mxdsa

Great info, thank you

Thank you all so much for the advice! Sounds like the first thing I need is to buy a pyrometer. @neilestrick I'm not sure why I chose cone 10 originally, but your reasoning seems sound. Would you think that my stoneware clay will be okay to fire at 6 instead of 10? (Or does that question need more information to answer?) @Denice and @Hulk - thank you. It's helpful to read process descriptions of how people actually do it. Many thanks!

Hello, I have an electric Knight kiln with a manual Dawson sitter. My experience is around 20 firings, both bisque and cone 10. The glaze books I've been reading really emphasize the firing schedule, including a soak. My firing schedule is a simple gradual increase (the lid and three levels, L-M-H) over the coarse of 7-8 hours for cone 10. My first question is, how do I soak after the kiln turned off (via the cone mechanism) - do I simply turn it back on, on medium or something, for the soak time? I imagine there's a better way. Second, is considering the soak an appropriate priority for my situation? For context I'll be making my own glazes. The goal is predictable, controlled results in my electric kiln. Should I be giving more attention to other aspects of the process? Ah, third question in this topic - can a manual sitter be upgraded on this kind of kiln? Any suggestions would be great! My primary reference book is High Fire Glazes by John Britt. Thanks, Caleb

Thank you much, all. Although it's a relatively simple machine, it is still amazing that one built so long ago continues to work so well.

@neilestrick is this the ring that you're referring to? It used to be on the motor shaft until it broke. It had been loose, beneath the belt. I've added additional photos to the gallery: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ce5pTWv8FAMYGJdd8

Hello. I've just joined this community after reading the forums for a few days. There's so much knowledge being shared! Besides reading about wheel problems, I found an inspiring youtube teacher linked from a post somewhere here in the forums - Hsin-Chuen Lin. I'm looking forward to digging into the chemistry section, but for now I'm focusing on fundamental throwing skills. I have some experience with throwing and firing, but my last phase of dedication was in the late 00s - until I started again about six months ago. That's my intro, and now the reason for this post. I have an (relatively/don't know how) old Brent CK. I bought it probably 15 years ago, don't remember what the original owner told me of its provenance. When applying a decent amount of pressure, usually, but not always when centering, I can very easily stop the wheel. I took off the plastic cover and had a look while doing this - the belt stops completely (and of course the large wheel that it turns), but the motor shaft keeps spinning. This is belt slippage, yes? If so, from what I've read the tension needs to be increased. I would appreciate confirmation or correction before going further. Here are photos: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ce5pTWv8FAMYGJdd8 Maybe related: in the last photo, you can see a broken vertically-grooved plastic washer. This was loose on the shaft, under the belt, where it meets the motor body. (See mockup for location.) It broke when I was 'inspecting' it. What is this piece and do I need it? Thanks! Caleb