kre8ivLizard

LOL, I was planning on just putting like 3 beads per wire. But I like that idea of counterweighting. I'll have to experiment with some generic beads for the first load. I'd hate to put the first load in and have a failure where it took me 30-45 minutes of handpainting designs per bead!

Would love to see a pic if you have one? Cannot quite envision

Strong enough to string beads on for glaze firing? Plan on doing about 4-5" cuts, and laying on laid-down kiln posts. So about 3-4 beads per wire during a firing. Then adding another post on top to keep wire from rolling while hot.

My water source is our laundry area as well... basement studio, i just didnt want to wait longer for since we're housing our two stranded college kids. We have a Gleco trap, but we pre-rinse in buckets before we get to the sink. My old beatup handtowels are rinsed in yard with pressure garden hose. same with changing out throwing slop buckets (outside hose). We get clean laundry upstairs as loads are done, and I just keep the dirty hampers out of my splash zones by my wheel. no problems as long as we do constant housekeeping (mopping floor by wheel to eliminate clay dust, keeping wheel clean, vacuuming kiln / kiln room regularly, etc)

@neilestrick Ok, so now I'm confused? Website says cone 6-10. So is it not a functional ware when fired to cone 6? My kiln only goes to ^8, placard says do not fire over that. So I'm not comfortable exceeding ^7 in case of over fire (bottom shelf fires a half cone over)

These glazes were suggested to me by the supplier I bought clay from. My community studio was owned by one of the major glaze companies (studio closed from pandemic, so work from home now)

Forgot to mention, 18 hour cool down, no down draft vent (just window fan exhausting while kiln fired)

I just want to cry, so many people say they crack lid at 200 or higher. I waited til ambient was 120 (have accurate gauges to check, HVAC type meters). Yes, I realize the wares were hotter. As soon as the lid was opened to prop, we heard the quiet pings. My first glaze load, and I've ruined it? Once a pinger, always a pinger? Standard 182/grog stoneware, commercial amaco & mayco glazes brushed on. Kiln is small, 3.2 cu ft, manual with 4 power switches, no timer, we did slow fire over 11+ hours before it shut off. I caught a quick glimpse of witness cones before propping lid, targeted ^6, hit about ^5.25-5.5 according to cone pack? Since we waited for lower temp, how do we troubleshoot pinging? Some glazes were new samples (amaco cosmic tea dust, sapphire float, adventurine) I wanted to try, others I used before (mayco gloss black, tigers eye, pink opal, celadon bloom, stroke & coat) without issues for fit?

I know I would need to at least bisque before using, but do they need vitrified too before using? I am using under a bisque pot being glaze fired to cone 6. I have heard all sorts of horror stories about how fluid Amaco's Adventurine is, so just trying to play it safe until I learn how much it runs. (And of course I got ahold of about 15 other new glazes and would rather waste a little clay making cookies as I play with my new colors).

Old 3.2 cu ft American Beauty manual kiln. Wares are not huge, so 3 layers loaded. Kiln has only 2 peeps. Kiln room is a concrete room (old fruit cellar), with glass block window with vent fan. We run fan and close door since kiln isn't vented. Firing to cone 6. Standard 182 w/grog stoneware clay. Mayco and amaco glazes (layered glaze combos, but was careful to leave room for runs, which are desired). Some have flux on rim. I see so many differing opinions on peeps open vs closed. Which would you choose? I am thinking top peep only open whole firing. I really want my first glaze firing to net success! Also, any suggestions on ramp? I don't have timer on this kiln, only 4 power switches I control. Thinking 2 hours on each switch? Excited to experiment but feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants now that I'm ready for the glaze firing... Jus a smidge nervous.

neilestrick - I see you're a distributor for L&L, the e23t? Is on my list as a finalist for my goal in a couple years... How does it compare with other 7 cu ft kilns? I am short, so I think a 7 cu is my limit or else I'll have issues loading bottom. The skutt 1027 is another on my finalist list... Haven't made a final decision yet

Yes, I think we have it adjusted now. Per Sue's instrux, we had 2 additional adjustments we had to tweak. Mark C - no timer on my k type sitter. Just 4 power switches. Guessing circa early 70's. Upon inspection, cone did start to bend, but only about 10%. Just enough to shut off because we were off on trigger plate height. I do understand the complete mechanics of how the sitter works. (Not offended at too many details btw). And using 020 for tests because they are my lowest temp small cones, fastest test fire method. Yes I have the calibration plate. Neilestrick - yes, very consistent with small cone placement. Haven't tried the bars yet, are they more accurate for sitters because of their shape? My supplier in Columbus was out of them. A little background on me since I'm a newbie, I grew up around ceramics, my mom had a shop, specialized in porcelain. I am a 4th gen artist & musician. Also an advanced quilter and pattern designer (quilts & crochet). Played on/off with pottery at college, and also on base in Hawai'i (my ex was USMC). Just recently picked it up again in 2019. Retired graphic designer, so I'm super finicky about consistency (like placing cones), but learning to let go of my perfectionism because pottery's charm & beauty is not perfect. Happy we kept some equipment from a closed biz (HVAC related) because I have digital testing meters already equipped to handle temps over 2k degrees, and we can monitor any CO as well in our kiln room. Pottery and quilting are my creative outlets for retirement. Covid kind of gave us the push to setup the studio completely (had wheel already)

ok, downloaded Sue's e-book, and we were literally within a mm of what she shows is proper... so its test firing again. Oy, I hope its right this time! And here I thought I'd never use up that box of 020 in my lifetime

I have been reading many other threads on this forum, and you guys/gals are great, I've learned a LOT. So, Covid lost me my firing source. They literally closed down local branch, and moved to headquarters 2.5 hours away. No way I'm gonna try and transport 50+ greenware that far! So the hunt for a used kiln finally found me an old American Beauty AB-18 that looked quite used, but fired up great and seems to have good integrity to brick. Only had to get a new sensor tube for it! This is my temporary stopgap until I can save up for a new kiln (guessing its about 3 years away). Got electric run and did 2 bisque firings... just bowls and stuff that was easy to recreate if there was disaster. First load sang nicely (no thunks) and feels like its about an 05 surface (used 05 in sitter). Second load was already firing when I finally found a manual online on how to adjust. It seems fine like first load. Both loads , it actually overfired (sitter cone is more of U shape than L shape). Made adjustments, did test firing to cone 020 (just happened to have on-hand for MOP!). Since wares fired were bisque loads, I didn't use witness cones, although I do have them ready for my first glaze firing 5-6-7 (shooting for 6). BUT this last adjustment / test fire I think maybe we made it TOO sensitive? Claw seems perfectly adusted, so now were down to dealing with adjustments to trigger plate. We did a fast heat (kiln empty) and it was shut off before even an hour went by? Hubby just got brave and opened the kiln, it UNDERfired this time (sitter cone still in position and unbent. Are sitters always this finicky getting them adjusted? They suggest recalibrating every 30 firings. I do have a high quality gauge to test temps inside kiln through a peep (we're retired from a field related to HVAC CO testing), and when I checked on test fire at 45 minutes, was planning on getting internal temp but kiln had already shut down... and reading was only about 630F. I have 6 more bisque loads to fire, and then a boatload of glaze loads... but until I get this thing to not over-fire, afraid to ruin a glaze load. Anyone else have a manual kiln from the 70's and have the same woes? Its a K type sitter. I'll probably try one more test fire tonight, gonna drive my husband crazy trying to get this beast adjusted. We marked the spot where things were before adjustments started... if we cannot get the two adustable pieces just right, would putting them back into old position work if we dropped down to 06 or 07 in the sitter (letting it overfire to get us to cone 05?) and if that is a viable alternative, would we need to drop to 4? or 5? for glaze firings when we intend 6? Ugh. So much to learn. ~ Dawn