Drop Ring - Kiln w/o a peep hole

[Hannah Love]

I'm preparing a project to go through a drop ring mold. The mold is a circle and I'm planning to use a clear base, clear topper and the middle layer if six pieces of colored glass that form a ciricle when pieced together. I've found a schedule to try but most of what I'm reading has folks looking through a peep hole. My Paragon kiln doesn't have a peep hole (16 x 16 x 6.25).

At what point do I open the kiln and I"m presuming I"m going to just lift the lid as little as possible see if I've dropped low enough and then shut the kiln back. If it's not dropped far enoug do I give it 30 seconds more, 1 minutes or what's a good time to check again?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

[jolly]

Depending on your style of kiln, you will lose heat when you open it so it will take time to get back up to heat so the glass can slump some more. It will be tricky to learn that through trial and error. You could just make a peephole in your kiln. Just get a plug from a pottery supply or from the place you bought your kiln so you know what size hole to make. Make a hole in your kiln in a good location for peeking. Since it is a Paragon you could email them and ask what their recommendations are for location of the hole.

[Terry Curtis]

I do a lot of drop rings lately and my peep hole doesn't give me a good enough view so I always open the lid to check. The temp drops when I do it so I don't start timing when to look again until it has risen back to processing temp. As to how long to wait...mileage varies depending on too many factors to give you any recommendation for your particular project.

[Kevin Midgley]

Wear a kitchen timer.