neilestrick

Nabertherm Kilns Nabertherm doesn't print much technical information on their web site, but they are very helpful if you call or email them. Their main office is in Germany, but they do have offices in other parts of the world. Headquarters Other locations

I assume this is a pottery wheel? Can you provide any other information? Pictures are always good. Many wheel parts like bearings are off-the-shelf parts, so you may be able to find a match with some internet searching, once you get the old bearing out and can measure it.

It all depends on the condition if the bricks, elements, wiring, location, etc. Your best bet is to do some online searches for used kilns in your area on Facebook or Craigslist and find comparable models. In general, though, little test kilns are usually only worth about $100 max. Studio kilns can go for $300 on up depending on condition.

Good to know! I know it's nice to test a wheel before buying, but the Soldner wheels really are dreamy.

Soldner wheels have amazing torque despite low horsepower. I've not used the S50, but I did use a P100 for a while and it was amazing. They're worth every dime in terms of how smoothly they run. The 100 is only $150 more, so I'd get it if I were you. The downside of the Soldner wheels is that the splash pan is pretty much worthless, and I'm not sure there even is one for the S wheels. They make a huge mess if you tend to throw with much water, and trimmings go everywhere. Lots of cleanup. If you want something with great power/torque that makes very little mess at all, then go with a Skutt wheel. The 1/3hp can handle just about anything, and the large splash pan holds a ton of mess.

Cone Art Kilns Manuals Wiring Diagrams Parts Elements Element Resistance - Cone Art doesn't publish element resistance charts on their web site, or put that information on their wiring diagrams, so you'll have to give them a call. Make sure you have your kiln model number, voltage, phase, and serial number when you call.

Amaco Kilns Excel Kilns Manual Excel Kilns Elements Wiring Diagrams and Element Resistance - You'll have to give Amaco a call for this information, as they do not show it on their web site. For kiln parts you'll have to use the search box. If you can't find what you're looking for, give them a call. Their customer service is very helpful and will get you what you need.

Olympic Kilns Manuals Wiring Diagrams - Olympic only publishes a couple of basic wiring diagrams for switches on their web site, so you'll have to give them a call to get the full diagram specific to your kiln. I'm not exaggerating when I say they are the nicest folks in the kiln business! Parts and Elements Element Resistance - You'll have to give them a call to get the element resistance numbers for your kiln. Make sure you have the model number, voltage, phase, and serial number ready when you call.

Cress Kilns Manuals Wiring Diagrams Parts and Elements Element Resistance- A lot of the wiring diagrams show element resistance numbers on them. For those that don't, you'll have to give Cress a call. They're good people and will be happy to help you. Make sure you have the model number, voltage, phase, and serial number ready when you call.

Evenheat Kilns Manuals Wiring Diagrams Parts and Elements Evenheat doesn't publish element resistance numbers on their web site, so you'll have to give them a call to get that information. They're super nice and very helpful. Once you have the numbers, write them down somewhere! Make sure you have the model number, voltage, phase, and serial number ready when you call.

Paragon Kilns Wiring Diagrams Manuals Parts and Elements Element Resistance- Elements resistance numbers can usually be found on the wiring diagram. Alternatively, you can search for the elements for your kiln in the parts shopping section, and the description will show the Ohms for the element. Paragon's search function works best if you're very precise or not precise at all. For instance, if you search for kiln model 'A88B' in the wiring diagrams, it won't find it the kiln because is listed as 'A-88B'. Without the dash in the model number it's lost. But if you search with the dash or just search '88' it will find it.

Skutt Kilns Wiring Diagrams Manuals Parts Finder Parts Price Lists Helpful Videos - Lots of helpful setup and repair videos. Element Resistance - Click on the specs for your type of kiln The 'Support' section of the Skutt website has everything you could need, from information on how to lay out your studio to repairing your kiln.

I have a new kiln being delivered next week!

Can't buy just the rod. You have to get the whole kit. But that's not a bad thing because the new style is much better than the old one on that kiln.

L&L Kilns L&L has a ton of information on their web site- just about everything you could possibly need. When using the search functions, it's best to start with as little information as possible. For instance, search '23' rather than e23T-3. It seems that their search engine requires an exact match to find something. Wiring Diagrams Manuals Parts Elements Element resistance numbers can be found on the wiring diagram for each model. The voltage and phase of your kiln matters, so make sure you're looking at the right diagram. BTU analysis for HVAC/venting calculations (how much heat comes off a kiln during firing) can be found on the General Dimensional Drawings for each kiln model currently in production. Those drawings can be found on the web pages for each model (Example). These numbers can be used with reasonable accuracy for older kilns of similar size and construction (wall thickness), and kilns from other manufacturers. Helpful videos- everything from unpacking and setting up your new kiln to diagnosing problems and repairing your kiln Understanding Electricity for Kilns

@Tumbleweed Pottery @CeeJay I spoke with Jay at Euclids this week and he said they can probably make new elements that will increase the max temp rating of these old kilns to cone 10. It may require other changes to the system, such as switches and service wiring, but it would make the kilns much more functional for cone 6 work.

Below you will find links to web sites for all the major kiln manufacturers in North America, plus links to specific areas of their sites for wiring diagrams, repair parts, and manuals. Your kiln should have a serial plate somewhere on the side of the kiln or the control box, which shows the model number, voltage, and phase of the kiln. You will need this information in order to find the correct parts or manual for your kiln. For manual kilns with a Kiln Sitter, the model number on the Kiln Sitter (LT-3K for example) is the model number for the Sitter only. It has nothing to do with the kiln model. Kiln Sitters were/are used by all brands for the last 50+ years. Please note that if you cannot find a user manual for your specific kiln, chances are a manual for another kiln with the same systems will work just fine. All kilns are loaded the same way, all Kiln Sitters work the same way, and all manual kilns are fired the same way (by turning up the switches at hourly intervals). There are only a handful of digital controllers on the market, and links to manuals for those can be found below. When in doubt, contact the kiln manufacturer. Please DM me if you find any dead or missing links. Disclaimer: This thread is simply a resource for finding the information you need. We make no promises or guarantees as to the accuracy, quality, or safety of any of the items found on the pages we link to.

Just take a wire brush to any loose rust. If you want to paint the boxes you could but the rust will likely come through the paint and ruin it eventually. Don't worry about discoloration of the bricks or stainless steel.

That would be the best way to go. Try to slow it down at the high end if possible, like maybe go more smaller turnups once it gets to red heat. Shoot for 100f/hr for the last 200F

Sounds like it would be a good candidate for the Olympic Electro-Sitter, which replaces the Kiln Sitter. Just wire everything directly to the sitter instead of through switches. Paragon may or may not have elements still available, but if not then call Euclids.com. Probably cheaper through Euclids.

Good to know. Paragon must have some in inventory. $400 gets you halfway to a digital controller....

The original rotary switch was the KM300. The replacement is the SW6, which is $48. The other part in that system is an interval delay timer, what paragon calls a 2 in 1 timer on their wiring diagrams, and it only seems to exist on the DA models, not the EA models. I believe the DA models have the Manual/Automatic switch, and the 2 in 1 timer is wired to that. I think the 2 in 1 is what keeps it on low for 2 hours before it allows the rotary switch to take over and climb . From what I've found on the internet, the Ceramicraft.AU is the only place that mentions it, and says it's $400+ and only available from Paragon. I'm betting that Paragon doesn't actually make them any more since they officially stopped supporting Duncan kilns a couple of years ago. However the company that originally made the 2 in 1 timer, Artisan Controls, is still around and may be able to recommend a replacement. There are other interval timers made by Artisan in the Duncan EA models, and those are still available but cost $110+ each. IMO, these Duncan kilns are not worth the cost of repairing them to original condition, especially since the systems don't seem to perform as well as they should. The simplest solution would be to wire all the elements directly to the power cord and plug it into a wall mounted digital controller. The other option would be to take out all the original controls and rewire them with typical lo-med-hi switches. Unfortunately, those solutions require either a good knowledge of kiln wiring or a fair amount of money.

Usually the pedal casting has specific forms cast into it to hold the parts in position. It's not just a rectangle with stuff screwed to the inside. It could also be a totally different type of potentiometer. Some have slider arms, some have gears, and they aren't all the same size. The potentiometer in a Skutt pedal won't fit in a Brent pedal, for instance, even though the pedals look about the same from the outside. Could you modify it? Anything's possible with enough effort, but it might not be worth the time or effort or be as durable as the real deal. If your old pedal has the gear-and-arm type system, the current slider system would be totally different.

The switch isn't really setting firing profiles like a digital controller would. It's just a regular manual infinite switch that they've labeled as though it were an actual controller. At each setting it's going to cycle the elements on and off at a different rate to control how hot the kiln can get at each setting. The Overglaze setting is roughly the same as putting it the switch on medium, and since overglazes fire at such a low temperature it'll get hot enough on medium to do the job. The Ceramics setting is like medium-high, and will allow the kiln to get hot enough for low fire work. The High-Fire setting is full on, which is needed for cone 6 work. They way they tell you to fire it is to just put it on one of those settings, which means it goes on low for two hours and then jumps up to the setting. We don't generally fire our kilns like that, though, because it fires too quickly that way. Instead, we go through a series of turn-ups to increase the temperature slowly so that we don't harm our pots by heating too quickly or getting incomplete burnout or melting the glazes too fast. So ignore the labels on the switch and instead think of it as low to high, and do a series of turnups.

@Catatonic The switch is just an infinite switch. According to the Duncan manual, when you turn it on, it will go on low for 2 hours, then switch over to whatever cycle you've set the dial to. Overglaze is like medium, Ceramic is like med-high, High Fire is full on. Try this: start with the switch off, push the power button on the sitter, turn the switch to Overglaze and let it go 4 hours, then switch to Ceramic for 4 hours, then to High Fire until it's done. It may shut off on the ceramic setting.