He's coming next week. He says hopefully Monday, so the kiln could be firing as soon as Monday afternoon! I've been perusing the user manuals that came with the kiln, and they say that I should do a test firing to cone 6 as the first firing. It says that there are things left over from the manufacturing process that will need to burn off in the first firing that would affect any glazes in the kiln, possibly in unpleasant ways. So the first firing will actually be really boring - assuming everything goes as planned - since there won't be any pretty pots for me to take pictures of afterward.
So then if the first firing goes well (I'm sure it will), I'll be loading up a bisque firing! It will have swirl bowls, dragons, dragon egg vases, and the dragon pendant mold in it, as well as test tiles. The dragon pendant mold will be finished and ready to use after the bisque, while the other things will have a glaze firing to cone 6 before they are finished.
Based on your link, it looks like you're thinking about being prepared in case something goes wrong with the kiln? I haven't talked explicitly about the safety measures I'm taking, but in the same room as the kiln I will have the ability to flip an emergency shut off switch. I will also, of course, still have the phone number of the electrician who installed it, and Cone Art (the manufacturer) claims to have very good technical assistance if I contact them with an issue. It is true that electric kilns are pretty hefty appliances. While they are generally not scary if you treat them right, the power they draw certainly makes it important to be cautious.
ReplyDeleteWas he wearing a red coat? ;)
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Haha, no, he was wearing green I think. :)
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