Fusing in small kiln with side elements

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Suzette A
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Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:02 pm

Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Suzette A »

I have a Paragon Fire Fly kiln. It has side elements only. From my reading it appears that a side element kiln should be ramped slower than a top element kiln, is this correct?

This kiln is brick lined and very small so it retains a lot of heat. Is there anything about this configuration I should consider when figuring my fusing schedules?

Also, because the kiln is small with a 7 " shelf, its tempting to consider slightly larger mold sizes laid on the digonal. Should I reconsider this idea? For example, the diagonal measurement is just over 9 inches. Allowing space aound an oval mold, for example, I might be able to use an 8" mold. Is this just a bad idea?

Thanks!
Stephen Richard
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Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Stephen Richard »

I have a Paragon Fire Fly kiln. It has side elements only. From my reading it appears that a side element kiln should be ramped slower than a top element kiln, is this correct?
Yes

This kiln is brick lined and very small so it retains a lot of heat. Is there anything about this configuration I should consider when figuring my fusing schedules?
Yes. Fire much slower on the way up than in a glass kiln, maybe as much as half as fast. Some experimentation will be necessary. Cooling should be easier for the size of items you fire. You may be able to simply turn the kiln off after a soak at the annealing temperature. Again, experimentation will be required. You need to get light polarising filters to check the stresses in the glass to determine which of your experiments give you glass with acceptable stress.

Also, because the kiln is small with a 7 " shelf, its tempting to consider slightly larger mold sizes laid on the digonal. Should I reconsider this idea? For example, the diagonal measurement is just over 9 inches. Allowing space aound an oval mold, for example, I might be able to use an 8" mold. Is this just a bad idea?
Not a bad idea, just one that needs thinking about. The closer the glass is to the elements, the more you need to consider baffling the heat from the edge of the glass to avoid dearly sealing of the edges during fusing, or very uneven heating of the glass on the mould during the forming.
Steve Richard
You can view my Blog at: http://verrier-glass.blogspot.com/
Suzette A
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Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:02 pm

Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Suzette A »

Thanks for the tip about the polarizing lenses. I checked bullseye but they are out of stock. Will this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Polarizing-Film-S ... izing+film
rosanna gusler
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Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by rosanna gusler »

Suzette A wrote:Thanks for the tip about the polarizing lenses. I checked bullseye but they are out of stock. Will this work?

http://www.amazon.com/Polarizing-Film-S ... izing+film
yep
artist, owner of wanchese art studio, marine finisher
Geo
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Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Geo »

I'm curious, why the need to adjust the firing schedule? If you have a kiln with a thermocouple and programmable controller, what difference does it make if the elements are on the top, or sides, or both?
Suzette A
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Joined: Mon Oct 20, 2014 3:02 pm

Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Suzette A »

My understanding is that side elements can heat the sides of your piece too fast, leaving the center colder, and in a different stage of firing.

However, I wrote to Paragon yesterday and it is their belief that, because the firefly is so small, I wont encounter these problems using a standard firing schedule.

Of course I will have to try this for myself to see if this is true in my kiln.
Judd
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Re: Fusing in small kiln with side elements

Post by Judd »

I fire an OLYMPIC 129FLE, interior dimensions are 11"x9"x9". Typically I fire 300 to 350 degrees per hour.
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