neilestrick

Quartz inversion issues take a relatively quick drop to be a problem. You can leave 3 peeps out from the peak temp and you are still very unlikely to have anything crack. I open my kilns wide open at 350F on a regular basis without issues. I've pulled pieces out at 500F, but that makes me nervous. I'll often prop the lid and inch at 500F and it doesn't hurt anything.

Most underglazes will remain matte and chalky unless they are covered with a clear glaze.  Typical underglazes do no melt out and go glossy like a glaze does. There are exceptions, like the Mayco Stroke 'n' Coat products, but they are more of a wide-firing-range glaze than an underglaze (although they can be used like an underglaze in many cases). Most underglazes are formulated for low fire work, but many will fire to cone 6 just fine, some colors will distort at cone 6, and some colors will burn out completely. If your pink glaze is now white, I think it's one of those that burns out, which is not entirely surprising since warm colors are often very sensitive to higher temps. First thing to do is to try it again on a fresh piece, and use a clear glaze. If it still burns out white then you need to find a different brand that has a pink you like. When you find one, look at that brands resources and see if it will work at cone 6. I know from experience that Speedball's pink will work at cone 6, however I don't love that color- it's a little too salmon. So I mix it 50/50 with white to get a good pink. Underglazes of the same brand can be mixed to get new colors, however you have to test fire them because the color you see before firing may not be the same after firing since different colorants have different strengths. An 80/20 blend of two colors may look perfect before firing, but after firing you actually need a 30/70 blend. I run a line blend when testing- 90/10, 80/20, 70/30....10/90 so I get the full range to select from.

So 16.3 and the middle 19.5 is pretty well wasted

Doing workshops and teaching classes are two different animals. Workshops are a good way to make some extra money, but you don't get the chance to do them until you're fairly famous because it's your name that's the draw. There may be others out there who make work that is just as nice but no one is going to pay money to go to a workshop if they haven't heard of them. It's also not something that you can do every week all year long. There's just not that kind of opportunity, and it'll eat into your studio time. One of the nice things about the internet age is that you can do online workshops, however you still need the name recognition to get people to sign up. The vast majority of potters do not do workshops on a regular basis, but they're great when you do get to do them. You can make a few hundred bucks for a day's work, plus sell some pots and meet a bunch of other potters. They're a great ego boost, too!
Teaching pottery classes does not pay much. Many people who teach are paid in studio use, kiln use, clay, etc. If they are paid actual money it's not usually very much because they're paid for contact hours, and classes are usually only 2-3 hours once a week. Even as a studio owner you have to offer a lot of classes for it to be profitable. My classes cover my monthly expenses plus a little more. It would not be profitable on its own to a degree that was worthwhile unless I offered 3 times as many classes as I do (I currently have 4). That many classes would require hiring a couple of helpers, and working all day on Saturday, which is why it's never been the sole focus of my business.
College level teaching is a sweet gig if it's an environment you enjoy. Time off, benefits, etc. Personally, I would love a college job, but when I got out of grad school I was burned out on the academic world and didn't pursue it. After a time is was simply too late to start that career. Most college jobs will require you to move, because there are only a handful available each year and chances are they're not in your town.
My business survives because I have 3 income streams- teaching, selling my work, and kiln sales/repair. It was the best way for me to get the business going and now I'm settled into it. With some changes I could make a go at any one of them on its own, but I really don't want to. It fits the way I like to work, and works really well with my home life. The downside is that kiln repair and studio time can fluctuate a lot. Repair work has been crazy lately, so studio time has been virtually non-existent for the past few months. Financially it all works out just fine- money is money- but I do wish I had more time to make pots.

Is the kiln 50 amps, or is it on a 50 amp breaker? Kilns must be on a breaker that is 25% greater than the draw. Either way, 50 amps on 240V 3P is under-powered by today's standards for a kiln of that size. Your kiln is approximately 18 cubic feet, and by comparison, a 16 cubic foot L&L front loader will pull 58 amps. The L&L is rated to cone 10, though, so you don't really need that much power for your situation. I think you'll have a difficult time finding a kiln of that size that will have that low a power draw, however you may be able to have the elements customized to work within your specific electrical needs.
Delivery on a kiln of that size (depending on where it ships from) could be $1000 or more, so make sure you get a shipping quote.
If you need someone to assist with setup then buy from your local ceramic supply shop if they offer that service. Generally you'll need a forklift to receive the kiln, and a pallet jack to move it into place. You'll need to check clearances through all doorways from the loading dock to the kiln room to make sure it'll fit. A lot of big kilns won't fit through standard doorways.

Is the kiln 50 amps, or is it on a 50 amp breaker? Kilns must be on a breaker that is 25% greater than the draw. Either way, 50 amps on 240V 3P is under-powered by today's standards for a kiln of that size. Your kiln is approximately 18 cubic feet, and by comparison, a 16 cubic foot L&L front loader will pull 58 amps. The L&L is rated to cone 10, though, so you don't really need that much power for your situation. I think you'll have a difficult time finding a kiln of that size that will have that low a power draw, however you may be able to have the elements customized to work within your specific electrical needs.
Delivery on a kiln of that size (depending on where it ships from) could be $1000 or more, so make sure you get a shipping quote.
If you need someone to assist with setup then buy from your local ceramic supply shop if they offer that service. Generally you'll need a forklift to receive the kiln, and a pallet jack to move it into place. You'll need to check clearances through all doorways from the loading dock to the kiln room to make sure it'll fit. A lot of big kilns won't fit through standard doorways.

Did you buy one, or use one that was in the studio? Any packaging that indicates what type is is? Post a pic of it, and the old one if you still have it.
What model is the controller on the kiln? Kiln companies don't typically make their own, so you may be able to find a manual for it that shows a setting for thermocouple type.

Doing workshops and teaching classes are two different animals. Workshops are a good way to make some extra money, but you don't get the chance to do them until you're fairly famous because it's your name that's the draw. There may be others out there who make work that is just as nice but no one is going to pay money to go to a workshop if they haven't heard of them. It's also not something that you can do every week all year long. There's just not that kind of opportunity, and it'll eat into your studio time. One of the nice things about the internet age is that you can do online workshops, however you still need the name recognition to get people to sign up. The vast majority of potters do not do workshops on a regular basis, but they're great when you do get to do them. You can make a few hundred bucks for a day's work, plus sell some pots and meet a bunch of other potters. They're a great ego boost, too!
Teaching pottery classes does not pay much. Many people who teach are paid in studio use, kiln use, clay, etc. If they are paid actual money it's not usually very much because they're paid for contact hours, and classes are usually only 2-3 hours once a week. Even as a studio owner you have to offer a lot of classes for it to be profitable. My classes cover my monthly expenses plus a little more. It would not be profitable on its own to a degree that was worthwhile unless I offered 3 times as many classes as I do (I currently have 4). That many classes would require hiring a couple of helpers, and working all day on Saturday, which is why it's never been the sole focus of my business.
College level teaching is a sweet gig if it's an environment you enjoy. Time off, benefits, etc. Personally, I would love a college job, but when I got out of grad school I was burned out on the academic world and didn't pursue it. After a time is was simply too late to start that career. Most college jobs will require you to move, because there are only a handful available each year and chances are they're not in your town.
My business survives because I have 3 income streams- teaching, selling my work, and kiln sales/repair. It was the best way for me to get the business going and now I'm settled into it. With some changes I could make a go at any one of them on its own, but I really don't want to. It fits the way I like to work, and works really well with my home life. The downside is that kiln repair and studio time can fluctuate a lot. Repair work has been crazy lately, so studio time has been virtually non-existent for the past few months. Financially it all works out just fine- money is money- but I do wish I had more time to make pots.

Doing workshops and teaching classes are two different animals. Workshops are a good way to make some extra money, but you don't get the chance to do them until you're fairly famous because it's your name that's the draw. There may be others out there who make work that is just as nice but no one is going to pay money to go to a workshop if they haven't heard of them. It's also not something that you can do every week all year long. There's just not that kind of opportunity, and it'll eat into your studio time. One of the nice things about the internet age is that you can do online workshops, however you still need the name recognition to get people to sign up. The vast majority of potters do not do workshops on a regular basis, but they're great when you do get to do them. You can make a few hundred bucks for a day's work, plus sell some pots and meet a bunch of other potters. They're a great ego boost, too!
Teaching pottery classes does not pay much. Many people who teach are paid in studio use, kiln use, clay, etc. If they are paid actual money it's not usually very much because they're paid for contact hours, and classes are usually only 2-3 hours once a week. Even as a studio owner you have to offer a lot of classes for it to be profitable. My classes cover my monthly expenses plus a little more. It would not be profitable on its own to a degree that was worthwhile unless I offered 3 times as many classes as I do (I currently have 4). That many classes would require hiring a couple of helpers, and working all day on Saturday, which is why it's never been the sole focus of my business.
College level teaching is a sweet gig if it's an environment you enjoy. Time off, benefits, etc. Personally, I would love a college job, but when I got out of grad school I was burned out on the academic world and didn't pursue it. After a time is was simply too late to start that career. Most college jobs will require you to move, because there are only a handful available each year and chances are they're not in your town.
My business survives because I have 3 income streams- teaching, selling my work, and kiln sales/repair. It was the best way for me to get the business going and now I'm settled into it. With some changes I could make a go at any one of them on its own, but I really don't want to. It fits the way I like to work, and works really well with my home life. The downside is that kiln repair and studio time can fluctuate a lot. Repair work has been crazy lately, so studio time has been virtually non-existent for the past few months. Financially it all works out just fine- money is money- but I do wish I had more time to make pots.

Doing workshops and teaching classes are two different animals. Workshops are a good way to make some extra money, but you don't get the chance to do them until you're fairly famous because it's your name that's the draw. There may be others out there who make work that is just as nice but no one is going to pay money to go to a workshop if they haven't heard of them. It's also not something that you can do every week all year long. There's just not that kind of opportunity, and it'll eat into your studio time. One of the nice things about the internet age is that you can do online workshops, however you still need the name recognition to get people to sign up. The vast majority of potters do not do workshops on a regular basis, but they're great when you do get to do them. You can make a few hundred bucks for a day's work, plus sell some pots and meet a bunch of other potters. They're a great ego boost, too!
Teaching pottery classes does not pay much. Many people who teach are paid in studio use, kiln use, clay, etc. If they are paid actual money it's not usually very much because they're paid for contact hours, and classes are usually only 2-3 hours once a week. Even as a studio owner you have to offer a lot of classes for it to be profitable. My classes cover my monthly expenses plus a little more. It would not be profitable on its own to a degree that was worthwhile unless I offered 3 times as many classes as I do (I currently have 4). That many classes would require hiring a couple of helpers, and working all day on Saturday, which is why it's never been the sole focus of my business.
College level teaching is a sweet gig if it's an environment you enjoy. Time off, benefits, etc. Personally, I would love a college job, but when I got out of grad school I was burned out on the academic world and didn't pursue it. After a time is was simply too late to start that career. Most college jobs will require you to move, because there are only a handful available each year and chances are they're not in your town.
My business survives because I have 3 income streams- teaching, selling my work, and kiln sales/repair. It was the best way for me to get the business going and now I'm settled into it. With some changes I could make a go at any one of them on its own, but I really don't want to. It fits the way I like to work, and works really well with my home life. The downside is that kiln repair and studio time can fluctuate a lot. Repair work has been crazy lately, so studio time has been virtually non-existent for the past few months. Financially it all works out just fine- money is money- but I do wish I had more time to make pots.

Try THIS. Same controller.

Most underglazes will remain matte and chalky unless they are covered with a clear glaze.  Typical underglazes do no melt out and go glossy like a glaze does. There are exceptions, like the Mayco Stroke 'n' Coat products, but they are more of a wide-firing-range glaze than an underglaze (although they can be used like an underglaze in many cases). Most underglazes are formulated for low fire work, but many will fire to cone 6 just fine, some colors will distort at cone 6, and some colors will burn out completely. If your pink glaze is now white, I think it's one of those that burns out, which is not entirely surprising since warm colors are often very sensitive to higher temps. First thing to do is to try it again on a fresh piece, and use a clear glaze. If it still burns out white then you need to find a different brand that has a pink you like. When you find one, look at that brands resources and see if it will work at cone 6. I know from experience that Speedball's pink will work at cone 6, however I don't love that color- it's a little too salmon. So I mix it 50/50 with white to get a good pink. Underglazes of the same brand can be mixed to get new colors, however you have to test fire them because the color you see before firing may not be the same after firing since different colorants have different strengths. An 80/20 blend of two colors may look perfect before firing, but after firing you actually need a 30/70 blend. I run a line blend when testing- 90/10, 80/20, 70/30....10/90 so I get the full range to select from.

Most underglazes will remain matte and chalky unless they are covered with a clear glaze.  Typical underglazes do no melt out and go glossy like a glaze does. There are exceptions, like the Mayco Stroke 'n' Coat products, but they are more of a wide-firing-range glaze than an underglaze (although they can be used like an underglaze in many cases). Most underglazes are formulated for low fire work, but many will fire to cone 6 just fine, some colors will distort at cone 6, and some colors will burn out completely. If your pink glaze is now white, I think it's one of those that burns out, which is not entirely surprising since warm colors are often very sensitive to higher temps. First thing to do is to try it again on a fresh piece, and use a clear glaze. If it still burns out white then you need to find a different brand that has a pink you like. When you find one, look at that brands resources and see if it will work at cone 6. I know from experience that Speedball's pink will work at cone 6, however I don't love that color- it's a little too salmon. So I mix it 50/50 with white to get a good pink. Underglazes of the same brand can be mixed to get new colors, however you have to test fire them because the color you see before firing may not be the same after firing since different colorants have different strengths. An 80/20 blend of two colors may look perfect before firing, but after firing you actually need a 30/70 blend. I run a line blend when testing- 90/10, 80/20, 70/30....10/90 so I get the full range to select from.

Most underglazes will remain matte and chalky unless they are covered with a clear glaze.  Typical underglazes do no melt out and go glossy like a glaze does. There are exceptions, like the Mayco Stroke 'n' Coat products, but they are more of a wide-firing-range glaze than an underglaze (although they can be used like an underglaze in many cases). Most underglazes are formulated for low fire work, but many will fire to cone 6 just fine, some colors will distort at cone 6, and some colors will burn out completely. If your pink glaze is now white, I think it's one of those that burns out, which is not entirely surprising since warm colors are often very sensitive to higher temps. First thing to do is to try it again on a fresh piece, and use a clear glaze. If it still burns out white then you need to find a different brand that has a pink you like. When you find one, look at that brands resources and see if it will work at cone 6. I know from experience that Speedball's pink will work at cone 6, however I don't love that color- it's a little too salmon. So I mix it 50/50 with white to get a good pink. Underglazes of the same brand can be mixed to get new colors, however you have to test fire them because the color you see before firing may not be the same after firing since different colorants have different strengths. An 80/20 blend of two colors may look perfect before firing, but after firing you actually need a 30/70 blend. I run a line blend when testing- 90/10, 80/20, 70/30....10/90 so I get the full range to select from.

Mine mostly just hurts, from the base of my skull, down to the tip of my tailbone...

I've installed many vent ducts against studs, walls, etc. It doesn't get hot enough to be a fire hazard.

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.

Lots of questionably safe pots out there. Lots of unsafe practices out there in ceramics in general. It's frustrating for sure. There was a FB group that I tried out for about a week before I gave up because I was so overwhelmed with horribly unsafe information being accepted by newbies just because the person saying it made pretty pots and had been doing it that way for 20 years. The last straw for me was the discussion about using a 40 foot long 60 amp extension cord across the back yard from the house to the kiln, and more people saying yes than no.

Lots of questionably safe pots out there. Lots of unsafe practices out there in ceramics in general. It's frustrating for sure. There was a FB group that I tried out for about a week before I gave up because I was so overwhelmed with horribly unsafe information being accepted by newbies just because the person saying it made pretty pots and had been doing it that way for 20 years. The last straw for me was the discussion about using a 40 foot long 60 amp extension cord across the back yard from the house to the kiln, and more people saying yes than no.

Very interesting! Thank you for sharing. I'd shoot for below 1.5%. 3% will probably still weep. I agree, try some kaolin. It should speed up drying and increase whiteness. Have you done any tests to figure out how low you'll have to bisque fire in order to get suitable porosity for glazing?

About 6 years ago I made the switch from cone 10 reduction to cone 6 oxidation, so I can share a few observations about that.
I also don’t think cone 6 has any more or less problems than cone 10, but they are a different set of considerations. I find I have to be much more aware of “bucket behaviour” for cone 6 glazes than I did with cone 10, for instance. But with cone 6, the turnaround time is faster, which is pretty satisfying. I don’t know if the same holds true in Australia, but I found that my clay got exponentially less expensive, but my glaze materials got more costly.  But I buy more clay than glaze stuff, so. 
It took a good year of testing to refine things to get to where I felt like I understood what was going on. Learning about the different changes that happen to ceramic materials at different points in the firing helped enormously, so I think you’re on the right track with focusing on learning how to fire your kiln properly. Understanding how heatwork affects glazes is pretty helpful.
Switching to cone 6 made me a better chemist and gave me a lot more understanding of my materials. I found that focusing on firing the clay body to proper maturity solved most of the glaze problems that I encountered at cone 6. Often the focus at cone 10 is only on the glaze.  If you’re making functional work, you should do a bit more due diligence around testing for porosity at cone 6. Sometimes what the manufacturer recommends on the box is not what you get out of your own kiln.

The amount of gas used to get to cone 6 is roughly the same as the gas used to get from cone 6 to cone 10. So yes, you will use a lot less gas.
I think there are two main reasons for this. First, there are far more people firing cone 6 than cone 10, so you're going to see more comments by them. Second, people come to forums for help finding solutions to problems. All the folks who aren't having problems are not posting about it on forums.
If you fire at cone 6, keep in mind that most all commercially available glazes are formulated to fire in oxidation. That doesn't mean that they won't do some amazing things in reduction, but you'll have to do some testing to see how they'll react. Cone 10 glazes can be lowered to cone 6 with the addition of some frit, often as little as 3-5%.
Brown clay bodies will take some testing, too. If it's a dark body in oxidation, it will probably not be suitable for reduction. Light brown bodies will go dark. White stoneware bodies may go gray, just like at cone 10.
https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Five-Reasons-to-Convert-Cone-10-Reduction-Glazes-to-Cone-6
Georgies cone 6 glazes in reduction
 

I've got 3 of these in the basement right now ready to move to the studio. They're super beefy.

What sort of controls does it have? Hi-med-lo knobs, infinite switches, digital controller? Post some pics of your actual kiln.