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Kiln Pointers
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Low Voltage During the Summer |
CONTENTS Low Voltage During the Summer Recent Q&As: Memorable Quote News: Over-Temp for Digital Kilns ----------- LOW VOLTAGE DURING THE SUMMER Even a small drop in voltage can slow your kiln down. Here is an example from my own test firings: I test-fired a kiln recently. It took 5 hours and 3 minutes to reach 2331 degrees F (1277 C). In an earlier firing on a different circuit, the same test kiln took only 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach 2350 degrees F (1287 C). The difference in voltage between the two 120-volt circuits? Only seven volts. If your kiln is slowing down, do not assume that it is due to worn elements. The voltage to your building may be low due to summer time demand. If so, try firing your kiln when electrical demand is lower and the voltage is higher. Fire at night or early morning. ----------- RECENT Q&As Q. On the Sentry Xpress processor, why would you use a second segment, and what's the purpose of the speeds? A. The speeds are for simple firings that need only a single segment. For instance, you are firing to 1650, holding for a certain period, and then turning off the kiln. You would not need an extra segment for that type of firing. Each single speed, from 1 through 5, fires at a particular rate per hour. SPd1 fires at a rate of 200 degrees F per hour. If you wanted to fire to a single temperature at fast rate, you would use SPd5. The extra segments in PRO1 - PRO4 are for more complicated firings. You may never need more than one segment, though. In fact there is a tendency to use too many segments, especially with small projects. If you were firing a thick glass project into a mold, you would need an extra segment for cooling through the annealing range. Otherwise the glass would crack, because it would cool too fast. Any time you want to change the firing speed or add an extra hold somewhere in the firing, you will need an extra segment. For instance, crystalline ceramic glazes need several segments. ----------- MEMORABLE QUOTE “Read an hour every day in your chosen field. This works out to about one book per week, 50 books per year, and will guarantee your success.” -- Brian Tracy ----------- NEWS: OVER-TEMP FOR DIGITAL KILNS We are offering an over-temp for digital kilns. It is the Orton Auto-Cone, a cone-activated shut-off. The retail price is $120.00 when installed on a new kiln. The Auto-Cone is independent of the controller and the thermocouple. ----------- Have you ever had sharks swim inches from your face? That happened to me last Saturday while visiting the Dallas World Aquarium with family. As we stood under a curved glass archway, the sharks swam past us on the other side of the glass. The glass archway is a marvel of design that any glass artist would appreciate. Sharks are exquisite. I could watch them for hours. I wish you a relaxing July 4th weekend. Thank you, With best wishes, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P. – Better Designed Kilns 2011 South Town East Blvd., Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 Voice: 972-288-7557 & 800-876-4328 / Fax: 972-222-0646 / ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com http://twitter.com/ParagonKilns / www.facebook.com/arnoldhoward PRIVACY NOTICE: Under no circumstance do we share or sell your email address. Copyright 2009, by Paragon Industries, L.P. |
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