Pres

Bam2015 posted a question in the QotW pool this morning around 9am. She asks: To wedge or not to wedge? Do you wedge clay when it comes straight from a bag or pug mill? If you do wedge, why? Maybe you wedge for the following? a) It's what I was taught and I can't get my instructor's voice out of your head? b) I'm a little OCD, I can't sit down at the wheel until I've repeated my wedging "x" number of times. c) There is scientific proof that one must wedge! d) Nope, don't wedge, waste of time and my pots turn out beautifully! e) Other...please enlighten us. Ha, I suppose I should point out that there is one other possibility here, which is . . . because I have to! All of you by now have heard that I order clay once every few years, and store it under my sea kayaks. This means in central PA that it freezes often for months in the winter. That means that the freezing turns the "mechanical water" or water of plasticity to ice. This causes large rifts in the bagged clay, and as it thaws, the water is to the outside of the clay. Wedging or pugging is the only way to get the outside and inside areas of the clay to become homogeneous again. So I wedge, first by cut and slash (tip here: a wiggle wire works really well if having to add water by spraying) then by cone wedging that I learned in my first Ceramics class in college. Without wedging the clay first as I do not have a deairing pug mill or any pug mill my clay would not throw well at all. So I will ask for @Bam2015, and myself: QotW: To wedge or not to wedge? best, Pres

I understand that I can do things like that. I believe that I will have to see what the present settings do, look at what I see going on, and then set up some sort of custom setting that allows me to fire up, and fire down the way I was used to doing it. I knew that there would be a learning curve, after all it took me 25 years or so to get to where I could fire the old one intuitively. Hopefully this one will not take that long! best, Pres

I guess I am trying to settle my conflict between the firing of the old manual electric and this new beast. I used to fire by a schedule writing everything down for years, then about 10 years ago, just flew by the seat of my pants. Looked in the mirror, saw a color and decided if it was too soon or not soon enough. It was more of art, than science. I hit my target of hard ^6, then dropped to yellow orange quickly to hold for 30 minutes or so, then dropped to red orange to slow down below dull red. then shut off. Took notes when changing elements on resistance, then would check the resistance every 10 firings or so unless something seemed suspicious in a firing. This new thing, seems to be turn me on, let me go. You're not needed. Hmmm best, Pres

So took a quick peek at 230F. ^5 is down, ^6 is probably at 35 degrees, and ^7 is not touched. Looks like on the medium speed that it would have been just about perfect ^6. Don't understand, but will try on the next glaze firing to match. This was a light load in some ways with just 9 patens and shelves in it. I need to get more shelves and furniture. best, Pres

Didn't see one. I have gone through all of the material looking for a separate flier. . not. The section where I found that number says: . . This has changed over time as we have improved the tube and the offsets pre-programmed into the control to reflect the testing that we do in the factory. It is currently +18F. when it leaves the factory. best, Pres

Something else to add to the update on the manual? best, Pres

In my reading, I found that the factory setting is +18F. ??? Why do they do that? best, Pres

Actually @Bill Kielb, after posting the fast, and thinking of the newness, I changed to the medium setting as the preheat was not over. I still used the ^5 target, as I believe the kiln is overfiring by about one cone. or close to 20F. best, Pres

@Bill Kielb Usually do a fast up, slow down, but this was on the old L & L.

Fired a bisque to 08 hoping to drop cone 06. Could not see cone through the peep, so fired blind. When cooling at 200F. opened kiln to check cones, all witness of ^06 were darkened, but not down. Refired kiln to 06, and cones were as if it had hit 04. I figure the extra heat work confused the issue, but ware was fine. Today I loaded a fast fire glaze to ^5, even though I want ^6. Preheat for 4 hrs as they were just glazed and I had undried cone packs of ^5, 6, &7. Will see how this goes. I am hesitant to mess with TC or Cone corrections until I really know that is going on. best, Pres

Chilly, I had really thought until this morning that this strand was a DUD! I was seriously thinking of putting up a new question, but am relieved to know we may get some life out of this. Very interested in @Marcia Selsor reply to this, as she is doing so much experimental low fire with awesome results. The possibility of doing what she does at ^6 would be neat to see. True leader in the art. best, Pres

That sounds really interesting Marcia. Hope you post some results! best, Pres

Hi folks, once again nothing in the pool for QotW questions. . . Hope everyone knows where it is?? At any rate, after the last barrage on electric vs gas firings, I thought why not on firing temps? QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why? This has been an interesting question for me over the years. I grew up as most of you remember with my parents painting bisqueware and having it fired. They could do it in the shop where they got the bisqueware and had it fired, or they could as they often did, work on it at home, sanding and glazing. I was never really much involved with it, being more interested in other things at the time. Then after three years of college with a Math/Science emphasis I ended up in a college ceramics class in the summer. This was ^10 gas fired stoneware, and wheel throwing, or handbuilding. I became too involved with the wheel to do much handbuilding. Glazing was simple dip and pour with brushed oxides, simple and direct I loved it! Another Ceramics class confirmed my love of ceramics. Then I went to teach at a large HS in Central PA. They were just ramping up with more art courses, and had added a new teacher the previous year, then me, for a department of 3. The teacher hired before me had started a ceramics class, and was doing cone 06 Earthenware clays form Amaco with Amaco glazes. I worked that year on the 2 speed Amaco wheel with students and over the next few years the program became mine, and I moved it to ^6 immediately as I really did not like the Amaco clay, and had checked out several of the clay bodies from SC, choosing one that I thought looked most like a ^10 body that was also good for handbuilding and throwing, SC 112. I also took several courses at PSU allowing me to explore more in the way of throwing(large) firing salt and regular reduction, and glaze formulation. After we bought a house with a garage, I decided to set up a shop. Bought a motorized kick, and a kiln. . . . I had gotten over ^10 knowing it would never work on main street. Earthenware? I really never liked the feel of it for throwing or otherwise. I always thought of it as being "not as nice", even the ring was false to me, and I know I will get some sour retorts on that statement, but it is IMHO. So once again, QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why? So once again

Yeah, throwing this way will wear on you. I still open up large pieces with the pounding method, it takes less energy and makes a really well compressed base. Multiple section pots are tougher on one wheel as you are always shifting the bats. One of the many reasons I miss my old HS classroom! Even though it is quieter and easier to concentrate in the studio, I miss the kids. best, Pres

I inserted (gently) a drill bit approximately the same diameter as the hole on the tubes, Using thumbnail as a stop, top 3/16" as is the bottom, and the center is 1/4". Not anywhere near 3/8". @MinThe peep holes look to be close to 1/2 inch in diameter. I could line up a cone pack as in the old kiln, but would really be tough to see it, or at least to know what cone is down.

Sorry to say @Bill Kielb, but you are speaking in a foreign language at this time. I guess what you are saying is that L&L uses a certain type of Thermocouple cover that has an insulation value that is programmed into the controller. If so there should be a file/program that has the entered values for that T cover. Where would I find these values, and the values that should be entered? On another note, I have been thinking that when running a bisque firing that I would use a lower cone value maybe 08 or 07 to see how my 06 witness cones are affected. If it is as @neilestrickhas said, that the differences at lower temp are nearer to standard, I might even try running the glaze load at ^4 to see how close that comes to my ^5-7 cone pack. I am currently reluctant to physically change any of the settings with offsets even though I believe I would know what I am doing. I really don't know how far the kiln overfired other than it was above cone 8 in all probability considering the pimples on the cones 6 & 7. Thank you for you input, more to look into. best, Pres

My first glaze firing was different. Two cone packs near top and bottom sections, top one near the thermocouple, bottom in the back. Both cone packs were shot. Cone 7 looked like what I expect of cone 5. 6 and 7 had pimples. Not good. Ware was overfired, but was not ruined. No bloating, SC 630 held up well. Glazes were OK. Temp at Zone 1 was 2223, Zone 2-2223, Zone 3-2216. i am researching where to go from here as I work towards filling a bisque load. best, Pres

I'm reminded of a tale told to me by a hunter/potter down in Georgia years ago when the conversation of mold came up. He said he had a bird dog that got hurt ran into a pig. on a hunt, and they couldn't find her for a couple of days. Finally found her part buried in a red clay bank along the river. She was doing fine, and the clay and mold had helped her survive. Don't know, but I have heard often that hurt animals will go to water for the water, and the clay. best, Pres

Inglaze has been around for a long time. Try spraying/blow atomizer or pump through lace, or leaves and natural materials for great shadow vs clean decoration effects. best, Pres

Oh you evil doer's. . . . just as I bought a new electric kiln, You had to bring back the old haunts and wishes of having a gas kiln in my garage. Oh how bad you are, not even thinking of the 1K for the gas line to the garage, or the variances I would need on zoning even though I live in a dual zone Commercial/Residential zoned area. I don't think downtown Tyrone would want a gas kiln on main street even if it is closer to the paper mill! That said, the ghosts have vanished, and reality of being over 70 comes to the forefront as I really don't need to get into this at this date. I will admit on some level that I really would like to do ^10 again, and have those surprises from the kiln that I used to get years ago in grad school or before in undergrad. I miss the grainy clays with enough tooth to allow you to feel the pull easily, the rich reds and browns with iron spots and matt surfaces that begged to be touched. It was the introduction to clay, to glaze, and seemed to be the holy grail. Yet over the years, I have found that even though it is not as exciting as combustible reduction, electric can be surprising also. Atmospheres in all kilns exist, and crazy things happen in electric as much as in reduction, when you have fugitive oxides settling and mixing with other surfaces for a blush of pink or orange red. When layers of sprayed glaze become pools of water with the feeling of a deep pool waiting to be explored. Granted some colors, textures and surfaces are really tough to get in electric firing. However, my electric kiln takes up little space in the shop, can be fired overnight or during the day. I don't have to feed it fuel by hand or watch for the perfect time to introduce salt or make certain the damper is closed or open. It is easy. Is electric without its faults? No, I remember when I first started to go ^6 at the HS. There was not internet, Ceramics Monthly covered very little in the way of ^4-8, and even less in the way of oxidation. Occasionally we would find an article with some glaze recipes, and some discussion of new trends, but not often. I would find glazes from A.R.T. , Minnesota Clay, and Amaco. As with any glaze, it would take a lot of testing to become proficient with them, and over the years when students would combine different glazes on their pots I took not of what happened, as I required that when they glaze they took notes. Then the internet appeared, and various ceramics forums began discussing Cone 6 as the new Cone 10. Then Mastering Cone 6 Glazes came out, and other books, and suddenly there was much more information. Yes, if it weren't for so many factors I might have taken the other route and fired cone 10-12 reduction. However, I took the one that made sense for me firing electric both at home and at work. Constantly learning, and always looking to make better pots both in design and surface. It has been fun, and someday maybe I'll take a summer workshop to refresh my memory of HF stoneware clay in my hands and the feel of the pull and even the touch of the fire. best, Pres

This weeks QotW comes from another Moderator, and not surprisingly a thread of discussion covering the use of electric vs combustible firings. The discussion started as a search for materials, and went sideways lamenting the lack of cone 6 potters in some areas and cone 10 potters in others. It also made assertions about the difficulty or ease of one or the other disciplines involving ceramics as if they were from two different planets in different solar systems. Hmmmm! See more on the thread here: @Min's Question for the QotW:Electric or gas reduction firing at any cone you choose, which is more work overall and at what stage of the pot making is it more work than the other? Also, is firing one way more enjoyable than the other? best, Pres

I am running a slow glaze right now, Found that the kiln is larger than the old one as it will hold 3 patens to a shelf layer without bridging gaps. I was able to put all of the pieces from the glaze load in the old kiln in, and add a paten that did not get into the old load. I had lots of space yet that I could fill with small pieces, and if I had a few more shelves I could have gotten more in. I will be getting at least two more 1/2 shelves maybe 4 and a few more pieces of furniture to augment my present supply. Firing is great, but I can't stop myself from checking on it often, though not as often as I used to. The phone app is fabulous even though it seems to be hung up on updating right now. May have to restart it. best, Pres

I sent the following email to L & L. I hope they get the message and reply. I have long been a fan of the L & L line of kilns, having used a J236 I purchased years ago with no controller or setter from you brand new. I served me for years with firing that were quite flawless, and I did all of the repairs/replacements and maintenance on my own. The firings were tiring towards the end, as watching a manually fired kiln through the night was tedious, but I fired the kiln up and down by watching heat color and cone packs. Alas, during the pandemic the kiln quit during a firing. Careful assessment indicated repairs would be excessive and that it was time to replace the kiln after about 36 years. I have been an art teacher in central Pa until 2009, and became a moderator on Ceramics Daily.org for in the studio. I have become acquainted with Neil Estrick, who helped me decide on the e28m-3 considering my needs, the voltage and existing 70amp breaker set up. I received my new e28m-3 a few weeks ago, and after having the electric line in I ran what I thought was the first firing. I ran a fast glaze firing with the Genesis controller. I posted my first firing after the fact, to find from several that I had run the wrong firing. Please see the following strand of discussion for information here:https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/24541-new-l-l-kiln/#comments End result is that I would like to suggest an insert into your fabulous manual at the front. THE FIRST FIRING OF YOUR NEW KILN The directions on this page are to be followed if your kiln has the Dynatrol or the Genesis controllers. Use the sections in your manual as related to your controller to program your kiln but follow this program for your test firing. Your first test firing is done very slowly, about 16 to 19 hours total to minimize the inner and outer surface temperature differences in the kiln while it goes through its maiden firing. Also this will slowly steam off any moisture absorbed by the firebrick during construction, shipping, and storage. The test firing is done to cone 5 (about 2167°F) to vitrify the special coating on the inside on the firebrick and to allow an “aluminum oxide” coating to form on the element’s surfaces. The coating on the brick helps to reflect the heat radiated from the elements, strengthen the surface of the firebrick, and help prevent dusting in the kiln. The oxide layer on the elements helps to protect them from the many contaminants found in many materials fired in a kiln. This aluminum oxide layer will rejuvenate itself every time there is an oxygen rich firing to a high temperature. Going to cone 5 may also point out any problems with your electrical service - like low or incorrect voltage or wrong supply line wire size. The elements will also seat themselves in the ceramic holders - and any springiness you see when you first get your kiln will be alleviated. best, Pres

best, Pres

@Smokey2 Those are exactly the same pages I refer to in my post. I find it counter intuitive that the one page states follow the Genesis controller pages, while another page unde Dynatrol says to do the ^5 firing as a slow bisque. . . . but they were talking about the Dynatrol. @neilestrickI think I will get in touch with L&L about the confusion of the manual set up. I have been waiting on electric set up for a little while, and have not wasted my time, but been reading the manual once and some places 2 and 3 times. Maintenance, repair, and operation areas I have covered well. I think that the section on the Dynatrol was not thought out when the Genesis was added in. That seems to be the biggest discrepancy that I could find. Is there a person I should aim my discussion of the manuals misleading statements? best, Pres