Tamra Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 I have an Even Heat 810 manual kiln with LT-3 Kiln sitter (at least my memory says this). Now that I've fired 2x and I know it is working, 'm wondering how do I know that the kiln is firing properly? My porcelain is not that thick - referring to instructions that slip should be like heavy cream before slip casting. Being new to using a kiln and middle age person, It makes me a little crazy that EVERY kiln doesn't come with a pyrometer, it's like having a car without a compass....I stopped buying cars that didn't have compass... and the next kiln I purchase will definitely have a pyrometer...of course we have GPS built into cars, but my car still has a compass in the display. Absent of a pyrometric cones, how do I know when the heating elements need to be replaced? How do you measure the heating elements? How difficult is it to replace the heating elements? I would never attempt to hook up a receptacle, but I would replace an electrical switch in my wall after I turned ALL the electricity off in the entire house, I would never work on my car, but would definitely take a motor apart to put in a new bearing. We just slip casted the Duncan Heart Box with our grandson tonite (456A) and will fire in a few days. Making his Mom a Mothers' Day gift... and I bet I'll be babysitting the kiln for 8-9 hours on Thursday... it should be dry by then - its still cool here. If there is a file that I should read, please do send me a link! Thanks for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 What cone are you placing in the kiln sitter? Is your piece glazed? Is there a small hole into which a thermocouple and so can wire to a pyrometer when you get one?. Elements ate pretty easy to replace. Keep a log of when you raise the energy input. What is your firing plan? Log how long it takes to drop the sitter. Without a set of cones visible from spy hole so know when to turn kiln off should the sitter fail..and they do, and no pyrometer, I cant see how you can gauge when to turn up your kiln or turn it off. Sorry. I think I may be missing something. O If logging your firings you can get to know when elements are failing by a longer firing time required to reach a cetain cone. A colour chart indicating temp at that colour is a great thing to learn from. Good luck, sounds exciting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 Get a pair of glasses to protect your eyes from the infrared (and any bits that may fly out at just the wrong time). All else (just now) would be echoing Babs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 5, 2020 Report Share Posted May 5, 2020 There are a lot of videos available on the interwebs that show how to change elements Anyone can do it. Get a digital pyrometer. You don't have to spend a lot, it's just going to show approximate temperature and rate of climb. With that you can see how the firing is progressing. Just because an element is working, doesn't mean it's working well. They can be worn enough that you're wasting a lot of electricity even though the kiln is getting to temperature. To test them, you have to measure the resistance of the elements using a multi-meter. You can get an digital meter that will work just fine at any hardware store for $20-30. Again, there are lot of videos on the net that show how to measure them. Elements should be replaced once the resistance is 10% off from original. You can find out the original resistance by calling the kiln manufacturer. If you're bisque firing and glaze firing to low fire temps (cone 06-04), then you should get several hundred firings from your elements. If you're glaze firing to cone 5/6, you'll get around 150 firings at 60% glaze 40% bisque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tamra Posted May 6, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2020 This forum is much more friendlier then a software forum where I posted a question a few days ago. I will buy a digital pyrometer and digital meter if we do not already have one. I'm off to find some youtube videos... and will call Evenheat after I do a bit more study… I think they are back to work now. I've got 2 more hours for my kiln shutoff, hopefully it was dry enough or tomorrow I will find I killed my grandson's first project and I'll get the bad G'ma award for 2020. I did advise him of the risks that we started this project late... Can't seem to keep a calendar with the world's current events. I've put two self supporting pyrometric cones 5, cone 6 on my top shelf in addition to the mini bar in the kiln sitter. The slip manufacturer for porcelain indicates cone 5.5-cone 6. I have not fired anything else in the kiln except porcelain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 7, 2020 Report Share Posted May 7, 2020 2 hours ago, Tamra said: This forum is much more friendlier then a software forum where I posted a question a few days ago. Good to hear! Potters are social. The learning curve is long and slow, and a lot of equipment is required, so we tend to start in community studios, working alongside other potters, growing together, and learning through demonstrations and hands-on teaching. Trying to learn this stuff on your own would be a nightmare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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