Elmer's Glass Kiln manual

1 Beadmaking, Glassblowing, Fusing and Glass Kiln Manual Sundance Glass[...]

Introduction Thank you for choosing this kiln! We have designed it to give you many years of reliable service. Please read this manual. It will help you gain the maximum enjoyment from your kiln. It will show you how to avoid damag - ing the kiln and will answer many questions. Your instruction packet also includes a separate digital controller man[...]

Safety Overfiring The warranty on you r kiln does not cover damage from overfiring, regardless of the circumstances. It is the operator’s responsibility to make sure the kiln turns off at the proper time. The Ceramic Fiber Avoid touching the firing chamber surface with sharp or pointed objects. They can damage the fiber surface. Touching the embe[...]

Setting Up the Kiln Electrical Installation You must plug your kiln into a circuit that no other appli - ance uses while the kiln is firing. Turn off the circuit breaker or unscrew the fuse for the circuit that your kiln will be plugged into. Check to see if other appliances shut off too. If that circuit powers appliances that must re - main on whi[...]

Basic Operation Accessories Ceramic Fiber Shelves The soft ceramic fi - ber shelf, which comes standard with the kiln, cradles gold and silver clay pieces. These shelves are not suitable for firing glass or ce - ramics. Ceramic Fireclay Shelves & Posts Ceramic fireclay shelves, available from Su ndance are hard c e - ramic surfaces on which to [...]

Important Guidelines The Embedded Heating Element The heating elements of your kiln are embedded into the ceramic fiber firing chamber. The firing chamber surface is hardened to a depth of ¼”. This makes the fiber more dura - ble. It is important that you do not touch the firing chamber with sharp objects. These can penetrate the fiber surface a[...]

The Optional Glass View Port Caution: Wear fir - ing safety glasses whenever looking into the optional view port. Maximum tempera - ture for a kiln with view port is 1700°F/926°C. Firing hotter will damage the glass. See page 17 for glass port maintenance instructions. Loading the Kiln Place Ware on a Protective Shelf Always protect the firing ch[...]

4 After the separator has dried and your shelf is cool, you can smoothen the separator further by rubbing your hand lightly over the shelf. The smoother the separator, the smoother the back side of the glass. A coat of glass separator will usually last several firings. The lower the fusing temperature, the more firings you can get from one applicat[...]

If the piece needs only shallow support of ¼” depth or less, pour the alumina hydrate onto a ceramic fireclay shelf. Support the fireclay shelf on three ½” posts to aid heat flow under the shelf. If the silver clay shape needs deeper support, pour the alumina hydrate into an unglazed ceramic bisque bowl. These are available at ceramic supply [...]

Glass Fusing & Slumping You will probably fire mostly stained glass, but you can also fire standard float (window) glass. Some types of float glass devitrify (form a dull, frosty surface) when fired. Caution: Never fire tempered glass. It could ex - plode if heated inside a kiln. Basic Glass Tools Reservoir Glass Cutter uses a reservoir of oil [...]

on the side of caution if you aren’t sure how long to anneal. Small projects such as earrings rarely need annealing time as they cool. Cleaning and Gluing the Glass Grease, dirt, and fingerprints etch per - manently into the glass during firing. Clean the glass with glass cleaner (the type without silicones), rubbing alcohol, or even plain water [...]

Enameling on Metal Preparing the Copper Enamels come in transparent or opaque. They can be purchased directly from Thompson Enamel, P.O. Box 310, Newport, Kentucky 41072. Their Lead Free Enamels come ready to use. No enamel washing is required for these enam - els. Start with one of the many pre-shaped copper forms avail - able, or shape and trim t[...]

agent to keep the grains of enamel in place. Allow the enamel to dry completely before firing. Firing Enamel 1 Heat the kiln to 1450°F/787°C for most enameling. Use a Single Segment. (Please see your digital con - troller instruction manual.) Rate Temp. Segment °F/°C °F/°C Hold 1 1799/999 1450/787 01.00 Note: Hold time should be the length of[...]

China paints will crack or peel if ap - plied heavily. Apply several light coats in - stead, firing between each, until you get the shade you want. Not all china paint colors reach maximum color saturation at the same temperature even when fired on the same ware. So you must know which col - ors you should fire first at higher tem - peratures to pr[...]

Segment 1 heats the wax to 300°F/148°C and holds it for one hour, allowing it to drip from the mold. Segment 2 hardens the mold. Segment 3 lowers temperature to 800°F/426°C, the typi - cal casting temperature for silver. (Most types of gold cast at 900°F/482°C.) Note: Casting temperature depends on the size of the mold. The temperatures above[...]

be asleep while the glass cools and they won’t be tempted to open the door. After each firing, examine the shelf. Recoat if the kiln wash is chipped. When glass sticks to a bare section of shelf, the glass cracks. Glass Bubbles Probable Causes: I Heating the Kiln Too Fast I Air Trapped Between Layers of Glass I Grease or Dirt Between Layers of Gl[...]

Kiln Maintenance Trouble-Shooter Kiln Does Not Turn On, Display is Blank I Make sure the circuit breaker is in the “on” po - sition. I If the circuit breaker is on, check the kiln’s fuse. Re - move by pressing on the fuse holder and turning counter-clockwise half a turn. Check the fuse by placing the probes of an ohmmeter on the ends of the f[...]

Replacing the Thermocouple 1 Unplug the kiln. 2 Remove the four screws holding the controller to the front of the kiln. Carefully remove the control - ler. 3 Remove the two thermocouple wires from the back of the controller. They are held in place by button or lever type connectors. To remove the wires, lift the levers (or press down on the connect[...]

4 Hold the new part next to the one you are replacing, aligned in the same direction. Remove and transfer one wire at a time from the old part to the new one. Make sure each connection is tight. 5 Replace push-on connectors and wires damaged by heat from a burned terminal. If wire connectors do not fit snugly on terminals, gently squeeze the end of[...]