Remove any
brick chips or other foreign matter from around the elements. Contaminants
will eat through the
elements. We recommend that you vacuum the inside of the kiln to remove
any dust that accumulates during shipment.
You will want to apply
a shelf primer, also referred to as kiln wash, on your shelves to protect
them from melted
glass adhering to them. There are a number of different formulations with
different instructions for application so be sure
to follow the directions of the brand you choose.
You may also wish to coat
the floor of the kiln. Never kiln wash the walls
or lid of your kiln!
Seating The Element
The elements
of your kiln need to be properly seated into the grooves of the brick.
Elements have stress in them much
like glass before it is annealed. This stress is caused by winding a stretching
the elements. By bringing the elements up to a
minimum temperature we can allow the elements to settle into the grooves
and relieve this stress. After the elements have
been seated, the element is more stable and less likely to pop or crawl
out of the grooves.
The controller
should be pre-programmed to run the seating program in Ramp and Hold Mode,
program #6. Press review
to verify that the program listed below is entered in the controllers memory.
If the program matches the one below simply
press START and let the program run. If for some reason the program is
not loaded, please follow the instructions for programming
a Ramp and Hold program in the manual.
Program - 6
Segments - 1
Heating Rate 1 - 9999
Temperature - 1650 F
Alarm - 9999
Test Firing
The test
fire insures you that the kiln is functioning properly and has not been
damaged in shipping. Be sure that
the coating on the shelves is dry before your first test fire.
Test Fire Procedure Post
up a shelf in the kiln chamber at a level where the top of the shelf is
between 1” and 2 “ below the thermocouple.
Fuse with the shelf in this position relative to the thermocouple whenever
possible for accurate and
consistant results. Place
a sample glass project using scrap fusible glass in the kiln and choose
a GlassFire mode program using the
instructions on page 9. As a precaution you may want to provide a dam or
barrier around the glass when fusing
more than 2 layers. Wth more than 2 layers, the glass will spread until
it finds a level of 1/4”. Let the
kiln fire and then cool to room temperature before opening the lid. If
the project is fused or slumped to
your satisfaction the kiln is operating correctly.
The first time the elements
are fired they will give off some smoke. This is normal and expected. It
is also common
for hairline cracks to appear in the floor of a kiln. This is caused by
the expansion and contraction of the mortared brick
and is considered normal. It will not affect the firing of your kiln nor
the life of the kiln floor.
Remove any
brick chips or other foreign matter from around the elements. Contaminants
will eat through the
Post
up a shelf in the kiln chamber at a level where the top of the shelf is
between 1” and 2 “ below the thermocouple.
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