neilestrick

@Bill Kielb Here we go again! Yes, according to the wiring diagram for that kiln it should be a 4 wire setup. The only difference with this one is that it only has two elements, not 4 like the other one.  @Neosquid post a picture of the plug, as well as a picture of the switch on the control box. If you know how, open up the control box and take a picture of the back side of the switch, too. There's a chance the kiln is wired wrong and won't work, or at best is wired wrong and not totally up to modern safety codes. It would be a fairly simple fix, though.

The speckles in the clay body I use at my studio is from granular manganese. I'd run a test with both the manganese and magnetite and see if there's a difference in how it looks in your clay body. Plus your old supplier can probably tell you which they used. With a well vented kiln I wouldn't worry about the fuming.

It depends. Some colors will probably survive just fine, others will burn out, others will darken or change color. The glaze you're using could also affect the colors. You'll have to test to know for sure.

Getting rid of all the timers and relays is a good thing. Simplify! My other thought is to replace the terminal bricks with Skutt terminal bricks, which are a close fit. They require a little bit of filing to lower the element groove at the corners, but they work. With those you could then use 6 elements that wrap twice instead of 12 elements that wrap once, which would lower element costs quite a bit and make sourcing elements a lot easier.

Getting rid of all the timers and relays is a good thing. Simplify! My other thought is to replace the terminal bricks with Skutt terminal bricks, which are a close fit. They require a little bit of filing to lower the element groove at the corners, but they work. With those you could then use 6 elements that wrap twice instead of 12 elements that wrap once, which would lower element costs quite a bit and make sourcing elements a lot easier.

It's a horrible kiln in terms of ease of use, and there are several versions that are just dissimilar enough to make it even more confusing. I have ideas about how to make them more user-friendly and less expensive to maintain, but it's not stuff that someone without kiln repair knowledge can do, so at this point we just need to keep this thread going and hope that more and more people contribute to it as a knowledge base.

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.

Ha, no problem, after all the help you guys gave it's about time I reciprocated! I've actually got temperatures for each "clock position" for this model that I should post as well, might be useful for people with this same model. 

I have a old HP, CI wheel, pedal & speed control when bad a few years back. I call speedball direct they connected me to an engineer that works for them that worked for CI. Engineer told me to buy the controller & pedal for the speedball Big Boss wheel follow the directions on how to install it! I did & my HP Creative Industries wheel has worked great ever since.

A friend of mine is having a rough day today, and wanted me to pass on some information that might not be as widely known as it ought to be.
She sells a round, dome style butter dish as part of her regular offerings on Etsy. This morning she was given a trademark infringement notice and had the listing pulled because she had tagged it as a butter bell.
A little research turned up that the name “Butter Bell” is trademarked, and if I’m reading things right, has been since the late 90’s. It got renewed in the last couple of years. They even sued Paula Deen in 2010 for intellectual property infringement when both entities were selling on QVC. It’s a trademark name, not a patent, so it doesn’t appear to apply to a specific form, although Butter Bell sells what I would have called a French butter dish under that name. The upside down kind you’re supposed to put the water in. The ads in my browser for this search showed similar forms from assorted retailers and Etsy, but all called “butter keepers” or some other name.
So if anyone has similar listing names or tags on websites or online marketplaces, you might want to edit your names to save yourself this hassle. This company is obviously willing to use a lawyer. Any of us selling in person might want to educate our customers on the names if there’s the opportunity, because I’m sure lots of people are using butter bell as a search term online.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

Latest bisque with cone offset of -35F. shows that the kiln is still slightly hot, as the witness 06 was down, slightly relaxed instead of arched. Much closer to where I want to be. The next offset will be -40F.
 
best,
Pres

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.

hopefully my first kiln.  want to get a l&l efl2026

I have had a fair amount of Requests for older info on Brent wheels-all from the 70s mainly thru PM's and E-mails. I'll cover all the questions I have answered in the past years here.
This is my original Brochure from 1969-1970-I bought a model C then from Robert Brent himself. At that time the model C and CXC where the only two models he made. The CXC was a direct drive transmission and could spin a 3/4 ton truck . The model C had two separate belts. Both had flat heavy duty decks with flat formica on top. The foot pedals where like in photos not like todays models. 
You can replace the potentiometer  by following that link at top of Equipment page on Brandon's post.
The splash Pans  where galvanized sheet metal and just slid in under the wheel head with no attachment .You can make one from say a plastic bowl like container. I like to find them at Asian Markets as they have the best selections
The CXC has a 1/2 steel thick deck and weight 160#s -yes 1/2 plate steel. The Model C was 1/4 inch thick deck and weighed 120#s. I still have my model C and its heavy.
The transmission takes 90 weight oil in that CXC. 
The control boxes where metal electrical boxes and were to small for all the contents and can be replaced with deeper boxes if you are working on one.
Any rust can be neutralized using Ospho bought online or any Ace Hardware store and let set for 24 hours then spray with flat black paint after 1st wire brushing away the loose material.
If your motor is blue (its original) the brushes are not user changeable -just take it to an electric motor shop and have them change out any neaded bearings or brushes at the same time.
If you have a bearing out on the wheeled (its all one unit) you can unbolt it from deck and replace with new Brent wheelhead but the shaft size on the model C was 5/8 and the new shaft/wheelheads are 3/4 so you will need new 3/4 inch shaft belt pulley as well
In Brent wheelheads the bearing and shaft/wheelhead are one piece so you need the whole deal.. The good news is they can last a lifetime unless you are a production potter.
All newer Brent motors have user friendly replacement brushes (non Blue motors).
Hope this helps those who buy these older Brent wheels
The wiring brochure is from the old days-the last document is the spring tension on wheels from the  late 70s onward written by an old acquaintance from Amaco/ Brent  Paul Scowden

I stand for both throwing and handbuilding, only exception is when I'm putting handles on mugs. When I originally started throwing while standing it was because of an injured sciatic nerve running down the back of my leg (piriformis syndrome) and thought I'ld go back to sitting while throwing after it healed, with a better stool, but it didn't take long to realize how much I prefer to stand so I continued to do so. Don't know if anyone else has injured their sciatic from leaning on the edge of a stool while throwing but that's how I did it, took around 5 years to stop tingling/hurting while nerve damage healed. Still have some nerve damage/numbness down the back of that leg.  Apart from saving getting up and down like a yoyo it seems there are heart health benefits from not sitting too much so theres that bonus too.