I am a beginner at glazing and firing. I am using an old Cress kiln for glaze firing and have a few questions that have come up. Hopefully someone can help me.
When firing to Cone 6, once the temperature is reached how long does it take the cone to fall over?
In a small Cress kiln (11" x 11" x 11") approximately how long should it take to do a Cone 6 glaze firing?
What is the temperature maximum for Cone 6 firing?
What is the recommended Cone firing for pottery which will be used for the kitchen - ie: pie plates, casserole dishes, salad bowls, etc.
Can't help you here I never had a pyrometer until recently and only used witness cones for firing.
In my experience this depends upon a few variables. How old are your elements? Are they all intact? How full is your kiln? How much hydro is being used in the rest of the studio/home? In my Evenheat which is 18" diameter and about 2'6" deep, if it is packed full - I can get to cone 6 with a 3 hour warm up in about 9 to 10 hours. It has taken as long as 12. My ancient beast was 18" up/down and side to side (square). It would done cone6 in about 12 to 14 hours. In the summer with the air conditioning on in the house (my studio is out in the garage - not attached) it would take quite long particularly during the day and I never fired that beast at night.
2300F I think!
I use cone 6 stoneware in my kitchen all the time. Unless it is too thin, it will stand up well to everyday use. So far my seconds in my kitchen include my first ever teapot, several cereal size bowls my kids either made themselves or painted of mine, cups and mugs. All used daily and all cone6
I hope I have been of some help
~~~~~~~~~~~ Penni Stoddart of Penelope's Pots Full Time Education Assistant, Part Time Potter
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