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kilnmaster controller question

updated tue 1 dec 09

 

Michael Wendt on thu 26 nov 09


Calli,
Place witness cones in view through the peep holes in the
kiln.
Put the junior cone 10 in the sitter and fire normally. Your
cone in the sitter may drop before the witness cones. If
so, raise the weight on the sitter just enough to reset the
on button and continue firing until the witness cones drop.
In any case, relying solely on the computer is not a good
idea since the computer controller relies on pyrometers to
sense the internal temperature of the kiln and as a result,
is not as accurate as witness cones for determining glaze
and clay body maturity.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Calli wrote:
This is my first experience with a controller. I upgraded my
Skutt kilns
with the wall mounted unit.

Bisque I understand: you're supposed to put a jr. cone in
the sitter, 2 or 3
cones higher than what temp you're firing to, turn the
switches to HI, turn
the timer to 20 hours. Makes sense for my bisque 04.

I want to fire glaze to Cone 10, but can't put more than a
cone 10 jr. in
the sitter. I don't want the sitter to switch off before the
controller,
though, which it usually does before the cones are down all
'round.

So my question is: Is it OK not to put a jr. cone in the
sitter? Is it
really necessary?

Thanks,

Calli

Calli Mico on thu 26 nov 09


This is my first experience with a controller. I upgraded my Skutt kilns
with the wall mounted unit.

Bisque I understand: you're supposed to put a jr. cone in the sitter, 2 o=
=3D
r 3
cones higher than what temp you're firing to, turn the switches to HI, tu=
=3D
rn
the timer to 20 hours. Makes sense for my bisque 04.

I want to fire glaze to Cone 10, but can't put more than a cone 10 jr. in=
=3D

the sitter. I don't want the sitter to switch off before the controller,
though, which it usually does before the cones are down all 'round.

So my question is: Is it OK not to put a jr. cone in the sitter? Is it
really necessary?

Thanks,

Calli

Arnold Howard on mon 30 nov 09


From: "Calli Mico"
I want to fire glaze to Cone 10, but can't put more than a
cone 10 jr. in
the sitter. I don't want the sitter to switch off before the
controller,
though, which it usually does before the cones are down all
'round.

So my question is: Is it OK not to put a jr. cone in the
sitter? Is it
really necessary?
-------------
Calli, the Kiln Sitter and Limit Timer are good backup
safety shut-offs for a digital controller. That is the main
reason to continue using the Kiln Sitter after you have
upgraded the kiln to a digital controller. The extra safety
is worth the price of the small cones.

Since you are using a small cone 10 in the Kiln Sitter for a
cone 10 firing, load the small cone slightly off center.
Push the cone just slightly toward the thick end. And as
Michael Wendt suggested, be near the kiln when it reaches
cone 10. If the Kiln Sitter shuts off before the controller,
reset the Kiln Sitter in manual mode and continue firing
with the controller.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com