Pres Posted September 16 Report Share Posted September 16 Lots of questions lately about how to fire a kiln, and take care of it. Makes me remember the first experience I had with kilns during my first Ceramics class where we loaded pots into the gas kiln. It wasn't very big, as I remember especially compared to the kilns at PSU, but it worked. We didn't fire it, the prof did. Later, I had a chance to load an electric that was in the same studio. I fired it with another student, and it had a kiln setter on it. That was my first experience at actually firing one. When I started teaching HS, there was one other teacher there that was teaching a ceramics class, first year it was taught. I helped him load and fire the kiln, but started doing a lot of reading about kilns, firing, and maintenance. I took over the class the next year and taught it until I retired which was 35 years teaching ceramics. Learned a lot by doing, and when I bought my own kiln from L&L I had to go through a lot to get them to sell it to me without a setter! I wanted to be able to fire up, and down. I fired that kiln for 30 years and maintained it myself replacing elements, leads, insulators, bricks and pig tails. Great kiln. QotW: How did you learn how to fire and maintain your kiln. If you don't fire a kiln where does your work get fired? best, Pres Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted September 16 Report Share Posted September 16 well, the kiln at the community studio was fired by a few others, not me. And there weren't any nuances, simply push start and go. I was fortunate enough to buy a brand new L&L in 2012. It has a great instruction manual, plus phone and email support. When we were getting the kiln set up, the electrical inspector insisted that we hardwire the kiln, rather than plug it in. I emailed L&L to see if that was usual and Stephen Lewecki called me. He is the president of L&L. (I love this company!) So, how did I learn to fire my kiln? On the shoulders of others and lots of trial and error. 12 years later, I have almost 1000 firings on this kiln, my husband and I now know how to replace elements, bricks, channels, thermocouples, harnesses, wires. I can, with the help of the manual, program Vary Fire programs. I help out with the kilns at the community college. So doing equates to learning! Min, Rae Reich, LeeU and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted September 16 Report Share Posted September 16 I bought my first kiln in 1974. my husband and I had purchased our first house. Everyone buys a new sofa or bed for a new home, I bought a used Paragon kiln. my husband wired it in. I had never fired a kiln before but I can learn anything from a book. Couldn't help my high school pottery teacher he fired on weekends and a young girl shouldn't be around him all alone. A few years after I graduated he divorced his wife and married a student. After 50 years of use it was too old and crumbly to put new elements in it. When we took the rings and stainless steel wrap off of it the bricks turned into dust. Denice Rae Reich and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted September 16 Report Share Posted September 16 Watched instructor and lab techs loading and unloading the kilns at local Junior College ceramic lab whilst attending Wheel I&II classes. Read up here, digitalfire.com, and a few books loaned by the instructor and County library, found a used kiln, then Learn By Doing*! Ooops, overfired; oops, crushed an entire load, dropping a shelf; oops, overfired again ...then pretty close, then closer yet - dense pack in the middle, sparser top and bottom... Keeping detailed notes (log books**) have helped. Maintenance - both kilns, the vendors have extensive documentation and excellent Support. I've found assembly, troubleshooting, and repairs/maintenance to be rather straightforward, so far... * "doing" - well, that includes successes and mistakes/failures. :| Cal Poly San Luis Obispo motto: Learn By Doing My dad was a graduate, circa 1953 ** The firing book includes times and temps, furniture arrangement, cone positions/results, and more The glaze book includes recipe adjustment, application notes, specific gravity and thixotropy, results, and more More is good. Rae Reich and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted September 17 Report Share Posted September 17 My education on firing came from the School of Hard Knocks aka trial and error. After 25yrs with this kiln Im still learning. With my type of kiln about 50% is people wrangling. Rae Reich, Pres and JohnnyK 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted September 18 Report Share Posted September 18 Someone else always ran the kiln in college. Then graduated, got my own skutt kiln with a kiln setter. i ended up, after some experimenting, loading, then turning the bottom third on low for an hour with one vent open. then closed vent, and turned on the second tier on low. An hour later, the top tier on low. Then the same with medium, bottom, second and third tier, one hour apart, then the same with high until the kiln setter shut things down. it seemed to work pretty well. got busy with other things, and ended up selling my wheel and kiln--no time for ceramics. retired, and had a little money, bought a new wheel and L and L easy fire kiln (too small, but living with it) with a genesis control system. I would have been happy with the kiln setter, but they talked me out of it. first time I fired it, cone 6, I knew it was too hot, ware was obviously a bit over fired, so now use a cone 5 and it works well. I want to learn how to set up an auto program, but have not had time for that, just use the standard programs, mostly the medium speed. Still working part time, and that is my excuse. Did not have the first one long enough to need to rewire, maybe will with this one. My husband, I think, would love the challenge though. Rae Reich and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 18 Report Share Posted September 18 (edited) I learned in collage as I bought a used electric then (for the electric side) but first In Junior collage the art department needed gas kilns build and I laerned to make catanary arch kilns there by building them ,. I know already how to throw as I bought a wheel in HS. Later at the university I was the a glaze teck and kiln loader firing and all around kiln grunt-shelve griding etc. Cleaned out the ceramics lab every 1/4 as well. Did that for a few years. That program was cone 06 electric and cone 10 reduction gas. I was late teens and early 20s throuh that time. Edited September 19 by Mark C. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted September 18 Report Share Posted September 18 22 hours ago, Russ said: With my type of kiln about 50% is people wrangling. Huh, I always thought you fired with wood. (my bad but couldn’t help it) Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russ Posted September 18 Report Share Posted September 18 2 hours ago, Min said: my bad but couldn’t help it Good one Min... you'd think getting folks to throw wood in the kiln would be simple. BUT NO!!! Although having lots of good food helps alot. Min, Rae Reich and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidh4976 Posted September 19 Report Share Posted September 19 By reading the owners manual. By reading a Duncan service manual. It's an older manual, but still a good reference. It has some good safety checks. https://eadn-wc04-7751283.nxedge.io/wp-content/uploads/LX_809_Duncan_Kiln_Service_Manual-1.pdf By firing my own electric kiln. By building my own gas kiln conversion and firing it. By just diving in and doing maintenance on other people's kilns. It doesn't hurt that I have a background in electronics and electrical work. Min, Rae Reich and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 Marc You had to clean the shelves! Everyone had to clean shelves at my school, they would have a day where every class had to spend class time grinding, scraping and kiln washing shelves. The only time I help unload a gas kiln was when the college was making a commercial, I was working in my area when they grabbed anyone there to unload a very hot gas kiln. Cameras rolling we were climbing in out of the kiln handing out pots with sweat rolling down our face and arms. Maybe that is when I decided to go oxidation firing instead of reduction. Denice Pres, Wildflower NP and Rae Reich 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers." Blanche DuBois-Streetcar Named Desire (What she said.) Pres and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted September 21 Report Share Posted September 21 I could have learned more at school by hanging out with the lab techs during firings, but I never expected to have my own kiln. I also didn’t understand how observing the firings and their effects could help my work. Lucky for me, I got a job with more experienced potters who taught me bisque and ^10 firing and how and why to keep logs. I couldn’t pass up the chance for a kiln of my own after that, so I learned a whole lot more, by trial and error and potter friends and firing partners. Every kiln is a new adventure. Pres 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted September 22 Report Share Posted September 22 Have dreamed about building a gas kiln. We have something called live oak decline here in the TX Hill Country, and almost every oak tree on our five acres died in the past two years. So, firewood out the wazoo. I know we would both enjoy BUILDING a kiln, we love to build things (built our dome house and all the out buildings), but the long hours firing a wood fired kiln are daunting. That said, both in our seventies, so not likely to happen. I wish one of my kids was interested, but that has not happened. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted September 22 Report Share Posted September 22 (edited) 10 hours ago, Denice said: Marc You had to clean the shelves! Everyone had to clean shelves at my school, they would have a day where every class had to spend class time grinding, scraping and kiln washing shelves. The only time I help unload a gas kiln was when the college was making a commercial, I was working in my area when they grabbed anyone there to unload a very hot gas kiln. Cameras rolling we were climbing in out of the kiln handing out pots with sweat rolling down our face and arms. Maybe that is when I decided to go oxidation firing instead of reduction. Denice As a teck I loaded fired and unloaded kilns all week and some weekends . I was on a student work program for about 1.20 hr or something very low. for a few years part og the school of hard nocks learning. The shelf grinding was done in between quarters on the gas kilns on silicon carbide shelves. Not much glaze running on cone 06 electric shelfs . Edited September 22 by Mark C. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted September 22 Author Report Share Posted September 22 Never did much grinding over the years. Mostly done with a hand grinder and a dremel tool. Then a few years back I had to get a hand grinder for some masonry work around the house. Now I use it if needed on shelves. Even then not very often, as I keep the shelves washed. Only time I use the grinder now is when changing sides on the shelves. best, Pres Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted September 23 Report Share Posted September 23 (edited) Seat of the pants and input from forum members when I got started around 12 years ago as well as the school that @Mark C. went to. I think most of us have been to that school! Then I got an Orton controller for my manual Cress kiln, and that opened a whole new chapter in kiln operation...Now I get a good amount of info from this forum, Clayflicks, YouTube and books... Edited September 23 by JohnnyK Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted September 23 Report Share Posted September 23 On 9/21/2024 at 8:18 PM, grackle said: Have dreamed about building a gas kiln. We have something called live oak decline here in the TX Hill Country, and almost every oak tree on our five acres died in the past two years. So, firewood out the wazoo. I know we would both enjoy BUILDING a kiln, we love to build things (built our dome house and all the out buildings), but the long hours firing a wood fired kiln are daunting. That said, both in our seventies, so not likely to happen. I wish one of my kids was interested, but that has not happened. Don't give up on your children and art, my son and his wife moved to Costa Rica and all he does is art now. He doesn't work with clay but seems to create with everything else available, he is even working on inventions. Since you are in Texas I am sure you have heard of Maria's black ware, I watched a video of her loading her pots among the cow dung on the ground. And then covered with tree branches and some galvanized metal on top. I think they checked on it during the day and let it finish burning out during the night. You would probably have to buy some raku clay, it might be fun to do. We have driven through Texas hill country it is beautiful, we were picking up logs for the ceiling of our Spanish Mission house we were building . We also bought some narley curvy cedar posts, it took us four hours to drive from the log cabin we ordered them at to pick them up. They told us it wasn't far, pointed west and said it was far as the crow flies. Denice Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grackle Posted September 25 Report Share Posted September 25 That is good advice, Denice. One of my daughters is already a professional artist, and one son is musician, so i guess they don't need ceramics, lol. Maria's black ware is amazing. I wish I had the patience for that, the burnishing must take a long time!! Texas is a LONG way across. Lots of cedar, but I wonder what the logs were for your ceiling. Live oak trees are not tall. Maybe east TX pine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted September 30 Report Share Posted September 30 Books, and here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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