I have an answer! One way for a beginner potter to understand the process:
including loading a kiln, types of clays, how to make glazes and such:
now don't laugh....There is a section of this book that does a wonderful job
of explaining it all: you may have to order it:
"Reader's Digest CRAFTS AND HOBBIES --a step by step guide to creative
skills"
ISBN 0-89577-063-6 copyright, 1979
I think someone I referred this book to, got a new copy....however, by now,
I bet you would have to pick up a copy at a book dealer.
(as a sidenote, there are also glass projects, quilting, etc in the book
also. I still use it at times to help students see how lids are made, types
of coilbuilding projects, etc.)
I hope this helps.
Ren


"D Kat" wrote in message
...
Although I do not agree with what your teacher did (not allowing students
take part in all aspects of the pottery experience) I can understand their
wanting to protect other students work. Still, I would be very surprised
if they would object to you observing them load and use the kiln. For a
bisque firing you can stack pots and have them touching sides. You have
to be careful to not put heavy pieces on top of light pieces. You can
stack rim to rim and foot to foot. Think in terms of not putting stress
on fragile walls. Once upon a time I could fill an entire bisque kiln
without using any shelves. Of course it was a small kiln - probably 4
cubic feet. Your kiln is too large and you are too inexperienced to load
without shelves. Keep in mind that clay is going to expand and shrink
during firing. Pots within pots have to have enough room to account for
this.

http://www.bluediamondkiln.com/model-123-d.html

DO NOT just plug the kiln in without knowing what you are doing. You will
probably need an electrician to install the proper plug with the wiring
for the voltage and amperage you need. You need to be sure that you are
the requred distance from any flamable material. These kilns get HOT.
Your kiln appears to be a manual with a cone sitter in it. I can give you
a sample of what you would do for a bisque fire and you can tell me what
does and does not make sense. A guess is that after you 'candle' your
kiln it will take about 12 hours to fire.

Make sure that you have venting one way or another - if you don't have a
kiln vent have open windows and a fan. The fumes coming off pottery can
be quite nasty.

Load your kiln. Make sure that you have the 04 or 06 cone properly in
place in the kiln sitter and that you have in position where you can see
them through the peep hole at least 3 cones for monitoring the kiln- one
which is 1 below the temperature you are firing to, one at the target
temperature and one above the temperature - for example 07, 06, 05. More
on this later.

Turn the bottom control onto low. Have the peep holes out and the lid
held open with a brick. Let it run overnight (this is called candling and
is a precaution to make sure your pieces are dry).

In the morning shut the lid and turn the middle control onto low. Run for
an hour then turn the top controller on low.

Put the peep hole plugs in. Run for an hour then turn the bottom
controller onto medium. Proceed in this fashion (one controller upped one
level for every level) until all the controllers are on high.

If life were perfect, when your kiln reached the heat work you wanted
(what the cone responds to rather than temperature) then the kiln sitter
would fall and your kiln would shut off. Life is seldom perfect. You
have to monitor your kiln using cones to show what the heat work is in the
kiln. You use 3 cones typically or at least until you are comfortable with
your firing. The three cones are a guide cone, the target cone and the
guard cone. The guide cone is the one that is one number below the
target cone and the guard cone is one number above the target. Let us say
that you are firing to cone 06. Your guide would be 07, your target cone
would be 06 and your guard would be 05. Notice that guide number is
higher than the target cone which is higher than the guard. Cones that
are preceeded with a zero go from high to low and vs for those without a
zero - so rank order would be 022, 021, 020....., 07, 06, 04....01, 1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6, 7... 02 is for a lower temperature than 01 but cone 2 is
higher than cone 1.

You need to monitor your firing to be sure that it does not over fire or
under fire. If the target cone has dropped and your kiln sitter has not
dropped you will have carefully watch and if the guard cone begins to fall
then turn the kiln off manually. If your kiln sitter drops too early you
can carefully set it again. It will now be without the cone in the kiln
sitter to make it turn off so you will have monitor your cones and
manually shut off the kiln when the target cone drops. To look at your
cones you need to be wearing glasses to protect your eyes. I'm not sure
where to tell you to get these. Usually you get them when you buy a kiln.
I'm surprised the person you bought the kiln from did not have posts,
glasses and gloves.

The cones that you monitor the firing with and you do not have self
supporting one will have to be put in a kiln holder which you probably
don't have or you can easily make a kiln pad. For this you roll out a log
of clay about 3" long and 5/8" Diameter, carefullly place the cones in the
pad and let the clay dry. The cones must go in the right order and
direction.
http://www.ortonceramic.com/resource...rect_use.shtml
read mounting cones.

Again all of this is easy to demonstrate and difficult to talk you
through. If you can become a member of a pottery studio, which will if
nothing else allow you to observe, it would be far better.

Donna



"trish" wrote in message
...
Hello Lifesavers,

To answer some of your questions...I live in Spring, TX, northern
suburb of Houston. There are a lot of arts & crafts types around here,
but so far I have not found much help for my kiln questions. People
who have experience around here seem to guard it like Fort Knox. My
teacher at the junior college held a masters in studio arts from Cal
Berkeley and did/does all kiln loading as he claims to have never
broken pieces due to his methods??? So, I got some good education as
to making stuff, but little or no practical experience as to loading
and firing. I have bought books and taken some out from the library,
but kiln speak is like Greek to me. I have very little
understanding...



The kiln I bought is a Blue Diamond model 123D. It stands about chest
high and is about arms width -- pretty big. I was told that it had
never been used but sustained minor damage in storage (a couple of
missing/broken bricks). I have yet to try and turn it on though I
spent a bundle having special wiring put in to accommodate it. I
think it is manual. I also think it needs what I've read is kiln
furniture??? One suggestion from another neighbor is that I just plug
it in and see what happens. Since it goes to 2300 degrees that is
intimidating; I don't want to set fire to the house if I screw up.



The story is that this kiln was bought for my neighbor's mom (who won
awards for her ceramics), but who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and
cannot be safely around any type of electrical oven-type appliances.
Though never used I can see a couple of missing bricks. She gave me
some cones -- different sizes, and I don't even know which size goes
with what.



I guess I am kiln challenged mentally and though new to ceramics, I'm
a mom with grown children and not in physical shape to do more than my
own work. I can't see me helping load pottery at the college...just
too old for that even if they would let me (very proprietary around
here). I've even thought of selling the works but would first like to
give this a real try, especially due to the cost of the wiring.



I did try some time back to contact Blue Diamond and was not
successful, maybe things have improved in Metairie since then, but
still don't know if I will understand a manual. So, there are lots of
knobs and all I think I understand so far is slowly raise the
temperature for eight hours to bisque??? But what temperature and how
slowly?



Also there are several octagonal looking shelf things...I guess this
is kiln furniture, but nothing to hold them up. Sorry to be so dumb,
but I really didn't expect this to be such a mystery. Thanks for the
feedback, though, it feels great to actually have people who seem
willing to share what they know. Any and all advice is most welcome!