Seeking More Technical Understanding Of Firing To A Cone
This is an esoteric question that I have long wondered about but not found an answer in the usual technical texts, but maybe some of the experts here can help further my "education" about things that probably don't really matter except to us dweebs and nerds. The issue is what exactly does a pyrometric cone equivalent mean to a glaze vs. a clay body. I understand that pyrometric cones are a measure of heatwork, which is a combination rate of temperature rise at the end of the firing and absolute
6 to 8 was a 40 minute hold. 4 to 6 was about twice that long. In my unscientific tests, the 6 to 8 hold time increased element life by at least 20% versus firing all the way up to 8. There didn't seem to be any noticeable affect on relay life, but the relays on my big kiln last forever since they're housed in a freestanding box away from the kiln. They just don't get very hot compared to kiln mounted control boxes. That said, the relays on my small kiln last a really long time, too.