off the kiln and check if all the pieces of paper have burned.

Could be solubles coming out since it has sat for so long.

The pedal you have may or may not be made specifically for the wheel, so you may be able to find a replacement online. Also call Speedball, as they now make those wheels, and the current pedal may work as a replacement.