I simply don't have enough free time to cool it that slowly in the kiln (as it's all manual, no fancy controllers to program and forget about). Is there an alternative method that is a little more... creative?
For example, keep the pieces for an hour at annealing temperature. Put the pieces in a container full of vermiculite IN THE KILN (1050 F) and then turn off the kiln.
Another idea is using ashes. We heat the house with both a gas furnace and a wood stove in winter, so I have TONS of ashes. I remember my dad covers the embers with ashes, and the next day there is sometimes enough embers still hot enough to catch paper on fire to start another fire the next evening.
Would this cool them slowly enough? I just spent $8444 on tuition. I have no job. An electric kiln is way out of my price range, and nobody around here has one I can borrow.
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