neilestrick

I am not no longer clear as to which switches or how many switches or what each switch controls in each of the kilns in this thread, but something to keep in mind is that depending on which switch controls which elements, by putting switches on different settings you may cause the kiln to fire unevenly. The sitter only knows how hot it is right in the middle of the kiln where it's located, so just because it's hot enough in that area doesn't mean it's that hot throughout the top and bottom of the kiln, too.

Correct. The only real issue with firing fast is that you may not get all the organic matter burned out during a bisque, which could cause glaze problems. But cone 04 is cone 04, no matter how fast you get there because cones measure heatwork, not temperature. If you're not having glaze problems then you're good to go.

Not trying to be a downer here, with a manual kiln, once it's on high it's on high and it's going to rocket to temp and there's nothing you can do about it at that point. It may be worth getting a pyrometer and seeing how fast it climbs on a medium setting. Maybe you just need to leave it there and let it slowly climb to extend the firing. For a bisque firing it may be that you never need to go to a higher setting than that. One thing to remember with these old kilns is that we've come along way in how we think about firings. Back when Duncan was building kilns we were pretty much just concerned with it getting to temp, and slowing it down was only an issue at the low end so we didn't blow things up. Plus these kilns were marketed to schools, who preferred fast firings so the kiln wasn't running after the teacher went home for the day. Nowadays we put a lot more thought into what we do at the high end of a firing, because we've learned that poor burnout can be the cause of some glaze problems that we used to attribute to the glaze itself. There's only so much that can be done with a manual kiln, though, so trying to stick to firing schedules and specific rates of climb may be a wasted effort. Assuming everything on your kiln is working, you may just need to adjust your glazes or final temp to get the results you want. Or, budget permitting, get a wall-mounted digital controller to run the kiln with if you really want more control. People have been firing manual kilns for decades with great success, though.

Throwing direction is not a matter of being left or right handed. Western cultures typically throw counter-clockwise, and eastern cultures typically work clockwise. I recommend she learn to work counter-clockwise as she may encounter wheels that only go that direction if she attends workshops. Plus most instructional videos will be done that way.

Most likely the controller, but I'd call Shimpo as they would know best.

There are a lot of different knobs out there, and many only fit on a certain type of shaft. You got lucky that it fits on the shaft, now you just have to figure out the proper alignment.

I have never seen that type of knob on a kiln. It could be some random replacement knob they put on that doesn't line up with the actual settings of the switch. The light never goes off, or the actual power to the elements never goes off? That light is likely linked to the Sitter, so it comes on whenever the sitter is engaged, regardless of whether or not the switch is in the off position.

Sorry to hear you're having trouble! It seems no market is immune to the supply chain problems goin on right now. And even if materials are in supply and companies have the labor to do the work, the trucking industry is a mess. i've noticed that kiln deliveries are slower and costing more. Hopefully things will start to get back to normal in the near future.

We are permitted to create pottery at the mercy of our industrial overlords.

No no no no no no no no no no. In addition to all the issues for potential damage to my kilns and kiln furniture, there are the problems of storing the work before and after it's fired, and conflicts over the results of the firing. It's too easy for people to blame the kiln owner for something not coming out like they expected- "it didn't look like that when I had it fired at another studio"- or to blame the firing for the glaze running and damaging a shelf/kiln- "it never ran like that at the other studio". Chances are if they don't have a kiln they don't understand the variation that exists from kiln to kiln. Too much potential for arguments and unhappy people and unpaid invoices. My opinion is that if you want to work in clay then you need to either invest in being part of a community studio or invest in your own equipment. Both are costly, but most hobbies are. That said, I do have two people for whom I fire. One is a very good sculptor I have known for years who makes unglazed figurative forms, so no firing trouble there. The other is a former student whom I totally trust, and who understands that she has to work around my schedule. She brings stuff in on the day I can load the kiln, and picks it up on the day it comes out.

Have you fire one of those before? They work, you just have to make sure your pieces are totally dry when you bisque fire, because the kiln will heat up pretty quickly at the bottom since the elements will be full on when you flip the switches. Start with the lid cracked a couple of inches and turn on the bottom switch. After an hour turn on the next switch. After another hour close the lid. After another hour turn on the 3rd switch. After another hour turn on the top switch. You could speed up the last two switches to 1/2 hour if you wanted to. This kiln is a good candidate for a wall mounted digital controller.

It says cone 8 max on the serial plate. A firing will probably take 6-9 hours depending on what cone you're firing to. Does this kiln just have the 4 on/off switches?

My attitude about raw materials is that it's good to be aware of rising costs, but the cost per pot is so low that it's fairly easy to make up the difference with a very small price increase across a lot of pots. Plus we're all in the same boat when it comes to prices- nobody has a super secret source of cheap Neph Sye, so the competition is fair in that sense, at least with people in your same country. I just looked up Skutt element prices to see how much they've changed (they put out a PDF list every year). 2016 price was $53 per element, currently they are $58 per element. So a $5 increase over 5 years. However the 2014 and 2015 price was $50. We typically see a change of $1-2 each year, however sometimes there is no change for a couple of years, then a bigger jump. This last year has been difficult for kiln companies to set prices because raw material prices are fluctuating so much. They don't want to raise prices if they don't have to, so they're trying to wait until the market settles down in order to get an accurate assessment of their costs, but at some point they'll just have to do it regardless of what's happening.

I use waster slabs for cone 6 porcelain and never bisque fire them, without problem. The slab can be in several pieces before firing and it'll still do the job.

If you look at the first photo, the saggar top fits inside the base, forming a decent seal. There's no way to 100% seal a saggar, nor is it necessary.

Soylent Green is people! Seriously though, there are a number of meal replacement mixes out there that could be a great solution to the food problem. Thanks @GEP!

I work shows alone, so I take a cooler to every show with sandwiches, snacks, water, etc. I Invested in a good roto-molded cooler a few years ago and it can get through a 3 day show without needing to refill the ice so it was a worthwhile investment. It's this one if anyone's interested. It's cheap compared to a Yeti and works great, and holds enough food to get me through a weekend. I also take a small bag with food that doesn't need to be kept cold- chips, granola bars, etc. I always take way more food than I need, because some days I just get hungrier than others. If I do well on Saturday I'll often treat myself to buying lunch from one of the food trucks on Sunday, but that requires being able to leave my booth for 10-20 minutes, so I only do that at smaller shows if the show is slow and I can find a good booth sitter or neighbor to help out. At really big shows, trying to get out of the booth that long is impossible, so a stocked cooler is super important. Hunger can make a show a pretty miserable experience. In addition to food, I take two 32oz and one 64oz stainless steel insulated water bottles that can keep water cold all day. The 64oz is a backup that stays in the cooler, and I fill the 32oz bottles in the morning- at home if it's a local show, or at the hotel or wherever I get breakfast if it's an away show. Most coffee shops, McDonalds, bakeries, (wherever you get breakfast) are happy to fill bottles with ice water for you, especially if it's near the show and you mention that you're an artist. Most good shows will hand out water, but I hate the environmental impact of disposable water bottles so I try to avoid taking them.

If I remember correctly these switches have to be installed upside down.

If you're looking for something that can spin for a long time, get a Shimpo. But if you just need something that rotates smoothly, THESE work really well, for 1/3 the cost of a Shimpo. I've got both in my studio, and I have no complaints with either.

My wheel and primary work table are set for standing. Occasionally I will sit on a tall stool while decorating, but for the most part I do everything while standing. Back when I set up my wheel for standing I realized just how much of my energy was going into getting up and down from a seated position. Working in a standing position I can move about more and take advantage of a larger work area instead of always moving things into and out of a small seated work area.

A flaking lid is definitely a problem, but replacing it with a brick lid is not a cheap fix. A new lid slab plus shipping will cost $300-500 depending on the size. Or if the floor is the same material and in better condition then you can swap them. They also make products that stabilize and harden fiber that may help. Is the lid still structurally sound? Unless the lid has degraded considerably, I wouldn't think it would be the cause of the kiln not getting to temp. The other issue with flaking fiber is that you're breathing those fibers every time you move the lid, and that's not good for your lungs. You can make your own lid slab, but unless you've got some experience mortaring insulating firebrick it may not go well and you'll waste a lot of time and money. New IFB run $4-6 each. Cutting the slab to size and shape is a big mess, lots of dust. The other issue is that the hinge on the kiln is probably not made to support the weight of a brick slab, so you'll need a new hinge system, which would have to come from another brand. You'll also need an outer band for the slab. All in you probably won't save much over getting a new one. If you can find a junker kiln locally that someone is selling cheap, you can use the slab and hinge from it. Honestly, sometimes kilns just need to be tossed out.

Standard #365 cone 6 porcelain.

There's definitely something to this. The semi-rigid ducting acts a bit like a sounding board. I use rubber duct, Blo-R-Vac Flexible Duct Hose from McMaster-Carr, and it's definitely quieter than the metal stuff. It's rated to 250F and doesn't corrode. I run both of my kiln vent during classes and they aren't overbearing. You can hear them, but they're no worse than the fans we run to keep us cool during the summer.

Mine is about 30 degrees off at cone 6, about 10 degrees at cone 04. No voltage issues, plenty of power. I've had several customers in the past 6 months experience the same thing. I think it's just a difference with the programming in the controller. I even used my old TC blocks just to see if that made a difference, since they have a different terminal material. @Pres If you plan to do your own program anyway, just run a firing with cones you can see, and shut the kiln down manually when the cones drop and use that temp as the peak for your firings. That's what I do for my glaze firings.

The holes won't affect the firing.