fruch Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 Good Morning, I have a friend who struck gold this week. Her aunt passed away and she had a kiln in her basement that looks brand new. Her aunt did not do ceramics so she has no idea why it was there. My friend does not do ceramics she is actually a painter. But she did buy a wheel a few years ago and said she would be interested in getting into it and keeping this kiln if it works. I am looking for information on this brand Gare. Who made or makes this kiln? For the most part I can give her advice about how to use the kiln setter but I am confused as to what the switches at the bottom of the box are for. Are these kind of like the low, med, high knobs on the side of a skutt kiln? Also, the extra ring. Can the be placed under the lid or does this go somewhere else? Of course I told her to check her fuse box and voltage. The coils look good to me as well as the wiring . Is there anything else you can think of that she should check before starting it up? I gave her some cones. If it was mine I would just try and run it and see what happens but I figured someone else has inherited a kiln at some point. I attached pics below. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 1. Turn on the bottom switch, with the lid cracked about an inch or two, for 1 hour. 2. Close the lid. Wait 1 hour. 3. Turn on the second switch up from the bottom, wait 1 hour. 4. Turn on the next switch, wait 1 hour. 5. Turn on the top switch, wait for the cone to bend and the Sitter to shut off. Your Kiln Sitter does not have a backup timer, so I strongly recommend getting a digital pyrometer so you can track the temperature and make sure it doesn't over-fire. Sitters are known to stick occasionally, so always be there to check the pyrometer and make sure it shut off when it was supposed to. Any digital pyrometer with a heavy duty type K thermocouple LIKE THIS will work. Looks like you have a blank ring also? If you add that onto the kiln, the max temp of the kiln will only be about cone 1. Without the blank ring it'll get to cone 8, so suitable for cone 6 work. fruch 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruch Posted April 29, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 Thank you for the information. What is the purpose of the blank ring? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 To make the kiln taller so you can fire more pieces, or taller ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 22 minutes ago, fruch said: Thank you for the information. What is the purpose of the blank ring? Simply to increase the volume of the kiln. However since it doesn't have elements, it lowers the max temp of the kiln. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted April 29, 2022 Report Share Posted April 29, 2022 what a lucky find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted April 30, 2022 Report Share Posted April 30, 2022 Set yourself an slarm about 30mins after expected finishing time. A log book for each giring and results really important into the future. Get the rate of rise in temp/ hour and then you knIw when to set alarm for future firings. Some examples of folks log books in these forums. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDAVIS Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 Does anyone know what a reasonable price would be for a similar second-hand kiln? I’m considering buying one but trying to understand reasonable pricing…. Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 14 hours ago, SDAVIS said: Does anyone know what a reasonable price would be for a similar second-hand kiln? I’m considering buying one but trying to understand reasonable pricing…. Thanks in advance. Depends on the condition of the bricks, elements, etc. If it has some broken bricks and needs new elements, then maybe $300. If it's in really good condition, maybe $600. More if furniture is included. A new digital kiln of that size is $2100. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SDAVIS Posted November 15, 2023 Report Share Posted November 15, 2023 6 hours ago, neilestrick said: Depends on the condition of the bricks, elements, etc. If it has some broken bricks and needs new elements, then maybe $300. If it's in really good condition, maybe $600. More if furniture is included. A new digital kiln of that size is $2100. Thank you, Neil. The bricks look to be in great condition, but it hasn’t been fired in a couple of years and the person selling it hasn’t done a test fire. Do you know if there’s a manual available online somewhere? I haven’t had any luck finding one yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 16, 2023 Report Share Posted November 16, 2023 5 hours ago, SDAVIS said: Do you know if there’s a manual available online somewhere? I haven’t had any luck finding one yet. Any Kiln Sitter manual will work. For firing this particular kiln, see my instructions above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted November 16, 2023 Report Share Posted November 16, 2023 KilnSitter models P & K manual http://www.fireright.com/docs/kilnsitter/pandk.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted November 17, 2023 Report Share Posted November 17, 2023 if you have found a kiln in the very good condition like the one that fruch sent photos of, do not hesitate to buy it. the fact that nobody has fired it for years is good. testing is done once you get it home to your own studio and will only happen after you get it connected correctly. neil is the expert, his advice is sound. one more note. the kiln shown has good elements. the things you call coils are standing upright in their channels. old ones, which only need replacement like tires on your car, lean all over each other and show their age. just another thing to anticipate, not worry about. we are a techie group, not me, but others want lots of info so they can tell you anything about your particular kiln. fruchs missed the label because of the lighting. everything is helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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