Accelerating Cooling Down Of Kiln

[Whispering Grass]

Is there an accepted or safe temperature when I can open the lid of my kiln to accelerate the cooling down termperature (ie 50degrees celcius ??) At present its taking 10-12 hours to get from 900 degrees C down to room temperature, or is this considered a no no ?

 

thanks in advance

[Chris Campbell]

Yes, it's like Christmas morning every time ... it's so hard to wait!!

BUT ... it does not help anything in any way to open early.

 

Rule of thumb that I learned was it takes twice as long to cool as it did to heat.

We all hate to wait but the best potters who cannot stand to wait still hang tough

until about 400F.

[The Seldom-Seen Kid]

Wait..

[Deb Evans]

Much better on the kiln to wait but....if you can't-you can open the lid a bit at below 500. Circulating air is fine if kiln isn't in the studio > just going to blow silica all over the place if it is in the studio> not worth it! If its a vented system can turn the fan on and let the heat get sucked out.

wait till pots are 200 and unload w/ gloves.

Be aware that stuff burns ( table tops and paper) if pots are 220 or hotter. Patience is hard but like Chris said - it is like chrismas and you wanna see the stuff or have to drive them to craftfair or gallery.

Time it better.>fire into the evening > cool down happens overnight!

[richardsan]

is this a gas or electric kiln?

...waiting fills....

 

if your glazes and clay bodies are well fitted, you may not have much of a problem, maybe some crackling... but if mismatched, you could waste materials and energy costs by fast cool downs and be disappointed in the end result.

if your work has 'appendages' they may suffer consequence, as well.

you can get a venting system for most electric kilns. it a small blower fan that pulls air from the top of the kiln, straight the way down...evening the temperatures out a bit and also cooling the kiln a bit.

i have one, but have been too busy to install it ; ^)

 

i also think, that chemically, you could be interfering with the glazes' colouring, by too fast cooling. maybe a ceramic chemist here will have more to say about that.

when my kilns are about 500°f i start some forced cooling by removing a peep hole plug or two...and set a box fan blowing on it. my studio is plein aire, and do not have an enclosed work place.

 

with all that, it may depend a lot on the clay body and glazes...you've (no doubt) seen raku being processed. with all that thermal shock on clay bodies mostly formulated for it, clay can be a bit predictable(or not) with forced cooling...; ^)

 

 

 

[Arnold Howard]

Is there an accepted or safe temperature when I can open the lid of my kiln to accelerate the cooling down termperature (ie 50degrees celcius ??) At present its taking 10-12 hours to get from 900 degrees C down to room temperature, or is this considered a no no ?

 

Paragon has always recommended waiting until the kiln has cooled to the point where you can unload it without gloves. The Orton Vent Master reduces cooling time by about two hours.

 

Sincerely,

 

Arnold Howard

Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA

ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com

[lakesidepottery]

Is there an accepted or safe temperature when I can open the lid of my kiln to accelerate the cooling down termperature (ie 50degrees celcius ??) At present its taking 10-12 hours to get from 900 degrees C down to room temperature, or is this considered a no no ?

 

thanks in advance

 

 

 

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