Creekside Pottery

I fire a reduction kiln for glazing, but do my bisque firing in a Skutt electric kiln.  For quite a while after I first got it I fired in “cone fire” mode in which you just set the cone that you’re firing to and the speed (slow, medium, fast) that you want.  I had a problem with cracking when firing platters, plates, and large bowls when I stacked them in the lower 1/3 of the kiln.  When I have a problem like this, I try and analyze the problem, propose a solution and then test the solution.  Usually I try dozens of wrong solutions before I find something that works.  In this case, the solution that I finally found was to use the “Ramp/Hold” setting to build a better firing and cooling cycle.

I tracked the cracking to cooling dunts, or too rapid cooling of the kiln after firing.  By using “Ramp/Hold”, I could control the cooling process and avoid the dunting cracks.  The schedule that I use may not work for everyone, or be the “best” or most optimal firing cycle, but it works for me and I’m posting here as a starting point for others with the same problem.  If the work is a little damp, you can vary the hold times for segments 1 and 2.

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