Hulk

Thank you, that’s very helpful. 

,)
My string (for "off the hump" separations) has a wine cork on one end...
I'm setting my pointer and metal kidneys on a half sponge set in the other corner of the spash pan - easier to pick up, particularly that metal rib.
The other tools, in a cylinder set next to the half sponge...

I'm using a one gallon plastic bucket* - it fits in the splash pan - with a clothespin for keeping the chamois un-lost, nearly full.
Sometimes I'll keep a two gallon bucket nearby for second rinse when transitioning to clean and dry hands, keeping the towel - and everything else as well - cleaner, much.
To start, I'll pour off clear/clearish, mix up and dump the settled muck into reclaim, pour back the clear, then top up with hot fresh.
Since adding an electric kettle to the Studio space, warm water is much more frequent (always), as hike to/from the kitchen no longer required.
I throw with water, enough that there is some accumulation in the pan, some being more than none.
I use a half sponge** for cleaning, two sponge pieces (corners cut from a full sponge) for adding and taking off water/slip, also wood knife, metal flexy rib, wood rib, chamois strip, and, sometimes, a pointer.
I'll collect some slip (from my right hand, mostly -  clockwise rotation...) in a small bowl for attaching handles, making repairs, etc. later on.
 
*it's a favorite! ...a washed out paint bucket (fancy deck paint) from ~forty-two years ago.
**large grout sponge, cut in halves is a nice size (for me).
 

Hi Alex,
Welcome to the Forum!
Good questions.
Moisture:
Water is driven off (as vapor/steam) during the firing process, true, however, the majority of the wet clay's water is lost via evaporation whilst waiting on the kiln.
In addition to drying raw ware in the Studio, add evaporation from clay trimmings; open throwing, cleanup, mopping buckets; just glazed wares; damp - just cleaned - surfaces; any other open containers of wet stuff.
Fumes:
Several gasses (besides water vapor) are produced when clays and glazes are fired.
Kiln fumes (digitalfire.com)
The typical powered kiln vent (that pulls a stream of superheated kiln atmosphere from a small hole in the bottom of the kiln and expels it outside via a duct) gets most, but not all the fumes. With provision for adequate make-up air*, a kiln vent may be adequate.
Better, imo, would be to open up doors and windows whilst firing and run a powered kiln vent.
Even better, a powered kiln vent and an overhead hood with a powerful fan**.
Dust:
Working with clay, some dust will be generated, however, dust can be minimized via consistent housekeeping and "low dust" practices.
Number one culprit, typically, is dry clay on the floor.
Next might be the wedging station.
A wet mop for floors and a bucket and sponge for work surfaces can make a big difference.
There are several archived threads on fumes and dust here!
*air coming in to replace what is being pushed out by the fan.
**an overhead system can help with accumulated heat - firing a kiln indoors will heat the space, a lot!

Hi Alex,
Welcome to the Forum!
Good questions.
Moisture:
Water is driven off (as vapor/steam) during the firing process, true, however, the majority of the wet clay's water is lost via evaporation whilst waiting on the kiln.
In addition to drying raw ware in the Studio, add evaporation from clay trimmings; open throwing, cleanup, mopping buckets; just glazed wares; damp - just cleaned - surfaces; any other open containers of wet stuff.
Fumes:
Several gasses (besides water vapor) are produced when clays and glazes are fired.
Kiln fumes (digitalfire.com)
The typical powered kiln vent (that pulls a stream of superheated kiln atmosphere from a small hole in the bottom of the kiln and expels it outside via a duct) gets most, but not all the fumes. With provision for adequate make-up air*, a kiln vent may be adequate.
Better, imo, would be to open up doors and windows whilst firing and run a powered kiln vent.
Even better, a powered kiln vent and an overhead hood with a powerful fan**.
Dust:
Working with clay, some dust will be generated, however, dust can be minimized via consistent housekeeping and "low dust" practices.
Number one culprit, typically, is dry clay on the floor.
Next might be the wedging station.
A wet mop for floors and a bucket and sponge for work surfaces can make a big difference.
There are several archived threads on fumes and dust here!
*air coming in to replace what is being pushed out by the fan.
**an overhead system can help with accumulated heat - firing a kiln indoors will heat the space, a lot!

,)
My string (for "off the hump" separations) has a wine cork on one end...
I'm setting my pointer and metal kidneys on a half sponge set in the other corner of the spash pan - easier to pick up, particularly that metal rib.
The other tools, in a cylinder set next to the half sponge...

750 ml yogurt container, so I guess that would be nearly as small as the paint cups with the handle. It sits in the splash tray (Bailey wheel), don't keep any sponges or chamois in it. I start with warm water then top it up as the day goes along. After a few throwing days I put it to one side, stir a splash or two of peroxide and then it goes into the reclaim.  3 yogurt containers used in rotation. 

I use a plastic bowl for water . Its a wide open form -I keep a cut shammy on the lip and few sponges in it. I get fresh warm water every throwing day from electric tea kettle-my guess is 1/2 +gallon of water-less water the better in terms of throwing

I was recently at NCECA, and notices some interesting throwing buckets at one booth selling wheels. They were paint trim buckets, hanging over the splash pan edge by their handles! Some wheels had two, some only one. I could never use that size of a bucket while throwing as I use water in the beginning to center the hump, and gradually taper off till almost dry. I see a lot of beginners with small bucket with about 3-4 inches of water in the bottom. They often have to reach in deep to even get to the water. I like a one gallon bucket that is full, so that I can get to the water easily/quickly. I usually throw with water, not slurry. In the early days I had been told to try hand cream in the water to protect chapping, and to make the water lubricate the hands against the clay. Tried it, and discarded it within a week or so. My idea about pulling is that the smaller the area of drag on the clay the easier to pull and keep from corkscrewing. When throwing larger, I pull with the rt hand pointer supported by the thumb and the second finger, on the inside the first supports the second against the third. I have tried the edge of the thumb on the left, but no more as it doesn't bend in the first joint.
QotW: Large or Small, creamed , slurry or water to lube your throwing?
best,
Pres

I owned that model for 30 years I bought it used,  it was from a commercial studio and had been fire constantly so I had new elements and cord installed.   I used a Skutt dual digital pyrometer  set to do holds and downfire.  Getting old so I decided to get a smaller kiln,  I sold my old one  for 600 dollars.  It had a new lid and a couple of shelves,  posts, cones and new elements.  Make sure the lid isn't cracked.   The expansion of a lid can cause crumbs from the crack to fall on your pots ruining any glaze beneath it.  I sold it about year ago.   Denice

Hey Samantha,
Welcome to the Forum. The kiln looks great. The outside jacket looks fairly clean and the interior bricks look to be in good shape.  The kiln floor looks to be in good shape.
$450 is probably a good price these days.
It uses a kiln sitter to control the kiln so that's just one aspect that you will need to consider. (You have to manually turn up the kiln throughout the firing process.) I've been firing a kiln, very similar, and have had no problems for 25 years.
 

Spent some time chatting with Susan Dolan at NCECA this past weekend. First of all, she’s lovely, and cares deeply about creating quality tools. She was extraordinarily helpful in guiding me to which tools would work best for me and my work.  She knows it’s hard to get her tools, but she’s literally a one woman show. Her focus is so much on making, she chose not to have a booth and was set up with Clay Planet. Fortunately, she brought some pieces with her, and I was able to pick up 8 new tools (Lucky me!).  I don’t know if she had stock left over at the end of the show, but I’d look at Clay Planet first to see if they have any stock.  I don’t think Dolan is selling from their website, but prefer for a select group of distributors to manage that end so they can keep the focus on making. Hope that helps!! 

Hi Madeleine,
This is a super helpful article, thanks a lot for your help.
Cheers,
Hannah 

Hi Hannah and welcome to the forum.
I've never used ash from domestic waste but your post has made me curious. I did a quick google search and found a fair bit of info on Municipal solid waste ash. From one study the main components found in it were Si, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na, Cl, SiO2, Al2O3, CaO, Fe2O3, Na2O, K2O. But also found in the fly ash were the heavy metals, "Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Cd, Zn and Pb are the most commonly found in MSWI ash, and Zn and Pb usually exist in the largest amounts (fly ash and bottom ash..."
For a comparison a general generic analysis of wood ash from Hamer and  Hamer would be  8 Na2O, 17 K2O, 12 MgO, 27 CaO, 1 Al2O3, 24 SiO2, 7 P2O5, 4 Fe2O3
The heavy metals lead, cadmium and mercury found in domestic waste ash testing done in the link (below) I pulled this info from would be an area of concern. 
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/7/1943

I'm hoping the 1027 I had* is still chugging away.
Also hoping the lid on your prospective new kiln is in good shape - not broken, nor shedding bits/chunks (don't bang that lid!).
Check also the condition of the sitter mechanism. The old stands eventually rust and disintegrate - check that too.
How many firings the elements have left, that could be big! A set of elements for that kiln will co$t.
Also II, does the kiln come with furniture (shelves and stands) - both essential and expensive? ...any other helpful stuff? e.g. boxes of cones, kiln parts, tools, consumables?
 
*Found well before supply/demand drove used pottery equipment prices up, the former owner included a new shelf set, a box of stands, several boxes of cones, some iron oxide, and a few bits of advice as well. With relatively new elements, my otherwise crumbling 1027 gave me almost five years of service afore I gave it away (not the shelves though!).
I'd learned to watch the pyrometer (worthwhile investment) and twiddle the switches to get repeatable firing profiles that worked for me. My (voluminous) notes provided starting points for programming the controller on my new kiln.

People have used bisque moulds to slip cast in, although you may need to pick a bisque-firing temperature to maximise absorbancy. Note the contributions by @Tyler Miller and @Viking Potter in:

Have you considered casting a plaster master in your silicone mould? If necessary immersing the mould in sand to minimise distortion. I assume/hope the silicone could be stretched to release the plaster master.

PS I'll walk through the slip-casting process in order to make a few points about slip-casting.


1) Assemble mould
The mould needs to be made of a very absorbent material (plaster is the almost universal choice). And you need enough plaster (or whatever) to absorb sufficient water from the slip to form the walls before you drain the mould.

A slip-casting mould cannot have any undercuts, so the casting can be removed without damage. This form seems to require a 3-part mould: one for each "side" and another to handle the foot-ring.

2) Pour slip into mould.
Casting slip needs to be suitably deflocculated and it contains a lot less water that watered down clay of the same viscosity.
https://digitalfire.com/article/understanding+the+deflocculation+process+in+slip+casting
Optimal casting requires that the slurry have minimal water content (e.g. 30% instead of 60%), good flow and draining properties and that it not settle out or gel too quickly. When the slurry is right the casting process works amazingly well.

The slip is left for a while so that a thickened lay of semi-dry slip forms on the inside of the mould. The water removed from this layer has been absorbed by the mould.

3) Drain mould.

The liquid slip is poured out of the mould, leaning the semi-dry layer layer on the mould walls.

4) Trim

After waiting a while for the clay to firm-up a bit the casting can be trimmed. Small details of the mould are often designed to make this trimming fairly fool-proof.

5) Remove the mould.

Wait until the casting is ready to remove from the mould. Too early release may result in slumping. Too late release can cause shrinking-on issues.  

... then let the pot dry fully.

The kiln looks to be in pretty good shape for used. There are a few bricks that are chipped, and that is problematic, but fixable. You will notice that one of the elements has been pinned due to the broken book in the one area. I would also ask the seller if it has a setter/controller to aid in firing it.
I am sure others will horn in on this, and I would pay attention to their comments as spending that amount for a student is dedication to the craft. . . .good luck.
 
best,
Pres

Small test kilns can fire incredibly fast, much faster than larger electric kilns. So yes, if the “real” pots will be fired in a larger kiln then you’ll want to approximate the same firing speed. I would suggest asking the studio where you fire your work what schedule they use plus how long the firing takes then program your test kiln to match it as close as you can. Test kilns also cool down super fast so you probably should do a slow cool down also. This wouldn’t be necessary for clear glazes though. 

While Fast glazing may / may not be a problem, fast bisque generally not the greatest practice unless you know your clay has burned everything out in that timeframe. To slow things down modify your turn up schedule leave it on low for longer or turn it up less. Duncan provides calibration instructions for the switch. It may be too old to calibrate but following the analysis part should reveal if it is just too worn and needs to be replaced.
For now, just as a test, I would slow down the bisque simply by firing slower, more in the 8-12 hour range for sure to see the effect on your clay and glaze. If you leave it at the 10:00 position and do not turn it up, how long to 04? If that extends the firing, then calibrated or not calibrated you have an option to slow things down to test with.

I looked up the Mass Red clay from Sheffield Pottery, from their info it fires from 06 up to 02. I don't use commercial glazes so I also looked up the glazes you are using, Mayco Elements have a range from ^06 up to ^6 and the opalescent are ^05 if you go at 270F and hour for the final 200F of firing and the Artist's Choice recommend ^05. 
All claybodies are strongest when fired to their top maturity temp/cone. So for your body the clay needs a higher bisque than what your glazes fire to. This is okay for earthenware as the body will still be porous enough to accept the glaze well. I would suggest bisque firing to ^02 and turning the dial up very slowly. Don't rush when you turn it up! Leave  peeps open to get air through the kiln, it helps burn off impurities in the clay. I would suggest leaving all the peepholes open until you see the kiln glowing red inside then shut the bottom one and leave the top one open for the entire firing. Once the kiln stops then you can close the top one off. (I'm assuming it has 2 peepholes?)
For the glaze firing, again you want to slow it down, doesn't have to go as slow as the bisque though. I'm not familiar with your kiln but what you are trying to do is slow down the firing, Try and stretch out the middle and then particularly the end of the firing. Someone more familiar with your kiln than I am should be able to help you with this part. 
Given that the clay has already reached it's maturity with the bisque firing then the glaze firing is to get the best looking glazes you can. Cone 05 should do it although the Mayco Elements can go higher, if you have a hotter area in your kiln you could try putting those glazes there. When I looked at some images of Mayco Elements I do see a fair number of pinholes in one of them when fired to ^06 so the odd one might be more prone to pinholes. (image below from Mayco's website of Oyster Shell)
 
 

There are a lot of kiln experts here on the forums.  I'm sure one or more will respond - but you'll get the best guidance if you post a couple of pictures - especially one of the name-plate (showing model number) and one of the controls.
 

For sure you can get the chem to match using silica + calcium carb for wollastonite. I've done the reverse with recipes calling for calcium carb and subbed in wollastonite and reducing the silica in the recipe so the formulas match. What I found was the wollastonite versions melted noticeably more.  Some recipes won't show a difference, depends on glaze mobility and how much CaO is involved. I think another factor is the mesh size of the silica being used in the recipes. Perhaps very fine silica, ie 90 micron compared to 45 micron would show a difference in the melt if used with calcium carb? I've always thought of wollastonite as being like a frit, albeit a lumpy one, it melts really well and with minimal LOI.

Wollastonite has a much lower LOI than whiting (1.6% vs 43.9%) and has a lower thermal expansion coefficient (9.0 vs 14.8) (data from DigitalFire).  Wollastonite also provides silica in addition to calcium.   My glazes are high silica/low expansion by design, and wollastonite gets me there.  And finally, Wollastonite cost me $0.59/pound the last time I bought it, whereas whiting cost me $1.17/pound.  I'm sure I could rework my recipes to substitute whiting, but there is a certain amount of inertia involved in doing that, as I'm generally happy with the way my glazes are behaving on my clay.

Some time ago I posted about challenges with wollastonite clumping.  I have now found a process which is helping with this issue.  I utilize one of these flour sifters when weighing out the wollastonite.
  I sift the material directly into a pan on the balance until I have the necessary amount.  It's pretty low tech, but it works.  Perhaps not feasible for large-scale batches, but I'm usually making 1-2kg batches of most of my glazes, and it works fine for that.
 

Thanks very much. That worked just fine.