How to bisque fire a Paragon A-88B Kiln without a Kiln Sitter

[jrosshauer]

Hello, 
I am a beginner potter and just bought a used Paragon A-88B kiln that does not have a kiln sitter or timer.  It only has three switches that you can set to High, Medium or Low.  How do I bisque fire on this thing?  Any advice would be much appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[neilestrick]

A typical firing schedule is 1 hour on low, 1 hour on medium, high til done. Done typically means when the Sitter shuts it off. Instead, you'll need to put witness cones in the kiln near a peep hole, and watch through the hole for the cones to bend. If you're firing to cone 6, I would use something like cones 2, 4 & 6, so you have some warning. If you want to get fancy, use two packs, one low and one high, so you can see if it's firing evenly. Use Large cones, set into a piece of clay, and put a bunch of holes in the clay with a needle tool- it'll help them dry out faster and keep them from blowing up in the firing since they may be a little thick in areas. Instructions HERE. Personally, I don't think a guard cone is necessary since you'll be watching them drop. Don't put the cone pack right up against the peep hole. Keep it further back on the shelf so it's reading accurately. Use kiln glasses (#5 welding glasses) when looking at the cones so you don't damage your eyes from the brightness.

I would also invest in a digital pyrometer to monitor the kiln with.

The downside of using a kiln without any sort of automatic shutoff is that it is 100% dependent upon you to shut it off. If you're not paying attention and go 10 minutes too long, your glazes could run and ruin the pots or the shelves. If you totally forget, or something happens that prevent you from checking on the kiln, you could ruin the kiln and/or have a fire hazard situation. This would be a good kiln to hook up to a wall mount digital controller system.

[jrosshauer]

Thank you so much!  This is very helpful.