neilestrick

@neilestrick Ok, I'll look into that (no pun intended)!

Yup, I know exactly what you're talking about. If it were my kiln, I would make a peep hole in it.

Thank you Neil! I think I'm going to end up having kiln repair professional do this for me, I'm terrified of putting the wrong wires to the wrong connector and potentially shorting out the new controller before I even get a chance to use it.  Looks like a nifty controller and I'm excited to have a controller with numbers and the ability to customize firing programs! 

Does it have peepholes?

Is it a top loading kiln? If so, you should be able to crack the lid just enough to see what's happening without losing much heat. Again, you'd only have to do that for one firing, to figure out what temp that glaze needs to go to.

You'll have to trace the wires back to their origin to determine where they're coming from, but here's how they connect to the V6-CF:
1. AC 1 and AC 2 are the power wires from the transformer.
2. Center Tap is the ground wire from the transformer.
3. If you have a single zone kiln (1 thermocouple), then the thermocouple wires will connect to TC 2 (the row of screw connectors on the other side of the board from the spade connectors). Yellow wire is positive, red wire is negative. If you have multiple thermocouples, TC 1 is the top section of the kiln, TC2 is the middle, TC3 is the bottom.
4. If you have a single thermocouple, then Output 2 will go to the relays. If you have multiple thermocouples, then Output 1 will go to the relay that powers the top section, Output 2 the middle section, Output 3 the bottom section.

The wax and all the burn marks will burn out just fine if you let it run. If the smell is super bad then you'll want to explore better venting options. What type of vent are you using?

You can also work in panels, like building a box. By using templates for the panels you get excellent repeatability.
 

Most commercial underglazes will go to cone 6, many can handle cone 10 as well. The main issue with higher temps is the stain/pigments they use, and they use the same stains in them that are available for us to buy. Be sure to check the tech stats for each stain to see what temp it can handle. If you can find a good cone 6 porcelain that will open up a lot of possibilities.
Yeah, wheels have gotten really expensive in the last couple of years. If you want to explore slab work you can do that with a rolling pin and some thickness strips, or tabletop slab rollers are pretty affordable.

Hi @kawaiidumpling, welcome to the forum!
I feel you're complicating things a lot here, but to answer your questions:
Yes, the published shrinkage rate of a clay body is that simple. Ideally you would be using the same clay body for the hand built pieces as you are for the mug body, but if that's not possible then just find bodies that have a similar shrinkage rate.
If you buy pre-made slip, drying it to use for the hand built pieces is not recommended because casting slip is deflocculated and won't behave the same, although for very small things it may work. It could also be used for the engobes, but you'd either need to calculate the materials content of the slip or dry it out so it can be weighed. Rather than making your own underglazes, I recommend buying commercial underglazes. They tend to work better than homemade, the cost per pot is very low, and they can be blended for different colors and watered down for different effects. Making your own will require a lot of testing (which will need to be fired, presumably at your community studio) to get the color and intensity correct, and with the cost of stains you probably won't save much money by doing it yourself.
What do you mean by 'an affordable wheel alternative'? Are you just referring to the cost of buying a wheel?
Slip casting and mold making are entirely different beasts than throwing or hand building. Using slabs or coils to build your pieces would simpler and teach you a lot more about working with porcelain. I'm not saying casting is not a worthwhile endeavor, but slab and coil work would  build on the skills you've gained in your classes a lot more than slip casting would.
The difficulties your teacher are referring to come from the lack of plasticity, high shrinkage rate, and propensity for warping that comes with porcelain. All of these issues can be dealt with for the most part through good design and construction techniques. It's not really that different than working with stoneware, it's just fussier. Many of my students throw and hand build with porcelain, with great success.

No problem at all.

I would not expect the kaolin to be the problem. It could be that the glaze was simply under-fired. IMO, If you're firing quickly like a typical raku firing, the best way to do it is to actually watch the melt rather than relying on a set temp, at least at first. The glaze will bubble up and then settle down and gloss over. At that point it's ready to pull. Note the temp on the pyrometer at that point and then you can fire by temp from then on. I've also found that raku glazes mature at a fairly wide range of temps since many of them are not real glazes, and that the white crackle glazes tend to like more heat than the copper patina types.

You can also work in panels, like building a box. By using templates for the panels you get excellent repeatability.
 

I would not expect the kaolin to be the problem. It could be that the glaze was simply under-fired. IMO, If you're firing quickly like a typical raku firing, the best way to do it is to actually watch the melt rather than relying on a set temp, at least at first. The glaze will bubble up and then settle down and gloss over. At that point it's ready to pull. Note the temp on the pyrometer at that point and then you can fire by temp from then on. I've also found that raku glazes mature at a fairly wide range of temps since many of them are not real glazes, and that the white crackle glazes tend to like more heat than the copper patina types.

Try bisque firing slower, and don't glaze fire above cone 5. It won't hurt the white clays to go slower, too.

@Lilya how were they fired?

It could also be that the belt has dried out and isn't gripping very well any more. If tightening it doesn't work then a new belt may be needed.

They made them like that as some point. I've only ever seen a couple of them in the 30+ years I've been working with clay. As long as the bands are holding tight then it'll work. Just be careful that you don't damage the exterior when moving it or using it. It would be more durable with the outer jacket. Modern outer jackets may fit, it'll just depend on whether or not the holes for the elements and sitter line up. I'd give Evenheat a call and ask, and also see if they still make elements that will fit it.

It's only over-fired a little bit, maybe 1/2 cone at the very most, not enough to matter in a bisque firing. I'd go ahead and do your bisque firing, but put cones in it and see how it behaves with pots in the kiln.

It's only over-fired a little bit, maybe 1/2 cone at the very most, not enough to matter in a bisque firing. I'd go ahead and do your bisque firing, but put cones in it and see how it behaves with pots in the kiln.

It's only over-fired a little bit, maybe 1/2 cone at the very most, not enough to matter in a bisque firing. I'd go ahead and do your bisque firing, but put cones in it and see how it behaves with pots in the kiln.

The cooling rate of baby kilns is much too fast to give accurate results compared to a full size kiln. If you have a digital kiln, program a cooling cycle from the peak temp down to 1500F at a rate of 175/hr. That will be a good approximation of the cooling rate in a big kiln. If you have a manual kiln, then you have to be at the kiln when it shuts off, then lift the Sitter weight, turn the kiln back on, and gently lower the weight so it doesn't kick it off. Then put the kiln on medium for about 3 hours, which will cool it more slowly, then turn it off.

The cooling rate of baby kilns is much too fast to give accurate results compared to a full size kiln. If you have a digital kiln, program a cooling cycle from the peak temp down to 1500F at a rate of 175/hr. That will be a good approximation of the cooling rate in a big kiln. If you have a manual kiln, then you have to be at the kiln when it shuts off, then lift the Sitter weight, turn the kiln back on, and gently lower the weight so it doesn't kick it off. Then put the kiln on medium for about 3 hours, which will cool it more slowly, then turn it off.

The cooling rate of baby kilns is much too fast to give accurate results compared to a full size kiln. If you have a digital kiln, program a cooling cycle from the peak temp down to 1500F at a rate of 175/hr. That will be a good approximation of the cooling rate in a big kiln. If you have a manual kiln, then you have to be at the kiln when it shuts off, then lift the Sitter weight, turn the kiln back on, and gently lower the weight so it doesn't kick it off. Then put the kiln on medium for about 3 hours, which will cool it more slowly, then turn it off.

I’m am with @Hulk there is a strong possibility (especially new in the box) the commutator has oxidized over time and with no use this layer is thick. With power off you can spin it by hand both directions say ten or twenty revolutions. This will actually spin  the motor many more revolutions which could help clean off some of the oxidation. Then, power on, 1/2 speed, get the wheel started and see if it will run up to high speed just for a handful of seconds. If it runs smoothly on its own at high speed and does not struggle then letting it spin for a few minutes may get the commutator cleaned off sufficiently and regular use will prevent this from occurring. If the commutator has to be hand cleaned, then something a motor tech is probably better suited for as the Artista parts list does not appear to have removable brushes listed.