Firing the first sample today. It was dry. I cut it in half with a back saw. It cracked straight through about half way into the cut. The center is totally dry. The other two samples had the same resonance to them when I tapped them. So I am sure they are all equally dry.
Firing program
Ramp at 150 F / hr to 300 F
Hold for 2 hours
Ramp at 1000 F / Hr to 2300 F* - 2300 F is about Cone 9
Hold for 2 hours
*Getting 1000 F / hr past about 1500 with this kiln is impossible. I'll be lucky to get 300.
I'm also going to have to monitor the breaker box. This is the first high fire cycle I've done at this house. I'm using a 10 GA copper cable that is tapped directly into a 30 A breaker. Should be OK. The max draw on the kiln is 1800 watts. That's like running two hair dryers at full heat or every light bulb in the house.
Well, we should have burning seeds before too long!
Dry time note - I think we ended up with ~50 - 60 hours dry time. The first 25% was at 160 F the rest was at 190 F. Starting at 190 F would have been the better way to go.
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