JohnS Posted June 30, 2021 Report Share Posted June 30, 2021 1 hour ago, Catatonic said: (somehow my kiln guy could make it work but I have no idea how. I will contact him to ask and get back to you on that if you like.) That would be great thanks. Cheers for the answers. Might to try to give it another go tomorrow then. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, JohnS said: That would be great thanks. Cheers for the answers. Might to try to give it another go tomorrow then. If you stuck this knob on there would it make more sense with respect to turning from low to high over time? This control should work exactly like an electric stove switch so maybe two hours at setting 2 - 2 hours at setting 4 - two hours at setting six and finally full power to the end of firing. When these are on a stove the knob is marked and the index is on the stove. On this kiln they labeled the kiln instead of the knob which makes this less than intuitive for most. Fully clockwise should be off, fully counterclockwise should be full on or high. zThe index will be the top dot on the kiln, disregard all the other labels. Edited July 1, 2021 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catatonic Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 Bill— It’s not a matter of turning it in the right direction, it was more a matter of the mechanism behind the knob not acting as it did prior to that last firing. All of a sudden where before it had a natural stopping point at each one of those settings, it no longer did; in fact it would actually click in areas that didn’t have a marked label on the face. It seemed that it was out of sync with where the settings were supposed to be. I couldn’t really tell where “on” really was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, Catatonic said: All of a sudden where before it had a natural stopping point at each one of those settings, it no longer did; As far as operation, It’s really not necessarily supposed to have stopping points. It is supposed to be an infinite switch which usually have two stopping points, off and fully on. My suggestion - It really is supposed to operate like a volume control, so maybe that is the confusion. At this point find the off position if it still exists and is not totally worn out and index this spot on top as off. From there use it as if the knob was numbered zero to ten, turning it anti clockwise. Picture the numbering on the stove knob above. Forget about trying to land on some specific spots, it’s just a volume control that goes from low to high while turning it anti clockwise. Check out Duncan’s own instructions below Edited July 1, 2021 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 1, 2021 Report Share Posted July 1, 2021 If I remember correctly these switches have to be installed upside down. Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raylene Posted August 12, 2021 Report Share Posted August 12, 2021 my Duncan died I am having a heck of a time figuring out what to do to bring it back to life. It has been a toss up between purchasing new elements,btw, how do i know what type of elements to get? and new switch and new relays. or..can i replace the kiln sitter? oh i almost forgot to mention, i have a very limited budget. like, 200 to fix it my other idea is propane conversion. If I go to propane what would be the best size tank? 20lb? 40lb? Where do i get this propane and one more thought, or question. Can I bisque fire with propane? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted August 12, 2021 Report Share Posted August 12, 2021 1 hour ago, Raylene said: my Duncan died I am having a heck of a time figuring out what to do to bring it back to life. It has been a toss up between purchasing new elements,btw, how do i know what type of elements to get? and new switch and new relays. or..can i replace the kiln sitter? oh i almost forgot to mention, i have a very limited budget. like, 200 to fix it my other idea is propane conversion. If I go to propane what would be the best size tank? 20lb? 40lb? Where do i get this propane and one more thought, or question. Can I bisque fire with propane? Hey, I definitely can't help with this question, but... I would suggest starting a new question I case people in future have the same issues - a bit easier for people to search that way. Raylene 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
some_helpful_dude Posted September 14, 2021 Report Share Posted September 14, 2021 On 8/7/2018 at 9:46 PM, Fred Sweet said: Do you have the manual for your kiln? The link below is for the manual Duncan kilns (includes yours) from the Paragon kiln company, who were providing parts and service after Duncan was disbanded. https://www.paragonweb.com/files/manuals/LX_914_Duncan_Kiln_Owners_Manual.pdf Regards, Fred They updated the site, for those like me who needed the manual, here's the new link:https://paragonweb.com/wp-content/uploads/LX_914_Duncan_Kiln_Owners_Manual.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradeegee Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 (edited) On 7/1/2021 at 7:16 AM, neilestrick said: If I remember correctly these switches have to be installed upside down. Hi there! I've just finished reading this thread after trying to fire my Teacher Plus kiln last Friday and having it shut off after 4 hours. I've decided to follow a firing schedule offered in this thread, but reading your comment made me realize that maybe my switch is upside down? I drew on a new line on the opposite side of my knob, and now when I rotate it, it snaps to the overglaze and ceramic positions according to that new line. Does this jive with what you're saying about these switches? Thanks to everyone in this thread for all the info! I would honestly be lost without it Edited September 27, 2021 by lauradeegee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, lauradeegee said: Does this jive with what you're saying about these switches? Makes sense. When your new line drawn on the switch is at 12:00 is the kiln off? If so, then it appears you indexed it correctly with your line. Edited September 27, 2021 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradeegee Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 20 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said: Makes sense. When your new line drawn on the switch is at 12:00 is the kiln off? If so, then it appears you indexed it correctly with your line. The kiln never turns off as long as the kiln sitter button is pushed in, no matter where I turn the knob Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 (edited) 16 minutes ago, lauradeegee said: The kiln never turns off as long as the kiln sitter button is pushed in, no matter where I turn the knob May be just be a bit too worn, most infinite switches have an off location and detent where the switch wants to stop, your pilot light ought to extinguish as it passes through the off location if set up to indicate from the pilot output of the switch. Edited September 27, 2021 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 I have never seen that type of knob on a kiln. It could be some random replacement knob they put on that doesn't line up with the actual settings of the switch. The light never goes off, or the actual power to the elements never goes off? That light is likely linked to the Sitter, so it comes on whenever the sitter is engaged, regardless of whether or not the switch is in the off position. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 Hey, what I'd do is pull the knob off and see where the flat bit is. The flat bit should basically be the location where the arrow should be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted September 27, 2021 Report Share Posted September 27, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, JohnS said: Hey, what I'd do is pull the knob off and see where the flat bit is. The flat bit should basically be the location where the arrow should be. Might line up some way, either perpendicular or parallel. Definitely not arbitrary. Neil makes a good point, if the pilot light is not connected to the switch, it will only indicate what is powering it. The inside of this switch typically looks like below which provides a spot to turn off the power. Most devices that use these have a need to be able to go full off. Might be just so worn though that it won’t anymore. Edited September 27, 2021 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradeegee Posted September 28, 2021 Report Share Posted September 28, 2021 20 hours ago, JohnS said: The flat bit should basically be the location where the arrow should be. I played around with rotating the knob and this seems to be the answer, fingers crossed! going to try one of the firing schedules described in the thread. thanks everyone! 20 hours ago, neilestrick said: I have never seen that type of knob on a kiln you are right that it is a random replacement knob! I assumed that all knobs would be standard in some way but i guess not : ) Bill Kielb 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted September 28, 2021 Report Share Posted September 28, 2021 7 hours ago, lauradeegee said: you are right that it is a random replacement knob! I assumed that all knobs would be standard in some way but i guess not : ) There are a lot of different knobs out there, and many only fit on a certain type of shaft. You got lucky that it fits on the shaft, now you just have to figure out the proper alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 20 hours ago, lauradeegee said: I played around with rotating the knob and this seems to be the answer, fingers crossed! going to try one of the firing schedules described in the thread. thanks everyone! Might help finding off : You really ought to feel the off detent where the low point of the cam is. Even if the on/off contacts are stuck together so it stays on 100%. The low spot on the cam should be the only place it’s intended to turn off and you ought to be able to feel this flat spot. Common infinite switch shaft shape is an H shaft I believe to try and avoid this very issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 34 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said: Might help finding off : You really ought to feel the off detent where the low point of the cam is. Even if the on/off contacts are stuck together so it stays on 100%. The low spot on the cam should be the only place it’s intended to turn off and you ought to be able to feel this flat spot. Common infinite switch shaft shape is an H shaft I believe to try and avoid this very issue. Can confirm the flat bit is where the centre is, mine doesn't have a knob either and I used a temperature gun to work out the heat output at different positions. Flat at 12 o'clock is "off" PeterH, Bill Kielb, lauradeegee and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 2 hours ago, JohnS said: Flat at 12 o'clock is "off" If I could give you multiple likes I would! Thanks for sharing. This has affected many folks over the years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted September 29, 2021 Report Share Posted September 29, 2021 27 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said: If I could give you multiple likes I would! Thanks for sharing. This has affected many folks over the years. Ha, no problem, after all the help you guys gave it's about time I reciprocated! I've actually got temperatures for each "clock position" for this model that I should post as well, might be useful for people with this same model. Bill Kielb, Lola Rosier, PeterH and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradeegee Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 On 7/29/2020 at 1:16 PM, K S said: I really like my Duncan Teacher Plus. Question: For bisque and glaze firing, I start the switch at the 10:00 position, even though no markings are there. I turn the switch to 8:00 position two hours later, 6:00 position two hours later, etc. I keep the toggle at Low Manual. My witness cones from the top, middle and bottom shelves are all the same. Sometimes I do a drop hold on a glaze firing to heal pinholes. Do any of you have a better firing schedule? My firings are still going too fast and this comment caught my eye. Wouldn't keeping the toggle at low manual keep the kiln on low for the entirety of the firing? That's how the manual describes this setting. I'm curious to try it, but I want to make sure I understand it. Would the kiln eventually reach temp even at low? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 3 minutes ago, lauradeegee said: My firings are still going too fast and this comment caught my eye. Wouldn't keeping the toggle at low manual keep the kiln on low for the entirety of the firing? That's how the manual describes this setting. I'm curious to try it, but I want to make sure I understand it. Would the kiln eventually reach temp even at low? I think we have the same kiln, but... What's the low manual toggle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnS Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 9 minutes ago, lauradeegee said: My firings are still going too fast and this comment caught my eye. Wouldn't keeping the toggle at low manual keep the kiln on low for the entirety of the firing? That's how the manual describes this setting. I'm curious to try it, but I want to make sure I understand it. Would the kiln eventually reach temp even at low? Imagining the dial like a clockface try this firing schedule, last time I used my kiln (I'm getting electrical work done in my "studio" so not used it in a couple of months) this worked for me with this kiln. I started at 10 o' clock and sat there for two hours, increased to 8:30 for an hour and 50 minutes, then to 7 o' clock for an hour and 10 minutes, then moved to "Overglaze" setting for two hours, then to "Ceramic". It shut off after an additional 2 hours and 40 minutes. Everything seemed to come out nicely and gave me around a 9.5 hour burn. After this I invested in a pyrometer so I could dial things in more scientifically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lauradeegee Posted October 1, 2021 Report Share Posted October 1, 2021 9 minutes ago, JohnS said: I think we have the same kiln, but... What's the low manual toggle? Here's the toggle I have on mine 2 minutes ago, JohnS said: I started at 10 o' clock and sat there for two hours, increased to 8:30 for an hour and 50 minutes, then to 7 o' clock for an hour and 10 minutes, then moved to "Overglaze" setting for two hours, then to "Ceramic" I tried something like this yesterday and it shut off in the 8:30 position, barely reached 4 hours. Very strange! Something else has to be wrong Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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