neilestrick

Many commercial underglazes just don't hold up at cone 10. They start to flux out and that causes them to behave poorly when you put a glaze over them. If you're just looking for black or blue, you'd probably be better off making your own underglaze or slip. If you do want to use commercial underglazes, each color will need to be tested to see how it holds up and cone 10 and with your clear glaze.

I'd go with the 325 unless it's really expensive compared to the other. The finer it is the easier it will enter the melt.

I'd go with the 325 unless it's really expensive compared to the other. The finer it is the easier it will enter the melt.

Another way to get some great colors is to use salt. Soak wood chips in a saturated salt water, let them dry, then use them in the saggar. It can give great red, yellow, and orange colors.

It's not about temperature, it's about heatwork, which is what cones measure. Setting it at 950C doesn't necessarily mean cone 08. It depends on the rate of climb of the final 100C degrees. If it's not hitting the cone, then it could be due to the rate of the final ramp, or simply that the system needs to be calibrated. You can do a thermocouple offset which will affect all temperatures, or a cone offset to change the final temp of a specific cone. Using the pre-programmed firing schedule (I'd use Medium speed) will give you a better idea of how accurately the system is firing compared to a custom schedule.

Laguna now sells a flameware body so you can get a 25# at Laguna/Aftosa location in Fl

Damn @neilestrick!!!
Best low fire work I’ve seen in a long time. So good I could eat it.
To @Biglou13, bisque anything will tolerate that kind of abuse better than a clay close to maturity. Lots of grog, kyanite, or even spodumene (gotten a bit expensive lately) will help. Unglazed flameware sounds better than any other clay body, but I haven’t tried that.
It can be done in the studio, ordinary clay products that handle the extreme temperature swings of cooking, but that’s far from saying it should be. I’ve made several earthenware pots that survive the stovetop, experimenting with clay formulations and bisque temperatures. Though I used them regularly, the maintenance was unforgiving (mold will not be denied if given a habitat to grow), and sooner or later they will fall apart despite all best practices. You didn’t bring this up, but I would never try to sell such a thing. Too complicated. 
Pottery used for cooking is largely disposable, in places it’s actually used. Manufacturers like Le Creuset and Wiliams-Sonoma create ceramic ware that’s functional in a contemporary kitchen, but they are carefully engineered first world conveniences. If people can afford to use metal they do. 
I’ll confess, I’ve never had better beans than those I cooked in clay pots. I don’t want to discourage anybody, I just think they should know what they’re in for. 

Hi @Biglou13 A flameware body would be your best bet for this. 500F is pretty hot for a clay dish, especially since you'll be dropping wet, room temp dough onto a hot, flat surface. It's a lot to ask of any clay body besides flameware. The other option is to just buy a cheap cast iron dutch oven on Amazon. It works great, and you don't have to worry about it cracking. My dutch oven is preheating in my oven as I type this! 
My loaf from last week. 25% whole wheat, 80% hydration:

That's a steam explosion from firing too fast for the thickness of the piece, or the piece still being too wet. Let the piece dry completely, do a preheat for a couple hours. Be sure to vacuum out all the clay crumbs from the elements.

Thanks @Babs! My bread game drastically improved during Covid lockdown. My 2 teenage boys and I were home every day for 3 months, and we went through 3 loaves a week. I figured out a lot with all that practice.

Hi @Biglou13 A flameware body would be your best bet for this. 500F is pretty hot for a clay dish, especially since you'll be dropping wet, room temp dough onto a hot, flat surface. It's a lot to ask of any clay body besides flameware. The other option is to just buy a cheap cast iron dutch oven on Amazon. It works great, and you don't have to worry about it cracking. My dutch oven is preheating in my oven as I type this! 
My loaf from last week. 25% whole wheat, 80% hydration:

First, why vinegar in the throwing water?
Usually when we see black on the wheel head it is simply a tiny bit of the aluminum abrading from the clay. Could just be the abrasion of the bat against the wheel. Does wiping it down not remove it?

First, why vinegar in the throwing water?
Usually when we see black on the wheel head it is simply a tiny bit of the aluminum abrading from the clay. Could just be the abrasion of the bat against the wheel. Does wiping it down not remove it?

I'm voting iron as well. I think that also accounts for the pinkish tint in low fire bisque pieces. If we were able to have a slab that thick of our clear glazes we would also see it to varying degrees. Window glass is also green for that reason. It look pretty darn clear when we look through it, but if you put some paint on it you'll see just how much color it really has. They make super clear glass, of course, but it's expensive. If I remember correctly they call it Water White glass. Standard  plate glass and such is quite green. I worked for a glass shop for a few years after grad school, and we would occasionally have to replace opaque colored glass panels on buildings that were no longer available from the original supplier, so we just had to paint the backsides. Getting an accurate color match was nearly impossible due to the tinting effect of the green. You couldn't just have the paint color matched to the old panel.

It's rate to just above cone 6, which means it'll only get to cone 6 maybe 50 times max before the elements need to be changed.  Probably a lot less than that given the quality of the elements they are likely using. So to get any sort of real life from the elements you'll probably want to limit this to cone 2 at the most. Really we consider cone 6 kilns to be best suited for low fire work. I would definitely check to see if you can even get replacement elements for it.
It appears to be on angle iron legs, but they're not very tall. Most kilns have 8" legs, so this kiln is on the short side and it should definitely need to be placed on something fireproof. If it were mine, I wold put it higher up on some bricks to give more air flow under it, with a fireproof floor below.

Pack the middle the tightest.
Have you tried just using the cone 08 preprogrammed firing schedule?

Pack the middle the tightest.
Have you tried just using the cone 08 preprogrammed firing schedule?

Test the element resistance, it's the best way to know for sure. But with 15 minutes longer and 75 firings they're probably still good. Resistance per section for 240V1P should be about 14.45 ohms.

@Carols Ceramics Where is Lemon Grove? Also, it would help to post a list of what you have.

Thanks @Babs! My bread game drastically improved during Covid lockdown. My 2 teenage boys and I were home every day for 3 months, and we went through 3 loaves a week. I figured out a lot with all that practice.

Thanks @Babs! My bread game drastically improved during Covid lockdown. My 2 teenage boys and I were home every day for 3 months, and we went through 3 loaves a week. I figured out a lot with all that practice.

Hi @Biglou13 A flameware body would be your best bet for this. 500F is pretty hot for a clay dish, especially since you'll be dropping wet, room temp dough onto a hot, flat surface. It's a lot to ask of any clay body besides flameware. The other option is to just buy a cheap cast iron dutch oven on Amazon. It works great, and you don't have to worry about it cracking. My dutch oven is preheating in my oven as I type this! 
My loaf from last week. 25% whole wheat, 80% hydration:

Thanks @Babs! My bread game drastically improved during Covid lockdown. My 2 teenage boys and I were home every day for 3 months, and we went through 3 loaves a week. I figured out a lot with all that practice.

@Biglou13I started seriously making sourdough bread 6 weeks ago. Sooooo much fun.  I took a class and learned what I had been doing wrong!  I use cast iron skillets, aka dutch oven.  I would recommend that as well.  

Several of my students use the Xiem tool bag. It get's pretty filthy and doesn't clean very easily since it's canvas, but they seem to like it. I think that open bags are best, because it allows for easy access when your hands are dirty, and it allows the tools to dry after washing them and putting them away. The worst thing you can do is close up your wet tools and sponge in a plastic tool box because they'll just grow mold and mildew.