Manual Glass Kiln

Important Guidelines
The Embedded Heating Element
Theheatingelementsofyourkiln are embedded into the
ceramicfiberfiringchamber.Thefiringchambersurface is
hardenedtoadepthof¼”. Thismakesthefibermoredura
-
ble. It isimportantthat youdonot touchthe firingchamber
with sharp objects. These can penetrate the fiber surface
and contact the heating element, which is a shock hazard.
Note: The heatingelementunderpowerisdanger
-
ous.Do nottouch theelementwith anything!Turn
the kiln switch off before inserting an enameling
fork into the firing chamber to remove a shelf.
The Clicking Noise
Do not be concerned if your kiln makes a clicking sound
during firing.Your kilncontains arelay, whichsends power
to the element. The relay clicks as it cycles on and off to
maintain the correct temperature.
Check Thermocouple
You will find a small rod, called the thermocouple, ex
-
tending into the firing chamber. The digital controller
senses temperature by reading a voltage from the thermo-
couple. If this rod is pushed out of the firing chamber, the
kilnwillassumethatthefiringchamberiscold.Thiswillre-
sult in an over-fire. Be sure the rod extends into the firing
chamber by ½” - ¾” before firing the kiln.
Vacuum the Kiln
Clean the kiln before firing glass, enameling, or ceramic
glaze. (Cleaning is not necessary when firing silver or gold
clay).Useasoftbrushnozzleonavacuumcleanertoremove
dust from inside the kiln.
Removing Hot Ware
To remove hot ware
from the kiln, turn off
the kiln. Carefully slide
an enameling fork un
-
der the shelf. Place the
hot shelf on a large ce
-
ramickilnshelfin front
of the kiln. Wear thick
work gloves.
Firing Log Book
Record the following information in a firing log book:
I
Date
I
Firing temperature,speed and hold; or Ramp/Holdpro
-
gram
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Starting time
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Total firing time
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Type of pieces
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Firing results
Asyou gain experience,youwill find awealthof informa
-
tion in your firing logs.
Low Temperature Holds
A low temperature hold (i.e. 200° - 300°F) is more diffi
-
cult to maintain than higher temperature holds (1400° -
1700°F). At low temperatures, turning on the heating ele
-
ment affects firing temperature to a larger degree than at
high temperatures.
When holding at a low temperature, heat the kiln slowly.
Otherwisethetemperaturemayovershoottheholdtemper
-
ature before the element turns off.
Avoid Contaminating the Heating Element
Contact with silica or
silica bearing com
-
pounds, such as kiln
wash, glass separator,
alumina hydrate, glass,
enameling powder, and
ceramic glaze, will ruin
the heating element.
Neverfireglazedceramic
ware, glass, or enameling
directly on the firing chamber bottom. Use a ceramic shelf
on short posts to protect the bottom from glaze drips, glass
and enameling powder.
Caution: Some kilns contain a heating element
embeddedinthebottomofthefiringchamber.Ma-
terials such as glass and glaze, if absorbed into the
fiber firing chamber, can ruin the element. This
type of damage is not covered by warranty. Prevent
glass separator, kiln wash, and alumina hydrate
from falling from a shelf onto the firing chamber.
These materials can destroy the element.
Note: If a contami
-
nantsuchasdripping
glassorglazeembeds
into the firing cham
-
ber, unplug the kiln.
Gently scrape off the
contaminant with a
knife, being careful
not to damage the
heatingelement.Vac
-
uum the kiln.
The Effect of Silver Residue on Glass
Firing silver clayleaves traces ofsilverin theporesof the
firingchamber.Sometimesthereisenoughsilverresiduein
the kiln to affect colors of glass. For instance, green might
turn yellow.
Note: Before firing an important glass piece in a
kiln used for silver clay, perform color tests. Fire
small samples of each glasscolor ona basesheet of
clearglass.Placetheglassonafireclayshelf(notthe
soft fiber shelf).
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