How to Fire a Kiln using Cones to turn it off
- Position cone packs on shelves so they are visible through the peepholes.
- Fire the kiln to the middle cone's number
- Start watching cones near the end of firing.
- Keep checking the control display to ensure it does not display CPLt. (Or COMPLETE)
- If the middle cones did not go down together, immediately note the differences in each thermocouple reading from the one thermocouple in the same zone as the first cone that went down. Adjust the final set point of your program to account for the difference.
- If the kiln is firing too hot, then lower the final set point.
- If the kiln shuts itself off before bending the cones properly, reprogram it and then restart it as quickly as possible. Record the temperature at which the kiln shuts down. Stop and restart the kiln. Reprogram the same program to one cone number higher. Do these steps quickly. Watch the middle cones again and note the temperature at which the cones bend correctly. If they bent while you were programming then just offset the temperature by 5 or 6 degrees. Shut the kiln off once you note that temperature.
May 5, 2025
