Using moulds for casting/slumping

[Calico Cat]

Hi,

This is a very, very basic question . . .

I have a kiln (Skutt Hot Box) that I have been using to fuse glass - you can get complicated with it but on "auto" mode it has very simple 2 button programming -  Full Fuse/Slump/Tack and  speed. For the small items I do, Fast & Full Fuse seems fine.

I now want to try casting and slumping so purchased a couple of small, simple moulds - looking at them there are dire warnings about not heating them too quickly which now have me worried - manual for Skutt kiln doesn't help

Does anyone cast in a Hot Box and, if so, what firing program do you use (don't want to crack the moulds at the first attempt).

[Zeldazog]

Hi

Somewhere in your Skutt manual it should actually tell you what fast rate and full fuse actually is - I don't know where my Hotstart manual is, as I switched straight to full manual programming - it might be different anyway.

If you can find that and post it, we can see how fast their "fast" actually is - but to be honest, I slump in to ceramic moulds at a similar rate to how fast I do a full fuse - BUT, and this is important, I do fire conservatively - nothing is lost in slower firing, other than production time, and as I run my kiln usually over night, or when I am out, it doesn't really matter. 

So a typical firing for me, especially on a plate, might only be 166 centigrade per hour anyway, up to the bubble soak, which is plenty slow enough for a ceramic mould.

If you're frit casting, I would have thought slow and full would be fine though.  Can yours go into the semi mode where it does most of it but you can increase the soak time and things?

I am bad, I don't read manuals (only time I read mine was on the day it was delivered to see

A) How to put it in proper temperatures, I am English after all   
B) To see how to put it in manual mode, as I might be a control freak 

[Calico Cat]

Thanks - I will check the manual for ramp up and hold times for the "auto" settings - a Slow, Full Fuse might well serve - otherwise I will have to bite the bullet and put it on manual.