Digital vs. Kiln Sitter

A pyrometer/controller measures pure temperature. A cone whether in a Kiln Sitter or on its own measures accumulated heat-work which is what clay and glazes respond to. So very much simplified; A controller for convenience, a cone for greater accuracy. A combination of the two (which is what I have in my electric kiln) is the best of both worlds!

Steve

In article , Heidi writes

The Controller is very helpful if you are doing crystalline glazes and need a controlled cool down and hold periods for crystal growth. Steve's sounds great. It would be nice for the cone in the sitter to trigger the cool down ramp and not just shut off the kiln. Is that how yours works Steve?

Tony

Alas no; the sitter is wired in as per normal to shut off power when the mini-cone goes. Controlled cooling is not something I need; I don't do crystalline glazes.

Steve

In article , Tony writes

A modern controller uses a computer to determine the amount of heat-work done, and allow you to fire to a particular "cone." It's always a good idea to have some cones in your kiln for verification, but when properly calibrated, a controller is every bit as accurate as a kiln sitter.

In addition, the controller allows you to program firing ramps (raising the temperature slowly through critical stages, faster in others); to hold the temperature or "soak" at a particular temperature; or to pre-heat the kiln or use it to dry ware.

I wouldn't even consider buying a kiln without a controller.

Thanks for your advice, everyone. These explanations make a lot of sense.

[The kiln-sitter can act as a failsafe, to make sure you don't destroy the inside of the kiln (or worse) if the controller goes haywire. Just put a cone in there that's well over the temperature you're going for, or the extra heat-work of the soak cycle can melt it and shut the kiln off prematurely. ] [Right, the ability to soak at temperature really helped us eliminate pinholing. It also lets one cast glass in the same kiln.] [I'd agree - just the ability to set it once and let it carry on is worth a lot - no more having to get up in the middle of the night to turn it up! The noise of the relays clicking on and off takes getting used to, though...]

Andrew Werby

Further question to this post...I'm actually doing research for a friend who does not have access to the Internet right now. She is wondering if there is much chance of the computer in the digital sitter breaking down or malfunctioning. I suspect that she finds the mere mention of anything "digital" quite daunting and wants to know if it's really worth it. Thanks.

sure there's some chance. how often does your computer break down?

the hotter it gets, the more frequently it breaks down. if you can't mount the controller on the wall, have a fan running to blow into it whilst the kiln is on.