Are slower heating rates better for the kiln than fast heating rates?
Fast heating rates are no harder on kilns than slow rates. You can fire as fast as you want.
Do kilns fire cooler on the bottom?
Kilns tend to fire cooler on the bottom, but not because heat rises. The movement of heat through convection ends at around 1100 degrees F. At 1700 F, a cubic f...
Does drying leather-hard greenware in the kiln
This is an expensive way to dry greenware. However, it is okay to dry greenware in the kiln as long as the temperature gets no higher than 200 F (93 C) and the...
Does it cost less in electricity to find the kiln at night?
In some areas, electricity is cheaper at night. You can find out by asking your utility company if they have a "time of use" plan. Also, ask if they have a sepa...
Does wax resist used in pottery firings void the kiln warranty?
No. Wax resist in pottery firings won’t hurt the elements or the firebricks. It does not void the warranty.
During firing I can see the red glow through the spaces between the kiln sections
There is little heat loss through a loose-fitting peephole plug or the cracks between kiln sections. This is because at 1100F / 593C and higher, the air molecul...
During the first firing of a new kiln, do you fire the kiln empty?
Fire only empty shelves, posts, and witness cones the first time you fire the kiln. Some people have fired the kiln for the first time with all the shelves stac...
How do I adjust the switches on my SnF-82-3 so I can operate the kiln
Plug the TnF2 into the wall outlet. Install the thermocouple using the instructions that came with the TnF2, and plug the kiln into the TnF2. Turn the top swit...
How do you figure the cost of firing a kiln?
The cost of electricity is figured in kilowatt-hours (KWh). A kilowatt-hour is 1,000 watts of electricity running for 1 hour. (10 – 100-watt light bulbs glowing...
How do you slow down the firing?
The answer depends on the type of kiln. Infinite control switch: To slow down the firing rate, turn the switches to a lower setting for a longer period. For in...
How do you turn off a Paragon SNF kiln?
To turn off the Paragon SNF manually after the witness cone bends: The top switch is an infinite control. Turn to the OFF position. The second switch (and thi...
How do you use kiln wash?
This information also applies to glass separators. Kiln wash does not melt at high temperatures and thus forms a protective barrier between kiln shelves and ce...
How does a beginner get over the fear of a new kiln?
Recently a friend told me that she had been afraid of her Paragon glass kiln until she began firing glass bottles. The bottles were free, so she could experimen...
How does one avoid damaging the top bricks when leaning down into a kiln to load it?
Trace the top rim of your kiln onto newspaper or cardboard. Use this template to make a plywood loading support. The plywood should be about 2 feet long and fit...
How does overfiring the kiln damage the kiln?
Firing beyond the temperature that the insulation is designed for can damage the insulation. Insulating firebricks can actually melt when fired too high. Overfi...
How does the lid prop work?
Ceramic pieces release gases and water vapor during firing. Venting allows these gases to escape. Paragon’s fall-away Prop-R-Vent is installed on the switch box...
How much does slow cooling of ceramic ware reduce the element life of a kiln?
Controlled cooling reduces element life--but the amount of wear varies depending on the kiln wall thickness and length of the controlled cooling. (A thick-walle...
I am concerned about the light that appears under my kiln lid during firing.
The light that you see under the lid is normal, as long as the lid is not rising in front. The inner lid surface expands more than the outer cooler surface. Th...
I don't understand why my kiln fires at a progressively slower rate as the temperature climbs.
Kilns slow down as they go up in temperature. Their fastest firing rates are in the lower temperature range. The maximum firing rate of a kiln depends on the t...
I fired my SC2 kiln for the first time and turned it off because of a strong smell.
During the first firing, you may smell a strong odor from your kiln. This is normal and is caused by the burning of binders in the ceramic fiber firing chamber....
I have been using K23 bricks for raku.
K26 firebricks cool faster than K23 because the K23 firebricks are more porous and absorb more heat than the K26. But the difference in cooling rate is very sli...
I heat treat knives and pull them out at around 1900F to cool the knives.
The kiln should be allowed to cool to room temperature before removing the glass, pottery, or low-fire ceramics. Some materials such as copper enameling and hig...
I know a potter who fires horsehair pottery to 1735 F
Removing the ceramic pieces at 1100 degrees F should not harm the elements or firebricks. Heat treating kilns are routinely opened at high temperatures to remov...
I usually use the 3 or 4 setting on the infinite control switch.
The infinite control switch has no temperature chart for the switch positions. This is because the infinite control is not a precise temperature controller. Rat...
I want to fire decals. Is there any way to vent the lid on a kiln
Raising the lid to the vented position should not activate the lid safety switch. You should be able to raise the lid an inch or so before the safety switch shu...
I’ve heard that crash cooling is not good for kiln bricks and elements. How about rapid ramps up?
Fast ramps are no harder on kilns than slow ramps. So you can fire as fast as you want. Forced cooling doesn’t seem to be hard on kilns. However, forced cooling...
If the kiln is firing longer than usual, how can you tell if it is overfiring?
It is useful to observe the color of light under the lid or door and around the peephole plugs during each stage of firing. If you have a digital kiln, notice t...
Is fast firing or cooling hard on the kiln bricks and elements?
Fast firing is no harder on kilns than slow firing. So, you can fire as fast as you want provided the materials you are firing can withstand it. Forced cooling...
Is it necessary to be home the whole time the kiln is running? Can I run it when I'm asleep?
We recommend that you fire the kiln while you are home, especially toward the end of the firing. You can program a delayed fire on digital kilns so that the kil...
Is it necessary to ever recoat the kiln bottom with kiln wash
The kiln wash adheres to the firebricks better than it does to shelves because the firebricks are porous. Therefore, it is rarely necessary to apply more kiln w...
Is it normal for the kiln to make a pinging sound?
A faint pinging sound is normal. It is the insulating firebricks expanding and contracting during firing. If the pinging sound is coming from glass or pottery,...
Is it okay to fire a kiln in the winter when the firing room is below zero F?
MANUAL KILNS Yes. Turn the kiln on low for the first few hours so the kiln heats up gradually. DIGITAL KILNS It is okay to store digital controllers in sub-zero...
Is it okay to kiln wash the underside of a kiln shelf?
We recommend kiln washing only the top of the shelf for ceramic firings. Kiln wash applied to the underside of the shelf can flake off and land on glazed ware u...
Is it okay to squirt alcohol into a kiln for reduction firing?
We recommend that you not squirt alcohol into a hot kiln. Alcohol in a kiln can be more dangerous than a molotov cocktail. Not only is alcohol highly volatile,...
Is it safe to fire six 120-volt kilns during a seminar?
It is safe to have six kilns firing at the same time as long as they are each plugged into separate 120-volt circuits that have been properly installed by an el...
Is the temperature inside the kiln’s switch box higher than the ambient room temperature?
Yes. The temperature inside the kiln's control panel is higher than the ambient room temperature. As a general rule, the room temperature, measured 3 feet from...
Is there a way to make a kiln fire more evenly throughout the firing chamber?
Step 1 Load more ware in hot sections of the firing chamber and less ware in cool sections. The greater the density of ware, the more heat is required in that s...
Is there any documentation that has the approximate rate of speed
The heating rate at a particular infinite control setting varies from one kiln to another. This is because the rate at each setting depends on the size of the k...
My front-loading kiln has a gap between the door and the firing chamber. Is that normal?
There should be no gap between the door and the firing chamber at the side toward the door latch. There should be a gap, however, at the hinge side of the door....
My kiln lid is cracked and drops dust onto glazed ware.
Position large ware on the lower shelves and smaller ware on the top shelf. Arrange the smaller pieces so they are not directly under the crack where the dust i...
My kiln shelves are flaking off on the edges creating kiln trash.
The flaking is probably a loose kiln wash. As you apply kiln wash to the shelves, wipe the edges before the kiln wash dries. Kiln wash tends to accumulate aroun...
My kiln usually takes 10 hours to fire.
Loading a kiln more densely can increase the firing time. The extra mass inside the kiln requires more energy to fire the load. If the slower firing causes a di...
Pinging or popping noises are coming from my kiln as it cools. Is that normal?
Faint popping noises are the sound of the firebricks and the metal jacket cooling down and shrinking. This is normal. It is similar to the sound of a muffler on...
Recently, I read that one should never leave a kiln unattended.
We recommend that you monitor the kiln during operation. This does not mean giving it your constant attention. Just check on it occasionally, especially toward...
Should I monitor the kiln while it fires or allow it to turn off automatically?
Paragon recommends that you monitor your kiln during firing. In most situations, this doesn’t mean constantly watching the kiln. You are undoubtedly too busy fo...
Should you insert the peephole plugs during firing?
It is important to vent the kiln thoroughly at the beginning of the firing. Leaving the peephole plugs out at the beginning helps to vent. Most people leave th...
The first time I fired my new SC2 kiln
The ceramic fiber shelf contains binders that burn out during the first firing. Do not be concerned if the shelf becomes discolored. It will turn white again af...
The peephole plug on my kiln falls out of the peephole during firing. How can I solve this problem?
You can wrap the peephole plug with a little ceramic fiber. That will hold the plug in place. Or you could also plug the peephole with ceramic fiber. If you ha...
To what extent do the fumes from clay corrode the kiln?
The two elements in clay that are especially corrosive are fluorine and sulfur. Avoid clays with large amounts of these elements. Your clay supplier should be a...
What do I need to know about the wall outlet for a studio kiln?
The wall outlet should be installed so that the kiln cord hangs downward-not upward-from the wall outlet. Do not place the outlet so close to the floor that the...
What is a practical way to monitor a kiln during operation?
The digital controller and Kiln Sitter used on kilns are very reliable. But if they fail, they can overfire the kiln and destroy all the ware, the shelves and p...
What is the cone-shaped ceramic object that came with my new kiln?
The ceramic cone is the peephole plug. It fits into the tapered hole on the side of the kiln.
What should be included in a firing logbook?
One of the easiest ways to learn about your kiln is to keep a firing logbook. If you are firing the kiln for the first time in several months, you can review yo...
What would cause a kiln to overfire?
A kiln could fire at the full rate if a relay is locked on, a thermocouple failed, the Kiln Sitter failed, or the contacts in a switch stuck in a single-switch...
When is it okay to unload the kiln?
As a general rule, let the kiln cool to room temperature before unloading. You should be able to remove the ware with bare hands. If you unload ware while the k...
When should the peephole plugs be left out during a firing?
You can leave the peephole plugs out for some firings. This improves oxygenation inside the kiln. However, this may cause cold spots in the kiln, especially if...
Why did smoke come out of my ceramic fiber kiln the first time I fired it?
The smoke that came off the kiln during the first firing is normal. It is the binders burning out of the fiber insulation.
Why do you recommend firing a new kiln with only kiln furniture in it during the first firing?
The kiln should be fired without greenware during the first firing so the elements can form a protective coating before being exposed to clay fumes. The main re...
Will opening a hot kiln to remove raku pieces damage the firebricks?
Electric kilns are generally made with K-23 firebricks, which have a low alumina content. (K-25 bricks have a higher alumina content.) Low-alumina firebricks ca...
You know what? I'm still a little scared of the kiln. Is that normal?
Yes, it is normal to be afraid of the kiln until you have gained experience. But it won't be long before you feel confident enough as a kiln user to offer advic...
