Is a 12-hour cool-down possible?
In order to fire all the foot-s0aking bowls in the time I have, I need to fire a kiln every 12 hours. My current firing schedule is 12 hours to cone 6. No problem there. But if I let the kiln cool naturally, it takes longer than 12 hours to cool. I've never been one to unload hot kilns. I try to wait until they reach 130 degrees F.
It's 11 p.m. and I have one kiln firing (about halfway through the firing) and another cooling. The one that's cooling is at 650 degrees now. I need to get it unloaded and firing another three bowls by 7 a.m. So, I wedged a little piece of fired clay under the lid to try to slowly speed up the cooling. I'll check it in the morning and see where it's at.
I could decrease my firing time a bit to give me some more cooling time, but I don't want to mess with things too much. I'm using the "slow" schedule programmed in the controller of my Skutt kiln, because it's recommended for large pieces.
I'm open to suggestions from any potters reading this.
It's 11 p.m. and I have one kiln firing (about halfway through the firing) and another cooling. The one that's cooling is at 650 degrees now. I need to get it unloaded and firing another three bowls by 7 a.m. So, I wedged a little piece of fired clay under the lid to try to slowly speed up the cooling. I'll check it in the morning and see where it's at.
I could decrease my firing time a bit to give me some more cooling time, but I don't want to mess with things too much. I'm using the "slow" schedule programmed in the controller of my Skutt kiln, because it's recommended for large pieces.
I'm open to suggestions from any potters reading this.
