[TypicalGirl]

Stupidly frustrating situation...HELP!?!

Well, I spend a grueling day yesterday glazing for my last kiln load of the year.
You know...the one with all my Christmas gifts in it?

Went out to start loading and found ALL my full shelves are completely soaked from the rain the last few days. apparently I have a leak in the shed roof and the portion of the shelves that sticks out beyond the metal shelves I store them on is just below it.
So during the recent torrents water has been soaking my shelves.
They're the inexpensive really thick ones.

Did I mention this is the load with all our Christmas gifts in it?

Anyway, I've put them in the kiln, with the door closed about 1/2 way and the flue open and have the pilots on.
I'll take any and all suggestions for drying these things ASAP please. I need to fire tomorrow or Thurs at the latest.
sigh...

Attached File(s)

•  PC180377.JPG (226.46K)
  Number of downloads: 33

[JBaymore]

Don't rush it! But a lot depends on the particular shelf as to how fast you can push things.

Keep it below 212 F in the hottest part of the chamber for a very long time. Were it me.......... I'd be be there a full day. Then take them up gradually (not loaded) to about 500 F and hold for an hour or so. if they don't blow by then... they won't.

You also don't want to "steam" the bottoms of the raw glaze as water is diren off if you fire them loaded.

Not worth the risk to the ware to take this too casually.

I use Crystars in my noborigama... and have to keep those puppys REALLY dry. They like to literally explode when slightly damp. All go thru a bisque firing immediately before loading into the glaze fire.

best,

....................john

[TypicalGirl]

Thanks John!
You're sort of confirming what my guts are telling me.
I'm single-firing so that steaming thing really resonates!
So it sounds like I want to treat them like greenware that I'm trying to dry, or the first part of my single firing. I go up very slowly to 500 and hold there for an hour or so.

wish me luck... ;-)

P.S.
Shelves will come live in the house with me till I get the roof leak fixed!

[Mark C.]

Just treat them like wet clay and go slow-
as you have them in kiln now candle them overnight cool then load the pots and fire slow at first.
Mark

[JeredsPottery]

TypicalGirl, on 18 December 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Stupidly frustrating situation...HELP!?!

Well, I spend a grueling day yesterday glazing for my last kiln load of the year.
You know...the one with all my Christmas gifts in it?

Went out to start loading and found ALL my full shelves are completely soaked from the rain the last few days. apparently I have a leak in the shed roof and the portion of the shelves that sticks out beyond the metal shelves I store them on is just below it.
So during the recent torrents water has been soaking my shelves.
They're the inexpensive really thick ones.

Did I mention this is the load with all our Christmas gifts in it?

Anyway, I've put them in the kiln, with the door closed about 1/2 way and the flue open and have the pilots on.
I'll take any and all suggestions for drying these things ASAP please. I need to fire tomorrow or Thurs at the latest.
sigh...

I have actually had this happen multiple times with shelves and the kiln brick itself. I always stack up the kiln load and maybe give it another 2 hours candling. With the common cordialite shelves that are shown the structure stays open so the water won't violently escape. But like someone else has mentioned the steam can cause differences with your glazes, especially with carbon trapping shino type.

[TypicalGirl]

Thanks to everyone for the input!

The good news is that the kiln shelves have been drying all day and I believe they are dry.

Next infuriatingly stupid question...
The bad news is that I dried them in the kiln, with the door cracked and the flue closed because the bottom of my kiln tends to be a little cold.
The heat emitted from the cracked door turned the plastic cover on my pyrometer into a charred blob.
When i unscrewed it to remove it, it took the needle off too. ($%#&!!).
Needle came off cleanly and I'm trying to glue it back on (I did mention Christmas gifts in my last post, right???).
I *think* that may work. I'll pop the thermocouple in the oven to try and calibrate...Yes, I have and use cones, but I like to soak at 500 and 1800 and like to know when to start reduction.

ANYhoo.
I *have* this one:
http://www.axner.com...-pyrometer.aspx
and I want to know if I can use my current wire and thermocouple on *this* one:
http://www.axner.com...-pyrometer.aspx
I don't mind being Old Skool, but thought there might be some benefit to digital.
Thoughts?

[Pres]

JeredsPottery, on 18 December 2012 - 06:16 PM, said:

TypicalGirl, on 18 December 2012 - 02:01 PM, said:

Stupidly frustrating situation...HELP!?!

Well, I spend a grueling day yesterday glazing for my last kiln load of the year.
You know...the one with all my Christmas gifts in it?

Went out to start loading and found ALL my full shelves are completely soaked from the rain the last few days. apparently I have a leak in the shed roof and the portion of the shelves that sticks out beyond the metal shelves I store them on is just below it.
So during the recent torrents water has been soaking my shelves.
They're the inexpensive really thick ones.

Did I mention this is the load with all our Christmas gifts in it?

Anyway, I've put them in the kiln, with the door closed about 1/2 way and the flue open and have the pilots on.
I'll take any and all suggestions for drying these things ASAP please. I need to fire tomorrow or Thurs at the latest.
sigh...

I have actually had this happen multiple times with shelves and the kiln brick itself. I always stack up the kiln load and maybe give it another 2 hours candling. With the common cordialite shelves that are shown the structure stays open so the water won't violently escape. But like someone else has mentioned the steam can cause differences with your glazes, especially with carbon trapping shino type.

I would think that shivering or crawling would be a side to the steaming effect?