neilestrick

Assuming all of your thermocouple connections are tight (check the entire length of the wire for loos connections or breaks in the wire casing) I'd say it's probably time to replace the controller. That is a first generation digital controller that's like 30 years old. The only other thing you may want to try is adding a ground wire that goes from the center tap tab on the controller directly to a grounding screw. It's possible you're getting electrical interference and a direct ground can get rid of it. I've only ever seen that on 2 kilns before, though, so it's more likely a bad controller.

Assuming the wiring diagram above is the correct one for your kiln, you've got 3 sets of elements and only two infinite switches, so you'll need to add one more switch.  Just drill into the box and put it wherever it fits. The top section and middle section can connect directly to an infinite switch. The bottom section cannot connect directly to a switch because infinite switches max out at 15 amps and the bottom section pulls 22amps. So for the bottom section you'll have to use a relay as a go-between. The infinite switch will cycle the relay on and off. You may be be able to re-use one of the relays currently in the kiln.

Most any glaze is going to craze from the thermal shock of the raku process, which means it won't be watertight or suitable for food.

According to the Paragon web site, they should be 8 ohms each. Something goofy is going on with the one reading 5, the one reading 9.2 is worn out, and the others are close to worn out. On the kiln serial plate, what is the max temp, and what is the amperage draw? Does it have a 4 prong plug?

If it's a throwing class, why are they taking more students than wheels? The mixed levels is not a problem at all. Every class I've ever taken or taught  has been mixed levels. I think it's great, because the advanced students pass a lot of knowledge down to the beginners. But for the class to really work well you need everyone to have a wheel.

You cannot run that kiln on a clothes dryer circuit. There are two issues to deal with when hooking up a kiln, voltage and amperage. The electrical service in homes in the US is 240 volts. In most commercial spaces it is 208 volts. The elements in the kiln are wound to work properly on whichever service you have. You get the correct elements depending on your voltage.
As for amperage, the breaker in your breaker box, and the wire going from the box to the kiln, must be able to handle the amperage draw of the kiln. Smaller kilns pull lower amperage, bigger kilns pull more. Everything from the breaker box to the kiln must be able to handle the amperage draw of the kiln, plus 25% to meet code. A Skutt KS1027 pulls 48 amps, so it has to be on a 60 amp breaker, and have at least 6 gauge wire from the breaker to the kiln. If the previous owner changed out the plug to work on a clothes dryer, then he probably created a dangerous situation because most clothes dryers run on a 30 amp circuit. If he put a 30 amp plug on the kiln and ran it on a 60 amp circuit, then he was lucky it didn't overheat and cause a fire. Did he just change out the plug, or the whole power cord, too?
As for you removing a section of the kiln, yes, it is possible, however you'll have to put different elements in it. You'd be turning it into a KS1018, which uses different elements than the 1027. The 1027 elements would be under-powered since the ratio of wall area to lid/floor area are different The 1018 pulls 40 amps, so it needs to be on a 50 amp breaker.  The biggest kiln that could run on a 30 amp clothes dryer would be a kiln that only pulls 24 amps, which would be much smaller than what you have.

According to the Paragon web site, they should be 8 ohms each. Something goofy is going on with the one reading 5, the one reading 9.2 is worn out, and the others are close to worn out. On the kiln serial plate, what is the max temp, and what is the amperage draw? Does it have a 4 prong plug?

The flame test is the best way to see if there is a good draw or too much. The board in the window is fine, no need to make a hole in the wall if you don't have to.
One other consideration with kiln vents is providing sufficient make-up air from outside the garage. The fan system will create negative pressure in the space as well as in the kiln, so fresh air needs to come into the garage from somewhere, such as an open window or door or other vent. A complicating issue is the source of the make-up air (the door or window) needs to be some distance away (or around the corner) from the kiln vent exhaust. If the source of the make-up air is near the exhaust, the negative pressure in the garage will suck the stinkies right back inside It will be a vicious circle. Having the source of the make-up air at some distance from the exhaust will allow the stinkies to dissipate  before fresh air is pulled into to replace the air that was exhausted.

Most any glaze is going to craze from the thermal shock of the raku process, which means it won't be watertight or suitable for food.

Congrats on the new kiln! Stack in this order: foam board, wall ring, wall ring, foam board, floor slab, foam board, lid slab. Or stack the lid and floor slabs separately, with foam board under and between. 

Since it's porcelain, it's going to warp and sag if you fire it to maturity no matter how you support it. Porcelain gets pretty soft at the peak of the firing, so under-firing it is the only way to keep it from moving about. As for glazing it, the glaze will stick to anything it touches in the firing, so anywhere it's supported will need to be bare, or if you fire it to low fire temps then you could use the metal pointy stilts to support it, however those still leave a small scar.
I would go one of 3 routes with this piece:
1. Leave it unglazed and fire it to a 2-3 cones lower than the typical temp for that clay body.
2. Use underglazes on it and fire to low fire temps. Underglazes shouldn't stick much at all at that temp, especially with a good high-alumina wash wherever they touch the shelf/props.
3. Bisque fire it and paint it. (I'd go with this if it were mine)

The conversion from 208 to 240 just needs different elements. Totally worth it if the kiln is in good condition.

Since it's porcelain, it's going to warp and sag if you fire it to maturity no matter how you support it. Porcelain gets pretty soft at the peak of the firing, so under-firing it is the only way to keep it from moving about. As for glazing it, the glaze will stick to anything it touches in the firing, so anywhere it's supported will need to be bare, or if you fire it to low fire temps then you could use the metal pointy stilts to support it, however those still leave a small scar.
I would go one of 3 routes with this piece:
1. Leave it unglazed and fire it to a 2-3 cones lower than the typical temp for that clay body.
2. Use underglazes on it and fire to low fire temps. Underglazes shouldn't stick much at all at that temp, especially with a good high-alumina wash wherever they touch the shelf/props.
3. Bisque fire it and paint it. (I'd go with this if it were mine)

If it's a throwing class, why are they taking more students than wheels? The mixed levels is not a problem at all. Every class I've ever taken or taught  has been mixed levels. I think it's great, because the advanced students pass a lot of knowledge down to the beginners. But for the class to really work well you need everyone to have a wheel.

Yeah, that was just the first place I saw a price. I failed to notice their location. Tucker's and PSH have it for $90/lb. 

US Pigment has lithium carb for $65/lb, and that recipe only uses 1 pound for a 5 gallon bucket. Where's the $400 coming from?

Yeah, that was just the first place I saw a price. I failed to notice their location. Tucker's and PSH have it for $90/lb. 

US Pigment has lithium carb for $65/lb, and that recipe only uses 1 pound for a 5 gallon bucket. Where's the $400 coming from?

We use dry cleaner bags in my studio. Leave them double thickness, don't open them up and put the pot inside. They hold the moisture better that way and are easier to remove without mangling the pots. I can leave stuff covered for a couple of weeks without any drying. All it takes is one small gap in the plastic to cause things to dry too quickly. We use 13" and 15" plastic bats in my studio, and put as many pots on a bat as possible, so grocery bags are too small. Dry cleaner bags are big enough to cover everything on the bat and tuck it under all around. If you're using small bats then I don't see why grocery bags wouldn't work just fine. 10-15 years ago I always had a surplus of dry cleaner bags from my students. Now all the offices have gone casual so no one is using the dry cleaners anymore. I did just look and I can get 400+ bags on Amazon for $68, so I might just do that since my current stash is starting to get low. I need about 60 bags in rotation at any given time, and they get torn and dirty after about 6 months of use in the studio, so it would probably be worth the investment.

I've worked on a few more pieces with the new 630, and it seems to be every bit as forgiving as the old formula. Handles and knobs attach well and don't pull away, it tolerates fast drying, etc. Yes, it feels different, but it's still seems to be a very nice body. I'm hoping to fire a few pieces in the next week and see how glazes respond.

We use dry cleaner bags in my studio. Leave them double thickness, don't open them up and put the pot inside. They hold the moisture better that way and are easier to remove without mangling the pots. I can leave stuff covered for a couple of weeks without any drying. All it takes is one small gap in the plastic to cause things to dry too quickly. We use 13" and 15" plastic bats in my studio, and put as many pots on a bat as possible, so grocery bags are too small. Dry cleaner bags are big enough to cover everything on the bat and tuck it under all around. If you're using small bats then I don't see why grocery bags wouldn't work just fine. 10-15 years ago I always had a surplus of dry cleaner bags from my students. Now all the offices have gone casual so no one is using the dry cleaners anymore. I did just look and I can get 400+ bags on Amazon for $68, so I might just do that since my current stash is starting to get low. I need about 60 bags in rotation at any given time, and they get torn and dirty after about 6 months of use in the studio, so it would probably be worth the investment.

@neilestrick I counted today.  There are exactly THREE of these strips of filmy plastic, two of which are the size of a neck scarf and one of which is a double width neck scarf LOL!  Now I have no idea where he even came up with the wherewithal for even making the comment to start with. If it weren't for the donated grocery bags he was dissing, we wouldn't have ANYTHING to cover our stuff with LOL!

So, with safety override in place, kiln errored at about 200oC. With it unplugged, kiln has now fired twice without error so Im think that's where the problem lay. It is superficial as the safety override now comes from the controller so I think the mystery is solved. Thank you to everyone for your engagement and help.

You can definitely bisque fire in a typical hi-fire gas kilns, but Raku kilns are tricky for bisque firing. They have a lot of power, and are designed to go fast. You may have to do something like keeping the kiln partially open at the start and slowly closing it. Get as many safety options as they offer.

You can definitely bisque fire in a typical hi-fire gas kilns, but Raku kilns are tricky for bisque firing. They have a lot of power, and are designed to go fast. You may have to do something like keeping the kiln partially open at the start and slowly closing it. Get as many safety options as they offer.