FrogBlog
PART ONE: 3-Key Controller Tricks
Everyday prospective buyers ask me which type of controller is better; the 3-key or the 12-key. What I tell them is "There is no better... it reallly comes down to what you have or can afford." A 3-key controller can do almost everything a 12-key can do, but it just takes longer to get the programming done. And, it doesn't matter if it's a Paragon, Olympic, Evenheat or Jen-Ken kiln... all 3-key controllers work the same way. If your impatient or easily distracted, like me, a 12-key might be the right choice for you. Either way the digital controller, either 3-key or 12-key can be your friend if your know these simple tricks. So, this week I'll share 3-key controller tricks you might not know about. 3-Key Controllers - COOL OPTIONS THAT ARE HIDDEN! During an active firing, the INCREASE button will activate an options menu and scroll through the available options with each button press. These options allow you to make adjustments to the firing program without stopping the firing. The available options follow... SKIP STEP - During an active heating, cooling or hold time, it is possible to skip ahead to the next program step. Press the INCREASE button to display the skip step prompt SStP. Then press the PROGRAM button to display the current ramp or hold segment. Press the PROGRAM button again to initiate the skip and the controller display returns to the normal firing mode. If the DECREASE button is pressed, the skip step function is canceled and the controller display returns to the normal firing mode.The skip function can be used to end a hold time early or to skip from any heating/cooling step to the next heating/cooling step. The skip function does nothing during the final program step. To end a final program step, simply press STOP. ADD MORE HOLD TIME - During an active heating, cooling or hold time, it is possible to add more hold time to the current program step. Press the INCREASE button until the hold time prompt HLdt is displayed. Then Press the PROGRAM button to display the current hold time. Press the INCREASE button to add five (5) minute increments to the original hold time. Then press the PROGRAM button to return to the normal firing mode. If the DECREASE button is pressed while the HLDT prompt is displayed, the controller display returns to the normal firing mode. CHANGE HEATING OR COOLING TEMPS - During an active heating, cooling or hold time, it is possible to change the heating or cooling temperature of the current program step. Press the INCREASE button until the change temperature prompt CHGT is displayed. Then press the PROGRAM button to display the current temperature setting. Adjust the temperature setting with the INCREASE or DECREASE buttons. Then press the PROGRAM button to return to the normal firing mode. If the DECREASE button is pressed while the CHGT prompt is displayed, the controller display returns to the normal firing mode. THRESHOLD ALARM- During the firing, it is possible to set an audible alarm and display alarm for when the actual temperature reaches a specified value. The buzzer will sound (for 30 seconds) and the display will show the alarm code ALAR.To set the alarm, press the INCREASE button during the active firing until the alarm prompt ALAR is displayed. Then press the PROGRAM button to display the current alarm temperature setting. Adjust the temperature setting with the INCREASE or DECREASE buttons. Then press the PROGRAM button to return to the normal firing mode. If the DECREASE button is pressed while the ALAr prompt is displayed, the controller display returns to the normal firing mode. The alarm is disabled (turned off) when the alarm value is set to 32°F (0ºC). The alarm value can be reset or changed many times during a single firing. To silence an active alarm, simply press any button. I hope these few tricks up your sleeves with help you get even more out of firing your kilns! Stay tuned for next week's PART TWO: 12-KEY CONTROLLER MAGIC! If you are interested in learning more about the different controller options that are available check out our controller option videos here! Your Kiln Gal, Gail
Read moreFrogBlog
Undercover Heat Work; Top Fire, Side Fire, Both?
I've been doing this kiln forming thing for almost 15 years now, so you'd think that I'd have it ingrained in my brain when I need heat from the top and when I need heat from the side. Recently I was attempting a new project that was 3" x 3" thick by 6" long. It was dammed with clay dams and then heavily bricked to keep the dams in place. I concentrated hard on making sure the firing schedule was pristine and the annealing was generous and smart. i never even considered the heat work issues. I was blissfully ignorant! The resulting piece came out of the kiln over fired on the top and under fired near the shelf. It had small champagne bubbles near the surface that I didn't like. I could see that the bottom layers just weren't fully fused and lacked clarity, but all the air was squeezed out perfectly. I fused the piece in my "go-to" kiln which is a top fire. I didn't think the heat work would matter, but it did! I made some calls and did some research to figure it all out! Color me embarrassed! It was proven to me that we can't rely on just instinct; we really do need to think about what we need... and why. So here's the skinny on that..... Top Fire: You need heat from the top when you are doing thinner work. This means anything below 9mm or less than 1/2". This is basically shallow fusing, tack fusing, slumping, draping, combing/raking, and boiling. The heat needs to penetrate through the glass from the top down through the shelf or mold. It is important that the heat is uniform across the entire area of glass and that it is not too close or too far from the elements. Most fiber kilns are top firing, but there are exceptions. (I new all of this, but just wasn't thinking about it because, Uh, well, I really love my fiber kiln, and I put almost everything I can in it, but alas...it's not perfect for every job.) Click here to check out our glass kilns Side Fire: You need heat from the sides when you are working thicker than 9mm or over 1/2" as a general rule. This means deep thick fusing, casting, annealing, basically doing thick or deep work of any kind. Traditional ceramic kilns are side firing only. They can be used for glass, but are better suited for casting and thicker work. (I knew this too! I have a brick kiln and should have realized this was what I needed. Fusing habits need to be tempered with thinking....note to self!) Click here to check out our ceramic kilns Why You'd Want Both: When a kiln has both top and side fire elements, the energy flow is usually divided between the two heat sources. For example, Evenheat's GTS 2541-13 distributes the heat approximately 70% to the top and 30% on the sides. This allows for very even heating allowing a wide range of activities to be successfully executed. A front loading kiln, like Paragon's GL-24ADTSD, has the same type of divided heat. Some manufacturers even allow you to control which elements you use for which activities. A popular example of this is the Olympic 186GFE, which has a toggle switch that allows you to change from top to side elements in the middle of a firing. That's convenient! Another good option is a hybrid kiln, like Jen-Ken's JK22-ceram-a-glass, that fires glass and ceramics. One of these could be the perfect fit for just about every project. They're deeper than traditional glass kilns, and also allow you to switch "on the fly" from top to side fire, and then back again. (I've actually got a hybrid kiln, that I don't use half as much as I should. By now you've probably noticed that I love my kilns and have a few of them. Like potato chips, one is just not enough!) The Conclusions... Just like every artist is different, every kiln is different too. Each kiln design, either top fire, side fire, or a combo firing is configured to perform certain processes with ease and other processes are a just a bit of a stretch. You kiln will cheerfully attempt every job, but just might not be the best "soldier" for the job. After my recent project had a few technical errors, I called my friendly kiln engineer and asked for some heat work advice. Here are my conclusions, and the final recommendations. If you are fusing and slumping as a general rule.............................top firing is great! If you are casting into molds, using billet, or stacking thick..........side firing is great! If you are working thicker, using bricks & dams, doing pot melts, thicker bars, boils, and deep drops and deep molds...............................................................combo firing is great! Drum Roll! The Final Recommendations: If you are getting your first small kiln (under 14" and less than 6" deep) don't worry about this too much. You're going to get pretty even heating throughout the entire kiln chamber just based on the smaller volume of space that needs to be heated. If you are going bigger, you really need to to think about the type of work you plan on doing with the kiln. If you want to "do it all" make sure you have a kiln that gives you options. Get something with top and side firing capabilities. If you are a crazy control freak that wants to shift back and forth between top and side elements during a firing, contact us at KilnFrog and we'll get you a custom switch to do that! Your Kiln Gal - Gail (Epilogue..... I'm re-doing this project and firing it in my hybrid kiln! Stay tuned!)
Read more
What does it REALLY cost to run my kiln?
Sometimes we would rather put our heads in the sand then face the reality of what it costs to run our kiln. Don't worry! Firing your kiln costs less than you’d imagine. Even though a kiln draws electricity, it does not draw it continually, so during a typical glass firing, a kiln's elements are drawing power only a fraction of the time. Most digital controllers allow you to enter your cost per kilowatt hour for electricity and they will report back the cost of the firing. Here’s one formula for calculating the cost of firing your kiln: 1 = Amps2 = Volts3 = Estimated Firing time in hours time x .75 (kiln is only on full power intermittently)4 = Cost per kilowatt hr from your electric bill 1 x 2 x 3 x 4 = Firing Cost 1,000 A longer firing will increase the energy cost, it will not be a large increase because the kiln will not be on full power any longer and the .75 factor in “3” of the formula would be lower. The formula assumes a normal, even increase per hour. Here’s another way to calculate electric usage and costs: Step 1: Determine the wattage of the kiln (Volts x Amps = Watts... ex. 120 volts x 15 Amps = 1800 Watts) Step 2: Multiply wattage by 1000 (ex. 1800 Watts / 1000 = 1.8 KW) Step 3: Multiply kilowatts (KW) by KW cost on your energy bill (ex. 1.8 KW x $0.15 = $0.27 per KWH for each hour the kiln is on high and not cycling on and off) Step 4: Multiply the answer you received above by .75 (ex. $.27 x .75 = $.20 per hour to run the kiln) We assume the kiln is cycling on and off during this firing so the actual amount of time the kiln is running a program is about 66% to 75% on. This is not much for a 120v small kiln, but can add up over a month of firing a 240v 45 amp kiln. So.... step one is to go get your electric bill and find out what you pay per Kilowatt Hour (KWH). Then, you can really know what it costs to run your kiln. So... step two....include those costs in your cost of goods when you are selling your beautiful glass work! Finally.... step three...make a profit and have some fun! Your kiln gal - Gail Want to save on electricity bill? Here are some of our top 120V kilns: Paragon Kiln - Caldera Digital Jen-Ken - AF3P Vitri Barrel Vitrigraph Evenheat Studio Pro 17 Oympic Doll-E/Test-E Hot Shot Oven and Kiln HS16 Pro Clamshell
Read more
The Bad Back Syndrome and the Clamshell Kiln...
I used to experience back fatigue every time I loaded my kiln. It was a real pain in the.... neck! Last year I purchased a large 26" Clamshell kiln and the back discomfort went away. I now wish my other two kilns were clammys too! If you are thinking about a new kiln, take a moment to think about the following information... If you have a challenge like I do with bending over, i.e. the dreaded "bad back" then a clamshell kiln might be just the thing for you. A clamshell kiln is configured to have the firing chamber (the top and sides of the kiln) lift off of the base on a hinge. The set up allows the user direct, easy access to the kiln shelf. The key to kiln loading back relief is the height of the base of the clamshell kiln shelf. So what does this really mean? When you set up the kiln, make sure the base of the clamshell kiln is above your waist and below the height of your chest. Think about where you will place the clamshell kiln and whether you'll need to elevate the unit on a steel stand on the floor or on a table. Because, like me, you are responsible for your own kiln loading fatigue destiny. With that said, just about every kiln company has a clamshell model in a small, medium, and large size. The large size clamshell units typically have their own steel stands included. That's great, but we're not all the same size. I'm tall with long legs, so I looked for a kiln with an extra tall stand. You can also place the kiln on a platform to raise the base higher. The medium and small clamshell units have feet that act as stands. You can elevate these units by constructing a platform on top of your table table top. What ever you do, make sure the unit is level front to back and side to side. Some units even have leveling feet that adjust to help with this process. Doesn't this look painful to load? Here are a few of my favorites: Paragon CS 19-S Olympic Square 186GFETLC Evenheat Studio Pro 17 Remember, SAFETY FIRST! Whatever modification you need to elevate your kiln to the perfect comfortable loading height, make sure it's sturdy and heat proof. Most of the chain hardware "home centers" carry cement board, brand names include "Hardy Backer" and "Duraboard". Use these to protect surfaces that are not heatproof. Be smart! A hot kiln = a happy life! #olympickilns #pargonkilns #jenkenkilns #evenheatkilns #clamshellkilns Your Kiln Gal - Gail
Read more