neilestrick

My insurance (Hartford) covers my shop/studio, product liability, art fair liability, and my kiln repair work, for $235 a month. A lot of that cost is the kiln repair work, because it's considered high liability since I'm working with things that use a lot of power and get really hot, and could in theory do a lot of damage if I do something wrong. My insurance broker said a lot of insurance companies won't even cover me because of the kiln repair work. They just don't want to take on the liability, even though there's never been a claim on my policy in the 18 years I've been in business (knock on wood).

Lots of possibilities here. Start with seeing if all the elements glow when you put them on high for a bit. If a section isn't working, then you'll have to figure out where the power flow is stopping in the system, either in a wiring connection or a switch. If the bricks are in good condition, then it's generally worth repairing. Chances are it's just one part that is the problem. If it's in an environment where it could get rained on or be subject to dewy mornings, I would definitely not upgrade it to a digital controller unless you do a wall mounted controller and bring it inside when not in use, however that doesn't help any of the issues with the current system because it would all still be in use as well.

I have shows that are 80% CC sales, and other shows that are 80% cash sales. It just depends on the area and clientele. I find that a good percentage of people at art fairs understand that using a CC costs us 3%, and they try to use cash as much as possible. But by early afternoon most people are out of cash and if they really want something they're going to use a card, although they tend to apologize. At least 75% of the money that goes through my business is via credit cards, and always has been.

Yes, Skutt used to be Thomas Stuart. The Prodigy is their budget model, lacking in several features like the large splash pan and reversing. However, if you always throw in reverse, you can just switch the leads on the motor. But I don't think it's worth buying a Skutt without getting the big splash pan. Skutt 1/3hp models can handle what most 1hp wheels can handle. They have a ton of torque, and their motors are much larger in physical size than most wheels. I've got 10 of the 1/3hp models, and I've never bogged them down, even centering 25 pounds and working on 50 pound planters. They have better speed control than Brent wheels IMO, and 6 different controller adjustments to dial in how you want the wheel to feel.

Lt-3K is the model of the Kiln Sitter shutoff device, not the kiln itself. The kiln model should be listed on the serial plate on the side of the kiln. In general, one hour with the switches on low, 1 hour on medium, then high till the Sitter shuts it off. SITTER MANUAL HERE

It's 2022, and no business should be complaining about credit card fees at this point, or adding to the price IMO. Fees have been steady at roughly 3% for years and years, so I don't know why they're suddenly having a fit about it. It's a given at this point that the vast majority of one's customers are going to pay by credit card, so you set your prices with that in mind. If someone pays cash, great, you make any extra 3% on that sale. Nearly every kiln I sell to anyone other than a school is paid for by credit cards, which means up to $200 in credit card fees with each kiln. Any discounts I give take that into consideration. I sold a large kiln last year that had over $500 in credit card fees, so that greatly affected the discounts I could give. It's a cost of doing business in the modern world, no different than the cost of shipping, packing materials, overhead, etc. The better option to encourage cash sales is to raise your prices to cover the credit card fees and then offer a 3% discount for cash. People respond better to rewards than punishments.

Soldner wheels have small motors but lots of power. Something to do with the pedal design. They are very smooth, very nice to throw on. By far the smoothest wheels I've ever used. Pricey, though. I'm a big fan of Skutt wheels. Lots of power in even the 1/3hp wheels, and the big splash pan keeps the studio much, much cleaner than wheels with small pans.

Simply to increase the volume of the kiln. However since it doesn't have elements, it lowers the max temp of the kiln.

1. Turn on the bottom switch, with the lid cracked about an inch or two, for 1 hour. 2. Close the lid. Wait 1 hour. 3. Turn on the second switch up from the bottom, wait 1 hour. 4. Turn on the next switch, wait 1 hour. 5. Turn on the top switch, wait for the cone to bend and the Sitter to shut off. Your Kiln Sitter does not have a backup timer, so I strongly recommend getting a digital pyrometer so you can track the temperature and make sure it doesn't over-fire. Sitters are known to stick occasionally, so always be there to check the pyrometer and make sure it shut off when it was supposed to. Any digital pyrometer with a heavy duty type K thermocouple LIKE THIS will work. Looks like you have a blank ring also? If you add that onto the kiln, the max temp of the kiln will only be about cone 1. Without the blank ring it'll get to cone 8, so suitable for cone 6 work.

The Whisper wheels use a pancake motor, which is very low on torque, but if you don't make things over 10 pounds it'll work just fine. Personally, I can't stand how quiet they are. I find that I set the speed of my wheel as much by sound as by sight.

I think you were on the Europe site. The US site still has all the names you're used to. There's a little flag icon in the top right corner to toggle between the sites. Watts don't matter, HP doesn't matter. Torque is what matters, however nobody lists actual torque numbers. The closest we get to torque numbers is centering capacity. Can a tabletop wheel center 22 pounds? Probably not very well. Can a regular wheel center 200 pounds? Probably not very well. But they can all center 25% of that just fine. Brent switched to listing what the clay can handle 'continuously' rather than centering capacity, so that further complicates things. I think they only want you to compare their wheels to their other wheels, not to other brands. But who cares if a wheel can spin 225 pounds? Nobody does that. It's all about torque. I wish there was a standardized, real number system for rating wheels. Even centering capacity is subjective.

At what temp are you getting the Error, and what firing program are you using?

That type of thermocouple is already in a metal sheath, so the ceramic tube is not necessary. I don't think it would be the cause the fluttery reading, but remove it just to be sure. Pack fiber around the thermocouple to fill the hole.

Those numbers are every 5 seconds? Probably a thermocouple problem. Since you already changes the thermocouple, it could be the wire itself, could be the connection of the thermocouple wire to the board, could be the terminal that's mounted to the board is loose. I'd try grounding the thermocouple first. If that doesn't work, try replacing the thermocouple wire itself. Make sure you use type K wire.

I trim a foot ring into the bottom of every pot that I'm able to. Some form make it too difficult to impossible, but I avoid a flat bottom whenever I can. It just looks more finished.

We had snow in the Chicago area on Thursday morning. Then I headed to Michigan in the afternoon where we had flurries all afternoon, and woke up to more than an inch on Friday morning. It's mostly melted now, though. The farmhouse I'm staying at abuts a forest preserve, and we've had up to 20 deer at a time hanging out at the edge of the yard.

It might be difficult due to the location of the burners and flue, but try to keep more pressure in the kiln. You should have pressure out both spy holes when you put it in reduction. One will have more than the other, but the lighter one should still have a little puff.

Yes. The switches control how quickly it will heat up by cycling the elements on and off. On High they should stay on all the time.

A bisque to cone 04 will be fine. You don't need to do the long 'first firing' program you did when you first got the kiln.

It looks like your cone 6 firing got to about cone 7. Your 05 bisque firing was just slightly over fired, probably not enough to worry about. It's not uncommon for them to fire a little hot at the cone 6 range for some reason. I have to program my kiln to 2190F for cone 6 instead of 2232F. You have several options to dial it in: 1. Set a thermocouple offset. I wouldn't do this, though, because the bisque firing was pretty close to where it needs to be. 2. Set a cone offset for cone 6. 3. Do a custom program, setting the peak temp to whatever it needs to be at to be accurate. I would start with it about 20-30 degrees below cone 6 (2232F). You can copy the firing schedule in your manual for most of the firing. Just be sure to set the last 200F degrees to a rate of 108F/hr.

If you don't have one, get a pyrometer so you can check the rate of climb after you make adjustments. Also remember that with many kilns, a very small adjustment to the damper can have a very large effect, so make small adjustments, like 1cm at a time, and give it a minute or two to adjust to the new settings before assessing the results making further changes.

Any wall mounted digital kiln controller will work. Just make sure it's rated for the amperage that the kiln uses. If you get one that's rated for 50 amps, you could use it on a larger kiln later if you upgrade. I recommend getting a touch screen controller if it's in your budget.

Were you dampering the flue at all? You'll need to. Kind of an odd setup to have the flue 90 degrees to the burners. For a single burner inlet it would be better to have the flue on the opposite side. It'll be interesting to see if you get cold spots in the front left corner.

$650 is a fair price even if some of the switches need replacing. Chances are everything works fine since it hasn't been fired much.

That's a great view @LeeU! Unfortunately, I don't have any windows in my studio. But during the warmer months I open up the overhead door and get a lot of fresh air and sunlight. And a view of the parking lot!