Spring has sprung!
Everything is waking up, and nature is renewing.
A lot of things seemingly happening at once: yard work, mowing, kiln maintenance and soccer!
I am doing my annual kiln maintenance which involves calibrating the kiln sitter to ensure accurate firings.
The kiln sitter is the mechanical device that automatically shuts off the power when the inside of the kiln reaches a specific temperature.
This is the kiln sitter on the outside of the kiln with the timer on the left and the latch on the right.
The latch is controlled by a pyrometric cone set inside the kiln.
The timer is a safety backup, allowing the kiln to run for a set time.
Pyrometric cones are small, three-sided ceramic pyramids used to measure “heat-work”—the combined effect of time and temperature—inside a kiln.
The cone is placed onto cone supports with a sensing rod laying on top.
As temperature rises, the cone bends downward and the sensing rod drops forcing the latch on the outside of the kiln to drop and shut off the kiln.
Once my kiln has been calibrated, I will test fire the kiln to check that the calibration matches actual performance using test tiles. Using test tiles after kiln calibration ensures desired kiln results with out without risking my work.
Meanwhile, many critters are enjoying our back yard.
They are checking out the garden and bird squirrel feeder for delicious morsels.
Then there is soccer!
Weekends are filled with soccer games.
“Spring work is going on with joyful enthusiasm.” — John Muir
Back Porch Studio 
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