ChelseaRae Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 It looks like some of my shelves are hitting temp but kiln sitter hasn’t been triggering auto shut off (pyrometric bar melting). Please advise TIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Do a firing with witness cones on each shelf and see if it's getting to temp. If not, it's probably time for new elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Variation between witness cones on each shelf* and the cone in the sitter - normal, per my experience. I was watching witness cones through the peeps (with appropriate eye protection, of course) earlier. Now that I have several firings under me belt, I just watch the pyrometer. I see the sitter as a fail safe. I'm keeping notes on each firing, which I find helpful! ...as the pyrometer wears/drifts, the notes should help me there as well. *Cones the the story, aye. I'm learning to adjust the load and shelf positions to even out the heat work ...someday I might not put a cone pack on each shelf; I'm not there yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChelseaRae Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Hi there, thanks for the feedback! I am in a similar boat. I have had the kiln for a little over a year and its been a learning curve. It use to fire normally/to temp and I use witness cones, taking notes, etc. I recently started to play more with how I load in terms of what posts I use to try to get a more even distribution of heat.. same with playing with how I load items... and the firing settings in terms of speed and hours on timer. I think new elements might be a necessary reality. I can say that the bottom part of the kiln is visibly not as hot.. sometimes they hit temp on the middle shelf where the sitter bar tends to be... but the bar doesn't melt and it doesn't shut off. Kinda stumped on that one. Thanks again, more feedback.. suggestions.. all of it... is so welcomed and I am grateful for the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 4 minutes ago, ChelseaRae said: Hi there, thanks for the feedback! I am in a similar boat. I have had the kiln for a little over a year and its been a learning curve. It use to fire normally/to temp and I use witness cones, taking notes, etc. I recently started to play more with how I load in terms of what posts I use to try to get a more even distribution of heat.. same with playing with how I load items... and the firing settings in terms of speed and hours on timer. I think new elements might be a necessary reality. I can say that the bottom part of the kiln is visibly not as hot.. sometimes they hit temp on the middle shelf where the sitter bar tends to be... but the bar doesn't melt and it doesn't shut off. Kinda stumped on that one. Thanks again, more feedback.. suggestions.. all of it... is so welcomed and I am grateful for the forum! You may just need a sitter calibration then. There's a tool you can use to calibrate it, it looks like a shiny quarter with some notches and a hole in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChelseaRae Posted March 5, 2021 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 Oh! good to know, is that a hard tool to use? I am not very savvy with mechanical things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 5, 2021 Report Share Posted March 5, 2021 5 minutes ago, ChelseaRae said: Oh! good to know, is that a hard tool to use? I am not very savvy with mechanical things. No, not difficult! https://suemcleodceramics.com/how-to-calibrate-your-kiln-sitter-for-accurate-firings/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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