And Away We Go!

My new kiln is hooked up, the outlet switched out to one that fits its plug (thanks to my great father), and I figured out how to program the digital pyrometer after a bit of trial and error. My artist brain sort of freezes up when faced with a numerical keypad...flashback to my days in Algebra class...

But finally it's programmed, and I am currently cooking dinner and simultaneously firing my first load of glass. One of the coolest things about working with glass is the anticipation of opening the lid after it's all cooled down to see what surprises happened under the intense heat. This kiln has a little window on the side, so I can keep an eye on things during firing too.

Here's the kiln sitting in the corner of the dining room. I may have to just throw a tablecloth over it and use it as a buffet when we have company : )



Kiln waiting for a new outlet. Thanks dad for installing that!





Getting a piece ready to fire.

Uh, oh....I think the breaker just tripped when the temp had gotten up to about 700 degrees. I reset the breaker and started it up again. Checking to see if something else is on the same circuit I'm not sure why that happened. Hoping it keeps on without a hitch.

Well, it tripped one more time, but I finally finished it up. I flashed cooled it, and now it's in the annealing stage. It wasn't the smoothest firing I've ever done, hoping everything is in tact in the morning. I wouldn't be surprised if something is cracked in half...






Flash cooling - the kiln is glowing red.

Okay, so what did I find this morning before I left for work? Everything was in tact -no cracks apparent.Still a little warm when I opened the kiln this morning, but now too hot to touch.








I plan on adding another layer of Glassline paint on top of this layer to create a more dimensional effect. This weekend, I will work on ten top layer and then fire this piece again.