setting up my kiln for the first time

[StOrM]

Ellyloo had posted this in another thread and i just want to know if this is what i should be using and if you have your kiln set differently tell me about it

"ellyloo post"
I ramp my kiln up to 960 as fast as is healthy for my kiln (some say top speed stresses the kiln out, some say it doesn't... I just do it fast enough to get there within the hour)

Hold for as long as you want to torch, plus 30 mins or so.
I set it to ramp down to 840 at 100 degrees/hr.
I set it to hold for about 45 mins, (some do for much less, but i like to be double darn sure of annealing, and this covers any 'larger' pieces I may make)
After that, how slow you ramp down is up to you....I kinda forget what my kiln is programmed to do, I think it stops at 500 again for 20 mins, and then goes down to 200 and shuts off. It takes mine all night, i don't mind going slow.



Now i have made 2 beads and wanted to see how long this would take and to see if i programmed it properly. seem like i did BUT this takes about 7 hours to ramp down ..... does this seem normal?

[squid]

Yes, 7 hours is close to what I would expect if you mean 7 hours to get to room temp.

[StOrM]

7 hours 960 degrees to get to 200 degrees......(that doesn't include soak time) so add another hour and fifteen minutes. and then the kiln should shut off.

i set it like this:

segment 1 : rate- full power, temp- 960, hold- for as long as i want to bead
segment 2 : rate-100, temp- 840, hold- .45 (45 mins)
segment 3 : rate 100, temp- 500, hold- .20 (20 mins)
segment 4 : rate 100, temp- 200, hold- 0000 (kiln should shut off)

how do you set up your kiln?
do you unplug your kiln once it is done for the night (if you are still awake)?

[StOrM]

Bump!!!

[squid]

It ramps down while I am asleep, so I don't turn it off at any particular temp.

I anneal for 2 hours and then ramp down to 500 at 200 dph. It shuts off at 500 and cools on its own to room temp. I have a brick kiln, so the cooling is pretty slow. If I had a fiber kiln, I would control the temp down to at least 300 or so.

[StOrM]

ok.....so it's ok to ramp down by 200 degrees per hour instead of 100 degrees per hour

[squid]

100 is more conservative and perfectly fine. It's just personal preference .

[StOrM]

LOL i am still unsure if i want to sleep with the kiln on.....and last night i fell asleep about 20 mins before the buzzer went off to tell me it was done and when it did go off it scared the crap out of me.....I jumped out of bed thinking what the heck is that noise.......i think i just need to get used to it!

Will it aneal better if i ramp down at 100? compared to 200

[StOrM]

Bump

[StOrM]

is there anyone else who wants to help and make a comment......or maybe describe there kiln programming?

[Black Fish]

I have a question about batch anealing? What is a good temperature? How long should I take to get there? Do i need to use kiln paper or would any pendents and beads be safe on the kiln shelves since they are going in cool?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

[2xMI]

I don't batch anneal, but for those times I've needed to heat a room-temperature bead back up to garaging temperature, I've run my regular ramp of as fast as possible to 930. It takes about 20 minutes in my kiln. I haven't had a problem, but the larger your beads, or the more irregular the shape, the more susceptible they are to thermal shock, so keep that in mind. A conservative approach doesn't hurt! I have a fiber kiln so they go right in the kiln. With a fire brick kiln or kiln shelves, you'll at least need kiln wash. Shelf paper wouldn't hurt but it's expensive.

Mimi

[Black Fish]

Ok thank you! I'll give it a shot. maybe i'll just do it with a few of my beads first. I have a little cup full since i started working and I wouldn't want to ruin all of them. The tiny kiln i bought came with a few sheets of paper so i will try those.