Christena Schafale on wed 30 oct 02
OK, let's see if I can do this from memory. To set a ramp/hold program, do
the following:
1. Press the ramp/hold button
2. The display will say User, then flash a number. The controller can
hold up to 6 programs, so you enter a number from 1 to 6 to designate which
program this will be. I use 1 and 2 for bisque programs, 5 and 6 for glaze
(since I fire to cone 5 and cone 6). So, let's say you press 1, then hit
Enter.
3. The display will flash SEGS (or something like that). Now you have to
say how many segments your firing profile will have. So you need to figure
this out ahead of time. Look in your kiln manual, and you will find some
charts with sample profiles for different uses. Enter the number of
segments, then hit Enter.
4. Now the display asks you for the first ramp. This is the rate, in
degrees per hour, at which you want the kiln to heat. What you enter here
will depend on how dry your greenware is. If perfectly bone dry, you can
heat fast; if not, you should slow down. So (assuming you are using
Fahrenheit degrees), you might enter 50 to represent a 50 degree/hour
rise. Hit Enter.
5. Next you tell it what the endpoint of that segment should be. So, for
instance, if you want the temperature to rise at 50 degrees per hour up to
200 F, you would enter 200, then hit enter.
6. Now you tell it how long to hold at that temperature, in minutes. This
is your opportunity to candle, if you are doing this to make sure the ware
is dry. If you want to candle for 16 hours, you would enter 16:00, then
hit Enter. (If you just entered 16, you would get a hold of 16 minutes
instead of 16 hours.).
Remember that if you want the total delay, from the beginning of the
firing, to equal 16 hours, you need to take account of the time it takes to
get up to 200 degrees. In the example above, if you started out at a room
temperature of 70 degrees, you have to rise 130 degrees to get to 200. At
50 degrees per hour, this will take you 2.6 hours, or 2 hours, 36
minutes. Sixteen hours minus 2 hours 36 minutes is 13 hours 24
minutes. So you would set your hold for 13:24. Obviously this would be
different if your room temperature was very different, or the kiln was
outside in a cold environment, or whatever.
7. Now you are at the next segment, and you repeat the process of entering
the rate, then the target temperature, then the hold time. Keep doing this
until you reach the top temperature that you are aiming for, which will
depend on how high you want to bisque. Look in a cone table if you don't
know the temp corresponding to your chosen cone. Make sure the last
segment, starting about 270 degrees below your top temperature, is at a
rate of 108 degrees F (60 degrees C) per hour if you want the most accurate
cone representation.
8. Once you have entered this information for all the segments, you are
done. If you run out of segments before you get to your top temperature,
you'll need to go back to the beginning and specify a larger number of
Segs. If you have leftover segments, then go back and use a lower
number. If you have to go back, the data that you entered the first time
will still be in there, so you don't need to enter it again, just press
Enter repeatedly until you get to the place where you left off, or the end
of the schedule.
Hope this answers the question. You would use the same process for glaze
firing, except that you would go up to a higher temperature, and you might
not need to candle. If you just want to set the kiln to begin firing, but
don't need to candle, you can use the Delay function instead of holding at
a low temperature. To use Delay, just enter your program, and when you are
done, press Delay, then enter the number of hours until the kiln should
start firing. Then hit Enter, then hit Start to begin the countdown. I
have my kiln at home, so I use this a lot to tell the kiln to begin firing
in the afternoon when I am at work, so that the firing will be able to be
finished by the time I leave for work the next morning.
If you don't have your manual, and you want some examples of ramp schedules
for bisque and glaze, let me know.
Chris
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Karen Sullivan"
>To:
>Sent: Tuesday, October 29, 2002 7:00 PM
>Subject: skutt computer controlled kilns....yikes, help
>
>
> > I do not seem to be able to track and
> > figure out how to control the skutt electric kiln
> > with the computer controls...touch pad...
> >
> > could someone walk me through the bisque,
> > candle and then ramp to temperature phase.....
> >
> > I need the step by step setting sequence...
> > of the kiln master controls....
> > my goal is to candle for sixteen hours...
> > I teach and want to start the candling process at
> > the end of my teaching day....so 4 pm...
> > and to begin firing the next morning at
> > 8 am...I need help with the controls to fire
> > the kiln in that process....
> >
> > many thanks
> > karen
Consultation and Referral Specialist
Resources for Seniors
christenas@rfsnc.org
http://www.resourcesforseniors.com
Phone: (919) 713-1537
FAX: (919) 872-9574
1110 Navaho Dr, Suite 400
Raleigh, NC 27609
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