Help – bottle slump, coating and kiln disaster

[Manse Crafts]

Help.

I am still new to having my own kiln and enjoy working with old bottles (because can collect for free) to get to know the kiln and cycles etc.

But I was a little to eager to try a frosted glass bottle – and it turned out the frosting was a coating which was burning off in the kiln. An acrid smell alerted me and stopped the cycle etc but kiln shelf has burned layer (on the kiln wash so coming off) and stuff must have flowed off edge onto kiln floor.

Electrics still seem to be fine – after sucking out dust and ash I tried kiln and temp raising etc all normal. But the smell is still awful – is that the residue or could it be something worse? The outside of the lid where the elements enter the kiln the connections look slightly scorched …

Have I killed the kiln before I have even finished paying for it???

Helen

[Georgeann]

Many bottles have a plastic coating and it sounds like this might be the source of your problem.  If the electrics are working and temp cycles work then you have probably contaminated your kiln with residue from the plastic on the bottle. YUCK! Clean it the best you can and cycle through with LOTS of venting.

Depending on how ‘scorched’ or coated the elements are they should burn clean. You may have shortened the life of your elements but hopefully not killed them.  Just my guess.

[Manse Crafts]

Yes the spill is yucky, but glad to be reassured that there is life in the kiln still.

[Author]

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