art clay 950 - firing question

I recently decided to work with art clay 950 instead of the fine silver art clay, as it is a bit stronger and I supposed that would be better as I am working on rings.

Now I realised (a bit too late - I already bought the clay) that you need a temperature controlled kiln as it needs to be fired in two stages so that the binder can be removed first. My kiln only works at one temperature setting (850C) and I am wondering, could I pop the piece in my normal baking oven instead? The highest temperature there is 230C, would that be efficient for burning the binder off? Maybe for a bit more than the suggested 30 minutes since I can't get it up to the recommended 300C?

I don't really understand why the first heating stage is necessary at all, wouldn't the binder burn off anyways at the higher temperature?

Thanks,

Corinna

Dear Corinna,
Below are the instructions for firing this material
If you have an electric oven with a self cleaning cycle, it will reach a temperature of around 500°C. However there is a risk of shortening the life of the element, and certainly of burning out the light bulb.

If you intend to use Art Clay Silver more regularly, you can instal a controller and thermostat to upgrade the kiln you have.
https://www.google.com/search?q=inst...client=gws-wiz Dennis.

Hello @dennis, no, the oven does not have a self-cleaning cycle. Hence my question whether I could use a normal oven at 230C for the process of burning off the binder.

By the way, how would I be able to check the internal temperature of the kiln while the door is closed? Are there any reliable, low-cost methods available?

Best,

Corinna

I am away from my comfort zone here, but you can drill a small hole away from the element, to insert a thermocouple. Alternatively by just briefly opening the door you can use an infra red sensor.
Some of this is explained here https://www.google.com/search?q=pyro...client=gws-wiz Dennis.

If you wish to upgrade the controller on you kiln you could install one of these it is what I have on my kiln.

https://inkbird.com/products/pid-tem...roller-itc-100

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Originally Posted by coril

I recently decided to work with art clay 950 instead of the fine silver art clay, as it is a bit stronger and I supposed that would be better as I am working on rings.

Now I realised (a bit too late - I already bought the clay) that you need a temperature controlled kiln as it needs to be fired in two stages so that the binder can be removed first. My kiln only works at one temperature setting (850C) and I am wondering, could I pop the piece in my normal baking oven instead? The highest temperature there is 230C, would that be efficient for burning the binder off? Maybe for a bit more than the suggested 30 minutes since I can't get it up to the recommended 300C?

I don't really understand why the first heating stage is necessary at all, wouldn't the binder burn off anyways at the higher temperature?

Thanks,

Corinna

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You need the binder to burn off fully before the metal starts to sinter. If it sinters before the binder burns off fully then you won't end up with properly sintered silver.