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Hi, I have purchased a second hand Potclays 39 Silver Kiln. The kiln is around 20 years old but has only had light use. This is the first kiln I have ever owned so I have no experience to fall back on. The instruction manual suggests you do two test firings, so I thought I would do that to start with. The first test firing, to 750 degrees, was completely successfully, with the kiln reaching temperature in the estimated time range. I put the bungs in the three peep holes on the side of the kiln around 4 hours into the firing time and left the peep hole in the lid open. The second time I fired the kiln I attempted to fire to 1000 degrees. After 12 hours it was evident that the kiln was not going to reach this temperature, - it had got up to around 880 degrees according to the thermostat, but wasn't going any higher. I had 3 06 cones inside the kiln, none of which had bent over, so the thermostat doesn't appear to be reading too low. As with the first firing, I put the bungs in the side vents after around 4 hours. My question is - should I put a bung in the hole in the lid as well. 4 bungs are supplied and there are 4 peep holes if you include the one in the lid, so it would seem to make sense, however I am not sure if it would be correct to deprive the kiln of oxygen totally. I am sure that if I did put a bung in the lid peep hole, then the kiln would reach temperature. I apologise if I seem ignorant, but I am learning completely from scratch, everything is trial and error. I would be grateful for any advice. With thanks, Elaine

Is it possible to rebuild a kiln lid? My Duncan EA-1029 Pro-Plus runs great but the ceramic fiber lid and floor are in tough shape. I'm considering building (vs. replacing) the lid using firebrick and kiln cement. Is this an option? Thanks for your feedback. I've been searching for answers for weeks and was led to this forum.