juliagirl90 Posted May 23, 2023 Report Share Posted May 23, 2023 I have a j18 kiln with a kiln sitter I recently fired to a cone 6 and notice something was off luckily the kiln turned off with the back up timer but the cone didn't melt to a bend to turn the kiln sitter off so im guessing it didn't reach the right temp could it be the cones? or a heating element? or kiln sitter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted May 23, 2023 Report Share Posted May 23, 2023 Hi Julia, Welcome to the Forum! Good question. If the cones you are using in the sitter are from the same box (as previous successful firings), likely the problem isn't the cone. That said, setting up a cone (or a cone pack) on each shelf gives you more feedback - what the heat work was on each shelf. Was the kiln on for about the same time it usually takes to bend a cone 6 in the sitter? How did the ware come out; were the glazes fully melted? Do you think the ware was overfired? I fired a sitter kiln for just over four years. I bought a pyrometer, watched the readout closely, and took detailed notes. I also set cones on each shelf, where the middle shelf's cones could be seen from the peep, just in case I needed to check! My next kiln will have a controller, still, I'll be watching the pyrometer read out, placing cone packs on each shelf, and keeping notes. Once familiar with the kiln, I won't be checking the cone packs while firing. The first few firings, however, I'll be checking the cone packs while firing! Be sure to use proper kiln glasses to protect against harmful rays and any flying bits, very important. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted May 24, 2023 Report Share Posted May 24, 2023 I have fired manual kilns for 50 years and when my firing is taking longer than usual I know that it is probably time to change the elements. I unloaded a bisque today and noticed that the 04 large standing cone barely started to bend but the kiln sitter 04 was properly melted. This tells me that I need to make some adjustment in the kiln sitter, I recently rebuilt this kiln so the kiln sitter might have gotten bumped. Should have checked it. Denice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 24, 2023 Report Share Posted May 24, 2023 If the timer shut it off before the cone dropped, then it didn't reach temp. Turn the kiln on high for a few minutes and see if all the elements glow. If one is out, then it's probably just a fried element. If two in the same section are out, then you probably have a bad switch. Or in both cases it could be a wiring connection fried out somewhere, which should be easy to see when you open up the control box (with the kiln unplugged). If they all glow, then they're probably worn and need to be replaced. Post a pic of the elements so we can see their condition. Pres, Sylla and Piedmont Pottery 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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