Hulk

Rainy today, good, err, ok for glazing!
"Good" on account o' I don't bike or yard work in the rain, hence more time to glaze.
"OK" on account o' no midday sunshine to warm up the Studio and no setting pots out in the sun to dry faster*.
Was doing seven to ten glaze loads/year, however, an accident (October 2022), then moving, some projects, and a few other things came up ...one glaze load in the new kiln at our new (to us) home since Fall 2022, glazing for the second load now.
Hope to get back to filling the kiln every month or so.
Before, I felt like there's a volume/time threshold where improvements ramp up, where there's some longer sessions and higher frequency, bringing along established "standards," and making time to explore variations, new shapes, sizes, forms, clay ...new stuff as well as moving along with the most familiar.
I like having a seven (6.7) cubic foot kiln to fill. There's enough repetition to get rhythm, but not too too much.

*I'm letting the pots thoroughly dry after liner glazing before glazing the outside - sunny weather is faster.
...add on that I wax, cut the transition, sponge for a sharp line - there's wait for the wax to dry, wait for the sponge-away moisture to dry, that's three waits.
Getting part of the load to the next step asap helps march them all along, like pipeline processing, heh.
 

Just realized, harder to do with LED Christmas lights these days!

Thanks for the advice. The protective glasses were sitting right there and I didn't think to use them
 

I usually fire my kilns at night so I don't really see what's happening with actual temps in the kiln, but today I started it up in the morning and was in the studio in the evening and got to see exactly what was happening during the cooling cycle. I do a slightly-slow cooling cycle to even out the results in my 3 kilns because they all cool at drastically different rates due to their sizes. I do a drop from the peak down to 2000F, then cool at 175F/hr down to 1500F. This gives me identical results from all 3 of my kilns. This firing I'm talking about here is in my 10 cubic foot L&L EQ2827-3, which has 3 zones, and was packed very tight in the middle. I was surprised at just how much slower the middle cools compared to the top and bottom. This photo shows how it's going part way through the initial drop from peak temp to 2000F:

As you can see, the middle and the top are nowhere close to each other. In a normal firing segment, a 73 degree difference would stop the firing with an error code. So why isn't it doing that here? It's because the cooling rate is set at 9999, or full speed. Any time you use 9999, whether it's climbing or dropping, the controller lets the kiln do its thing and doesn't care if the sections aren't even. Firing up or down at 9999 is the fastest, but you sacrifice evenness. As the temp continues to drop, we see this:

Here you can see that the top section (TC1) has started firing again. The set point for this segment was 2000F, at which point it should start cooling at 175F/hr, yet the top section passed that by about 20 degrees before the relay kicked on and the controller stopped the drop. Why did it let it get so far below the set point? Because it's averaging the 3 zones. Once the average of the 3 zones hits the set point it will start to fire each section again as needed to match the set point.
I get a lot of questions from customers about error codes and cooling cycles. The biggest problem is that the kiln can't always keep up with the programmed cooling rate. There are a number of firing schedules out there on the internet that people are trying that use a rate of 600F/hr or more for the fast drop portion of the cooling cycle, and many kilns simply cannot cool that fast, especially the middle section. When you have a specific rate programmed, the controller will send out an error code if the kiln can't keep up with that rate. So if you want a really fast drop you should use 9999F/hr, not a specific rate. For most people doing slow cooling with cone 6 work it won't matter if the sections are not totally even during the drop. If you do need more precision, like if you're firing crystalline work and it's important that you don't overshoot any target temps, then you'll want to put in a slower drop rate that the kiln can actually keep up with, and the controller will keep the sections even and not overshoot set points.

So @DrJillthe pots were red hot, but what was the color of the kiln atmosphere at this time. You should have seen a yellow-white interior. This is the color of the atmosphere at cone 5-6. Looking directly into the kiln to see pots is tough on the eyes, and at the same time it is often difficult to see the cones unless positioned for such viewing. 
As for cost, seems your elements are good, controller is the problem, and an electrician can probably check that out.
best of luck, 
Pres

So what turned the kiln off? Did the safety countdown timer turn it off too soon or did the cone melt in the sitter? If the sitter, then check it was not cone 05 instead of 5 (likely), sitter calibration ( that’s a lot of mis calibration, confirm everything else first before drastically recalibrating). You made it to red heat, that’s 1000f + so no stove oven would ever get near there. If all the above is not helpful, then testing the elements is likely next.
The good news, it made it to red heat and something shut it off. First task, what shut it off?

I fire daily some weeks, and only a couple of times a week other weeks.  But I am often firing my very small Olympic Doll kiln and only have one to three pieces in it at a time.  I only once in a while fire my larger Skutt.  If I'm working on a larger piece then I may fire it a few times a week for a while until that project is done.  Then months may go by without using my larger kiln unless I have a larger load.  A lot of my equine sculpture gets fired several times in the underglaze layers, then clear glazed, then may be fired a few more times with overglazes to build up the complex finishes I am known for on my horse pieces.  Especially if I did any claybody resculpting to the bisque then a piece might easily be fired 10 or 12 times (and in rare cases more).  So that can be a lot of trips in and out of my kilns!  Some days I have both kilns firing at the same time so they each have their own dedicated breakers.
Even with such a heavy firing schedule I have managed after 20 years to keep both of my kilns in pretty good shape.  My Olympic is starting to show wear and tear and needs to be rewired now (still haven't gotten to that yet) but my Skutt still looks shiny and almost brand new.  If I had to make an average over the whole year, I fire about twice a week.  Some weeks I fire every day, some weeks I take off from firing to work on sculpting,  molds or resin casting, etc.  But my art studio is my full time job and I am best known for my ceramics, so...
Edited to add a couple of photos.  This was a larger piece than usual for me, almost 15 inches long.  So I had to fire him in my larger Skutt instead of my little Olympic.  This was a porcelain bisque I resculpted the mane and tail on, made a new custom base for, and then custom glazed.  He was fired, I kid you not, exactly 20 times.  What a PITA!  Not a project I will take on again for a client anytime soon but he did come out very lovely and my client was well pleased!  Took a little extra TLC with packing him too, foam blocked and double boxed of course.  I was firing my Skutt a LOT when I was working on his china painting and enamel layers to build his color.  This is the Cybis 'Nashua' racehorse sculpture by JK Slick.  The brass halter ring was added after firing and due to the sculpture being porcelain, I attached the earthenware base using epoxy rather than trying to attach it in the kiln (and likely recracking later).  So anyway, pieces like this are why I fire so often.  Many layers can be delicate and need to be set and built up with a number of firings.  It took me all year to complete this commission due to various delays & distractions, other deadlines, etc.


I think it would be cool if you all posted a sample of your work with your reply or a shot of a typical kiln load, something!

My last fire was last August and when I read the QotW I thought I'd best skip this one. Well, I feel much better after reading Pres' comment about not firing since last September!  I keep a log.  Began in 2014 , when was doing 6, then 4,  then 3; since 2020, averaging 2.   Always low production w/ hardly any pressing deadlines, a too-big kiln, and self-permission to just go w/the flow of Lee-Life.  I should have a kiln load ready by March. I've had to adapt  "everything" involved w/the process to minor cognitive impairment (MCI), a result of minor TBI (traumatic brain injury). It is not--or so they say--progressive.  So, theoretically, once I get the hang of what I really can & can't do, I should be good to go w/no surprises. My motivation & level of acceptance took a near fatal hit, but I'm beginning to enjoy exploring a new style. The next fire is my first post-diagnosis test run--will she sink or will she swim?? The main challenge is that construction is fairly rough & funky , but I don't want the pieces to look too rough & too funky,  so I need to turn the heat up under the burner labeled "visually appealing", and pray.

I aim for 2 glaze loads a week. During the busy times I have 1 kiln firing while the other is cooling. 

I would estimate around 30  times a year,  I have past that number and my year starts in another 3 months.  I bought some clay Friday and started some hard blocks softening,  I hope to get some work done tomorrow.    I don't know if there is any football fans out there but it sounds like the 4th of July here.   My husband and I aren't sports fans but we watched the last 5 minutes of the Super Bowl.   The entire state of Kansas are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs.    Denice

@Mark C.I knew this, and thought it would be good to urge others to post how often they fired. No Snark about you pointing it out! 
 
 
best,
Pres

Good question I post my yearly firings for many years here and did so a few weeks ago
here 
 

I was looking at my poor kiln today, thinking I needed to fire a load soon, when I realized I haven't fired a load since September of last year. It used to be that I would fire a kiln at least once a month, sometimes twice. Back then I had a an L&L 23 that had 5 sections. I would mostly fire the 4 sections, but often in the Summer it would be all 5.  It would hold a lot of pots, and I could fire some pretty tall thrown vases and jars. However, when it came to plates it was tough to get very many in with the diameter at 23. The new kiln fires many plates at a time since it is a 28" diameter, but it is shorter so tall stuff is more limited. I really don't make a much of the taller stuff anymore mostly limited to 36' including the lid with handle/decoration. Seems of late I will get a load ready at an average of once every 2 months in the good weather.
QotW: How many times a month/year do you fire your kiln/s?
best,
Pres

Two googles that might be worth trying, and an example hit from both.
site:glazy.org "standard 266"
https://glazy.org/recipes/22329
Shows a base glaze with several different colourants.

 
"standard 266" glaze selecting the "images" option
https://www.flickr.com/photos/133519868@N03/32484512766

Finally ..
Glazy has an Alfred Blue at https://glazy.org/recipes/217896
... and the referenced "University of Maryland Glazes" article is on p32 of ...
https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/docs/default-source/uploadedfiles/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2015/06/ceramics-monthly-feb80-cei0280d.pdf
 

All dark brown/black bodies do odd things with glazes. You have to do a lot of testing to find glazes that work well with them. Those that do can be really striking, though, especially if you leave areas of the clay body visible. My students use a fair amount of Standard 266, and it's a wonderful body to work with. Has a great feel. Don't go past cone 5 with it, though, or you risk bloating.

As a regular red clay user, darker clays are going to have a different effect on glazes than lighter coloured ones do. Even leaving out the possibility of oxide interactions, the dark background behind any translucent/transparent glaze is going to reflect light differently than a lighter coloured background will. If you take this effect into account and work with it rather than against, you can get much more satisfying results out of your glazes, whether they’re commercial or homebrew.
 Darker clay bodies DO work well with commercial glazes, they just don’t look the same as the sample they only show on white clay, and that’s frustrating. I have no idea why they only show samples on white clay, because there’s a huge range of clay colours out there, but here we are.
As a general rule, yes, if you’re using brush on commercial glazes, you will have to add more layers over a darker clay for best results. You’ll need the extra pigmentation to overcome that aforementioned dark background. Even on light coloured clays, a too-thin glaze layer is gonna go that yucky green or brown. With darker clays, doubly so.
You may find that variegated glazes, or glazes with titanium or rutile will actually look much better on red/dark clays than they do on lighter lay bodies. The extra iron kicks those rutile blues into overdrive, and it’s really nice.
 If you want a result that’s closer to the samples, you probably also want to choose more opaque looking glazes, or even add a white slip over your red clay to pop certain colours. Or even use it as a way of getting 2 different effects on a piece with only one glaze.
You are not likely to get light or pastel colours to come out true on red clay, unless they’re highly pigmented or contain a lot of opacifiers. Even then, they’ll have a more tonal cast to them.

Good question!
I've used a few red clays, really liking IMCO's "Red Velvet Classic" cone 5/6 clay.
The other reds were (much) more sensitive to overfiring, exhibited more defects, and required more fussing to dry without cracking.
IMCO's red throws better, imo.
My glazes certainly look different over the red - I like the look though!
The black clay I'd tried (not IMCO's) was expensive, sensitive to overfiring, and my liner glaze didn't fit; fired, it's very dense and strong, however.
So, I'd like to recommend IMCO's Golden Brown, Coffee Berry, and Night clays, however, I haven't tried them myself.
You might give IMCO a ring to ask questions; I've found them to be open and responsive. Aaron is the person I usually speak with. He was off last time I was there; the person who helped me was also friendly, open, and helpful, however.
Hope this "bump" helps - check back, perhaps someone will post some brown and black recommendations...
 

Anything of interest in these threads?
 

I can second the cone 5  experience it did not like to go to cone 6 for me without pinholes with our clay. Also needed to apply it fairly thick, else it was just sort of some ugly. Just a reminder: it is NOT listed for food surfaces when we tried it. Took lots of firing tests to get one family bragging rights trophy fairly pinhole free. Also as it aged it became more black chrome than bright chrome.

My 1st wheel I ever bought wasa model C blue motor from Robert Brent Himself in 1970 .  That motor is a 1/2 hp. The orginal models had a steel shallow standard electrical  box  that was way to small-If I recall is was what is called a duplex or square box. Anyway the blue motors cannot be serviced by you but can be by a motor shop. Motor shops are placed that work on Industrial electric motors near mill towns or lumber towns or anyplace that has lots of industrial motors. They can replace the bearings and brushes on that motor as well as give you info on that motor from inside plate info thats not available to you. You do not want to take this motor apart as I have and its a motor shop job to get it back together-trust me on this knowledge.I have sent a few to local motor shop and they fixed them all for reasoable fees. If you ever want a new one Brent sells a comparable  1/2 hp motor and its very spendy $$.. 
That wheel came with a galvanized steel splash pan and mine risted apart by the mid 80s. Now the  wheels come with what I call new plasic Brent splash pans, and they are held in place with flanged bearing on top of the deck which yours does not have. That splace pand will still work but will float around as the flange is not there. When you buy a new wheel head it has this flange. Also of note that motor shaft  you have and your smaller pulley is a diameter that Brent no longer uses (yours is 5/8 if I recall) so if you ever upgrade to a new motor you will need the new 3/4 top smaller pulley as well. That orginal wheel uses two single belts as well-they will last your lifetime. but if you get a new wheelhead you will have to go to the newer 4-6 slot single belt as well
As far as a fuze the 20 amp is for the 120V going in using a slow blow fuze. 20 amp is for #12 wire which was in most home back then for outlets. Today many wheels use less amps but that 20amp is what that motor called out for and is fine to keep using it. Now in terms of the fuze holder and steel box I replaced mine with a new brent plastic box and cover decades ago . No sure if they sell that today but you can use a plasic electrical box and a steel  or plastic cover that you modify. The fuse holder can be bought at a electronic supply online or locally or Amazon.
You need to be handy to assemble all the components into the new box  and mounting it to the deck rail . I would place the fuze holder on the back to keep it dry as thats where all the new ones are underneath not on the front plate but the back of the box
If you have your motor serviced get new brushes and bearings as they are not a greasable type.
Hope some of this clears up the mystery for you
let us know how this turns out please as feed back is always good

https://digitalfire.com/glossary/liner+glaze  Liner Glaze
The term "liner glaze" refers to two things. First, it is a technique (links below), where the inside and outside of a piece have different glazes that meet at the rim. Second, it refers to the practice of choosing a glaze for the inside food surfaces of utilitarian ware based more on its durability and resistance to leaching, running, crawling, blistering and crazing (problems common with reactive glazes). Glossy whites, transparents or modestly colored glazes are most common as liners. Liner glazes can have other practical purposes also. An example is their use in  combination with intensely colored or variegated glazes, such are often runny and form a lake in the bottoms of vessels - this can lead to glaze compression failure.
...

I will add cones to the next firing. I am a beginner and have a lot to learn. Maybe the thermocouple is not showing the correct temperature that I programmed. Thanks for the reply!

Hello!  The white spots look like the glaze is too thick.  I have had the same problem at times.  Did you put cone packs in your kiln?  That would be the best way to see if your kiln is firing to the proper temperature.  
 

I kind of got burned by not specifically stating 325 on an order one time (lesson learned) so of coarse they sent the much cheaper 200. For some glazes I could not tell but others were super apparent and 325 gave a superior finish/melt.

The good news those appear to be silicon carbide elements which tend to have decent life ……. But the somewhat bad news is they have very different resistance readings as they heat up. Hopefully I am wrong and it’s just the picture and they are standard coiled kiln elements. If silicon carbide: my best thought, It may be necessary to run this kiln up to temperature and measure the hot resistance by actually measuring the amperage the kiln is drawing at top temperature. And if it makes top temperature then you will already know it is still serviceable or what temperature it can make. Place cones in this firing for sure and a pyrometer would be very useful.
If you are or have someone technically familiar with kilns and electric, it may be easiest to safely temporarily wire this kiln and fully supervise the firing. At peak temperature the amperage would be measured and wattage can be compared with the nameplate as well as hot resistance of the elements will be able to be derived from the amperage measured.
Sorry - I am at a loss for an easier method here, unfortunately silicon carbide resistance can change significantly when heated as well as aging. Maybe someone here has an easier way, this is the only definitive way I am aware of. Hopefully I am wrong and they are really traditional elements which means measure the resistance cold.
The Nova 1 manual seems to match your kiln shape and indicates 1/2 of the element with the fiber is a part number, so my thought would be when worn the entire fiber and element group would be replaced and installed 1/2 section at a time.