neilestrick

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.

The OP hasn't posted in about a year, but if you PM them they'll get an email letting them know. Hover over their avatar and click on Message.

The only issue with humidity is that it can cause the electrical connections to corrode more quickly. That said, my kiln are in an unconditioned space in the midwest and it hasn't been a problem. It has to be pretty swampy for it to be an issue, and even then it's just a matter of replacing the connectors more often. The bigger issue is the moisture from the firings, so definitely install a downdraft vent. As for the cold, if you're looking at a digital kiln, the controller cannot operate below 0 degrees, so if it's super cold out you will need to heat up the space a bit in order to fire. A small space heater next to the kiln will usually do the job. The other issue to be aware of is the safety of having a hot kiln in a barn. 'Barn' can mean a lot of different things, but at it's basic definition it's a space with a lot of flammable materials, so you want to make sure you have sufficient clearances around the kiln from anything flammable.

This is an old post, so if you want to contact the original poster, it's best to send a PM. Hover over their avatar and then click Message.

Unfortunately, no. Even if you were able to get it hot enough, you would likely do damage to the grill, and it would be incredibly difficult to control the rate at which the temperature increases.

Pleas list your item in the Community Marketplace section.

Are these canisters you make? Are you hoping to cast the lids so they fit a base? More info, please.

30 minutes to get glowing Top and bottom elements are about 20% off, so that's definitely enough to be a problem since they have to work harder than the middle elements. Was the kiln on high for this test? If so, 30+ minutes is a really long time for the coils to glow, at least the top and bottom coils. The middle coils can take a lot longer.

It could be that it blew both fuses. I would start with using a meter to check the fuses.

No idea, but send them a message and ask. The may be willing to share their techniques.

Do you have a good ventilation system in the mixing area? If not, you shouldn't be using dry clay. Better to dry out the slop to the proper consistency and then run it through the mixer to even it out. If you just add ball clay or any other single clay to the mix, you're going to alter the formula, and eventually it'll have problems. Better to use a complete clay body so things stay in balance. If you know that the current clay body matures at cone 6, then you should be safe adding any similar cone 6 clay body to the mix. Test a small batch first, of course.

What firing schedule are you using? Flat pieces do not heat or cool evenly- the top heats up and cools down faster than the bottom- so you have to go slowly. Propping them up on stilts or clay wads or broken pieces of kiln shelves will definitely help, but also don't go too fast for the first couple hundred degrees, and go slowly through quartz inversion (the 525-575C range) during both heating and cooling.

Many glazes will change color when refired at lower temps, especially those that have a lot of color variation. The only way to know for sure if glaze will be affected is by trying it. A white or clear glaze is the safest way to go.

A simple low fire clear that usually works well is 90% Frit 3124 + 10% EPK.

I like that method because it's easy to make small adjustments based on results, especially as the thermocouples wear.

If the kiln is firing a little hot at all temps, then do a thermocouple offset, because that will effect all temps. If it's only firing hot at cone 6, then do a cone offset. The other option is to adjust your firing schedule. Based on what the cones are showing, I'd try cone 5 with a 5-10 minute hold. Personally, I'd do a TC offset as a last resort, as it tends to make some things better, some worse.

Is that just the little latch that holds the lid open a little bit? If so, totally unnecessary. If you need to prop the lid just use a piece of kiln brick.

Could the difference be in solubles, since one is washed and the other isn't? Just throwing out ideas...

Either wipe it off before it dries, or scrape it off and vacuum out the debris. Do it before you fire the kiln.

I would call Evenheat and see what they say. Chances are they'll work, or at least be close enough. If the element grooves don't line up perfectly, just file down the ends of the grooves to make them deeper so they meet the neighboring brick evenly.

Connections and wiring inside the wall mount box can all be standard stuff. All feeder wires going to the element should be insulated. Thermocouples need thermocouple wire, and should just be mounted to the side of the kiln outside the boxes. Kiln power cords should be rated for 105C, and if they use ring terminals they should be high temp. SEOW cords from McMaster work well. The ends in the control box should have insulating sleeves on them.

Wow, that's a lot! Equivalent to adding grog.