ronfire Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Changing my Skutt KS 1027 kiln to a custom wall mount Genesis controller. Which thermocouple is better the 14 ga or 8 ga. I would think the 8ga would last longer. That about a protection tube? L&L seams to think they are good. Looking to build a trouble free( less trouble ) system with solid state relay I use plainsman m340 and clear glaze so it appears very forgiving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 12 hours ago, ronfire said: Changing my Skutt KS 1027 kiln to a custom wall mount Genesis controller. Which thermocouple is better the 14 ga or 8 ga. I would think the 8ga would last longer. That about a protection tube? L&L seams to think they are good. Looking to build a trouble free( less trouble ) system with solid state relay I use plainsman m340 and clear glaze so it appears very forgiving. Heavier last longer. Thermocouples are simply two dissimilar metals welded together, doesn’t matter their gauge except for lifespan in a harsh environment. All kiln thermocouples shed, so protection tubes keep this from dropping in the kiln and do extend the life of the thermocouple a bit. If you install a protection tube, you will likely enter some offset to account for the slower reaction of the covered thermocouple. Make sure the thermocouple extends down the tube and gently touches the end of ceramic tube. IMO covered are superior. SSR’s are not plug and play, significant thought is necessary. For safety and longevity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted June 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Can the thermocouple be cut shorter to fit a kiln? I see that Pottery Supply House carries a 12" 8 ga thermocouple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Just now, ronfire said: Can the thermocouple be cut shorter to fit a kiln? I see that Pottery Supply House carries a 12" 8 ga thermocouple. You can cut as much off the back side as you need. Just two wires welded together, the tip is the only important part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Yep, covered will last longer and won't shed into the kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted June 28, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Thanks for the information. Will go with a 8ga and protection tube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted June 28, 2020 Report Share Posted June 28, 2020 Cut the backside and cover with tube -thicker is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted July 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 What offset do you program in for the protected thermocouple? Will use cones to monitor until I get the new controller dialed in but would be nice to know where to start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 2 hours ago, ronfire said: What offset do you program in for the protected thermocouple? It would depend on the composition of the protection tube and the brick penetration, the holder, cooling from the backside of the design, ........ etc... I think L&L these days are 18f ( maybe @neilestrick Knows by heart) but not uncommon to slide up and down this by five degrees at a try. Calibrating usually requires running an automatic cone fire program so the firing rate at the end of the firing is somewhat consistent and your calibration has meaning throughout all cone fire programs. It is possible you will need no offset as well. A lot of these things depend on whether the particular kiln can maintain a steady predefined rate in the last segment of the firing per the Orton chart which will be about an hour and a half. So less dependent on the cooling effect of the thermocouple cover / kiln combination and more so on the available power of the kiln. I mention this because other factors often require independent cone offsets for each To behave correctly. Maybe start with the L&L 18f and see if you can work that into the automatic bisque and glaze cones you fire to. Especially good to figure out after new elements though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted July 11, 2020 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Thanks Bill, I will start with -18f. The clay and glaze I use are forgiving but will dial it in with cones as I fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted July 11, 2020 Report Share Posted July 11, 2020 Yes, L&L is set to 18F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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