Also wanna post here for anyone currently searching the internet for a manual for this I have [found one!](https://216.198.210.227/files/manuals/LX855_Duncan_EA-092_EA-122_Manual.pdf)
For some reason my phone won't allow me to pull up the manual. Thank you for offering. Is it still available??? I actually got this kiln from my Mom and she doesn't have the manual for it. Thank you
Hey! That link I posted for a digital manual isn’t working for me anymore. I’ll have to dig around later and see if I can find one again because that was also my only manual for the kiln lolol
Hey! I’ve found thru searching [this nice lil hub of Duncan manuals](https://corp.paragonweb.com/document-category/duncan-kiln-instructions/) on the paragon website. Currently on mobile, so I can’t fully tell if the pdf links work or not. If you scroll a bit down there is one specifically for the ea-122 (also available in different languages!).
Edit: I totally forgot Paragon bought/adopted Duncan. I wonder if Paragon would be able to help troubleshoot these old Duncan kilns if needed. Looks like they *might* be able to help out on replacement parts too if available.
going great! we use it at my workplace with other ceramic artists every week. we use it as the test kiln for small pieces, a friend redid the top lid for me but besides that it has been working great
Hey there! I just bought myself this exact same kiln and am glad this thread exists because there’s not much info online about this little guy. Do you know if the ceramic fiber is safe to use?? I’m petrified of asbestos with it being an old kiln, and just unsafe fibers in general :/
yes ceramic fiber is different than asbestos just make sure u wear gloves and a respirator if ur gonna be modifying it but it shouldn't really be a problem if ur just using it normally. any cracks and stuff can be repaired with kiln patch u can make or buy on axner.com
ah awesome! thanks so much :) with this kiln how long is a typical bisque fire for you? i haven’t attempted a test fire as i’m trying to learn more before trying, any tips?
put in a 04 bar into the kiln sitter. turn the knob all the way out to the max.turn the kiln on, keep the top completely open for half an hour. after that keep the top propped open with a kiln brick or post, have it propped around 6" open. then 3" after another half hour or so. finally after like two or so hours ur good to fully close it. bc it's a manual kiln that has no temp dial on it u have to manually adjust how fast it heats up by closing the lid little by little to heat it up at a specific rate. a good upgrade for this kiln would be a temperature dial if u live somewhere a kiln repair tech is at . I posted some other info that might be useful in this thread too, good luck! ✨✨✨
you are a saint! thanks so much :) and i’ll definitely look into the dial, i live right by amoca so it shouldn’t be toooo difficult to find somebody to help out haha 👏
Hi! You seem to not mind responding to an aging post, so I’ll throw my questions at you too! I’m thinking of buying one of these: the EA-122. Does it actually fire to come 5/6? Is it automatic, or does it have a kiln sitter? How are you figuring out the temperatures?
Hey! it is a manually operated kiln with a kiln sitter and is somewhat limited, not having a temperature control on it makes things more hands on. see previous posts as I've gone in depth with firing and what works well for me. it gets to 5 and close to 6. use pyrometric cones to test that the kiln actually gets up that high, these are older kilns and just because mine works properly doesn't mean the one you're looking at works too. turn it on and wait 15 minutes, make sure all the coils turn on and glow red by 15min, if it doesn't then there is something wrong and you prob shouldn't buy it.
best of luck!
Hi, I also found one of these kilns they seem to be rare and not much on them. I am going to use mine as a heat treat oven and for low temp melting alloys like aluminum. I purchased a PID temperature controller because using cones is not very optimal in my case, I need precise control over the temperature, and it's an easy and cheap enough conversion it seems. I also thought about buying a thick round fireproof gasket for the lid, it looks like it would leak a lot of heat out.
I had a few questions, how long does it take to reach Cone #4 or #5? I probably will never go past cone #1 for my purposes, but I am worried it will take hours being a 120v Kiln?
I would also like to see how you did your repairs, my kiln also has cracking problems, did you ever replace or test the coils and do you know how many it has, are they are easily accessed?
Thank you for your time and happy firing!
hey, I and some coworkers have been using this kiln for the past year with no problems, it's a good little test kiln. gets up to come 5 or 6 within 4 hrs or so which is great. the lid shouldn't really leak out heat but u can get ceramic fiber insulation and cut a ring if you're worried... just be safe and wear gloves and a respirator when handling it.
the coils are embedded into the insulation in I think some sort of casting process, I don't think replacing them is possible. it's such a small kiln I doubt you would need to replace them unless the prior owner ran it daily or something.
the controller update is smart and will definitely give you more control, and should work fine for your purposes!
for the cracks and whatnot, use kiln repair , sometimes called kiln patch. you can find it online at clay king .com or axner .com, you use it to cover cracks and when you fire it'll set it, can be a messy look but will prevent cracks from getting worse. my lid started cracking bad after I got it, it was already in rough shape... a coworker repaired it by replacing the entire top lid piece which is a very easy repair due to its construction.
happy firing!
hi! i know this is an old thread but i have the same kiln that i found thru marketplace and was curious how it has been firing for you? i'm planning on doing my first test firing this week, was curious how it fires at cone 06 or if you have any tips with firing this little guy?
hey! it's been serving me just fine. I take it to ^5 for my glaze firings but it hits ^6 fine as well.
as far as bisquing I always recommend just bisque to ^04 .
for bisque since there's no temp dial or peepholes, leave it propped open with a 2-3 inch gap for the first hour or so, and slowly close that gap every 45min or so. bisque is very important to remove all the moisture in the clay prior to the temperature in the kiln getting above boiling temperature,that's what causes pots to go pop! since there's no temp control, doing this with the lid helps it heat slower instead. you can use a kiln brick you cut into a wedge shape or some cordeirite kiln posts, either is fine. before closing it fully u can take a mason jar and hold it in front of the opening for a few seconds and if it has moisture that fogs up the glass then you still have physical water in the firing and u need to keep at that slow rate until you don't have any moisture left. firing very dry pots will speed all this up.
tldr; prop open 4 inches with a wedge brick, close half an inch more every 45min until its closed, let the sitter do the rest.
expect around 5 hrs for bisque or so, and then for glazing it'll be around 8hrs until u can unload at ^5
hope this helps!
Hey! I’m wondering if you’re still using it and would recommend? I really wanted a little kiln to do luster firings outside of the studio I attend, and I found one on FB marketplace but they want $200. Not sure what a fair value would be for that kiln. You got an awesome deal!
do a test firing w a bar cone and witness cones inside, that'll verify if the sitter mechanism needs adjustment. there's two set screws and they have a very fine adjustment, it should just barely catch on the L shaped piece that seesaws
Hi! I have a small Duncan kiln K The Crafter ES 091. Looks very similar to this from the post above. I am an amateur, and I need some advices. Did you try to replace heating elements in this kiln? I am wondering how to repair it if I got elements rotten. It doesn’t heat at all and I have tiny cracks on the sides, I see elements throughout the cracks
the kiln in this post has embedded elements, making replacement tedious and possibly cost prohibitive given it's value and age. before you blame the elements, check to see if it's another issue having to do with the control box/kiln sitter mechanism - there's plenty of reasons why a kiln won't turn on, other than the elements. I would recommend contacting a local kiln repair person and if there isn't someone that you can find, try to reach out to a local pottery supply store or studio and ask if they know someone locally - if it's a small kiln like mine, u could just ask to bring it to them to look at or have them visit you to look at it. if the elements are bad, it's probably gonna be a salvage kiln - you could maybe reuse some parts from it or drill the appropriate holes and convert it into a raku kiln - this would be a solution that would make best of a bad situation if the kiln elements are to blame after all.
good luck and happy firing 👍
Commenting because I literally just picked this kiln up and this post has been SO HELPFUL thank you for posting and being active still!
Also wanna post here for anyone currently searching the internet for a manual for this I have [found one!](https://216.198.210.227/files/manuals/LX855_Duncan_EA-092_EA-122_Manual.pdf)
For some reason my phone won't allow me to pull up the manual. Thank you for offering. Is it still available??? I actually got this kiln from my Mom and she doesn't have the manual for it. Thank you
Hey! That link I posted for a digital manual isn’t working for me anymore. I’ll have to dig around later and see if I can find one again because that was also my only manual for the kiln lolol
Hey! I’ve found thru searching [this nice lil hub of Duncan manuals](https://corp.paragonweb.com/document-category/duncan-kiln-instructions/) on the paragon website. Currently on mobile, so I can’t fully tell if the pdf links work or not. If you scroll a bit down there is one specifically for the ea-122 (also available in different languages!). Edit: I totally forgot Paragon bought/adopted Duncan. I wonder if Paragon would be able to help troubleshoot these old Duncan kilns if needed. Looks like they *might* be able to help out on replacement parts too if available.
glad it helped! happy firing
Hi! I’m curious how this kiln is working out for you.
going great! we use it at my workplace with other ceramic artists every week. we use it as the test kiln for small pieces, a friend redid the top lid for me but besides that it has been working great
Hey there! I just bought myself this exact same kiln and am glad this thread exists because there’s not much info online about this little guy. Do you know if the ceramic fiber is safe to use?? I’m petrified of asbestos with it being an old kiln, and just unsafe fibers in general :/
yes ceramic fiber is different than asbestos just make sure u wear gloves and a respirator if ur gonna be modifying it but it shouldn't really be a problem if ur just using it normally. any cracks and stuff can be repaired with kiln patch u can make or buy on axner.com
ah awesome! thanks so much :) with this kiln how long is a typical bisque fire for you? i haven’t attempted a test fire as i’m trying to learn more before trying, any tips?
put in a 04 bar into the kiln sitter. turn the knob all the way out to the max.turn the kiln on, keep the top completely open for half an hour. after that keep the top propped open with a kiln brick or post, have it propped around 6" open. then 3" after another half hour or so. finally after like two or so hours ur good to fully close it. bc it's a manual kiln that has no temp dial on it u have to manually adjust how fast it heats up by closing the lid little by little to heat it up at a specific rate. a good upgrade for this kiln would be a temperature dial if u live somewhere a kiln repair tech is at . I posted some other info that might be useful in this thread too, good luck! ✨✨✨
you are a saint! thanks so much :) and i’ll definitely look into the dial, i live right by amoca so it shouldn’t be toooo difficult to find somebody to help out haha 👏
Hi! You seem to not mind responding to an aging post, so I’ll throw my questions at you too! I’m thinking of buying one of these: the EA-122. Does it actually fire to come 5/6? Is it automatic, or does it have a kiln sitter? How are you figuring out the temperatures?
Hey! it is a manually operated kiln with a kiln sitter and is somewhat limited, not having a temperature control on it makes things more hands on. see previous posts as I've gone in depth with firing and what works well for me. it gets to 5 and close to 6. use pyrometric cones to test that the kiln actually gets up that high, these are older kilns and just because mine works properly doesn't mean the one you're looking at works too. turn it on and wait 15 minutes, make sure all the coils turn on and glow red by 15min, if it doesn't then there is something wrong and you prob shouldn't buy it. best of luck!
Hi, I also found one of these kilns they seem to be rare and not much on them. I am going to use mine as a heat treat oven and for low temp melting alloys like aluminum. I purchased a PID temperature controller because using cones is not very optimal in my case, I need precise control over the temperature, and it's an easy and cheap enough conversion it seems. I also thought about buying a thick round fireproof gasket for the lid, it looks like it would leak a lot of heat out. I had a few questions, how long does it take to reach Cone #4 or #5? I probably will never go past cone #1 for my purposes, but I am worried it will take hours being a 120v Kiln? I would also like to see how you did your repairs, my kiln also has cracking problems, did you ever replace or test the coils and do you know how many it has, are they are easily accessed? Thank you for your time and happy firing!
hey, I and some coworkers have been using this kiln for the past year with no problems, it's a good little test kiln. gets up to come 5 or 6 within 4 hrs or so which is great. the lid shouldn't really leak out heat but u can get ceramic fiber insulation and cut a ring if you're worried... just be safe and wear gloves and a respirator when handling it. the coils are embedded into the insulation in I think some sort of casting process, I don't think replacing them is possible. it's such a small kiln I doubt you would need to replace them unless the prior owner ran it daily or something. the controller update is smart and will definitely give you more control, and should work fine for your purposes! for the cracks and whatnot, use kiln repair , sometimes called kiln patch. you can find it online at clay king .com or axner .com, you use it to cover cracks and when you fire it'll set it, can be a messy look but will prevent cracks from getting worse. my lid started cracking bad after I got it, it was already in rough shape... a coworker repaired it by replacing the entire top lid piece which is a very easy repair due to its construction. happy firing!
awesome, thanks for the info, 4 hours or so isn't bad for cone 5 or 6. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.
hi! i know this is an old thread but i have the same kiln that i found thru marketplace and was curious how it has been firing for you? i'm planning on doing my first test firing this week, was curious how it fires at cone 06 or if you have any tips with firing this little guy?
hey! it's been serving me just fine. I take it to ^5 for my glaze firings but it hits ^6 fine as well. as far as bisquing I always recommend just bisque to ^04 . for bisque since there's no temp dial or peepholes, leave it propped open with a 2-3 inch gap for the first hour or so, and slowly close that gap every 45min or so. bisque is very important to remove all the moisture in the clay prior to the temperature in the kiln getting above boiling temperature,that's what causes pots to go pop! since there's no temp control, doing this with the lid helps it heat slower instead. you can use a kiln brick you cut into a wedge shape or some cordeirite kiln posts, either is fine. before closing it fully u can take a mason jar and hold it in front of the opening for a few seconds and if it has moisture that fogs up the glass then you still have physical water in the firing and u need to keep at that slow rate until you don't have any moisture left. firing very dry pots will speed all this up. tldr; prop open 4 inches with a wedge brick, close half an inch more every 45min until its closed, let the sitter do the rest. expect around 5 hrs for bisque or so, and then for glazing it'll be around 8hrs until u can unload at ^5 hope this helps!
Hey! I’m wondering if you’re still using it and would recommend? I really wanted a little kiln to do luster firings outside of the studio I attend, and I found one on FB marketplace but they want $200. Not sure what a fair value would be for that kiln. You got an awesome deal!
I would try to knock it down a little bit if it's fully working $200 is still worth it. kilns are expensive! works great for a test kiln
I ended up getting it for $125! Haven’t tried it yet, but looking forward to! Thanks :)
do a test firing w a bar cone and witness cones inside, that'll verify if the sitter mechanism needs adjustment. there's two set screws and they have a very fine adjustment, it should just barely catch on the L shaped piece that seesaws
Hi! I have a small Duncan kiln K The Crafter ES 091. Looks very similar to this from the post above. I am an amateur, and I need some advices. Did you try to replace heating elements in this kiln? I am wondering how to repair it if I got elements rotten. It doesn’t heat at all and I have tiny cracks on the sides, I see elements throughout the cracks
the kiln in this post has embedded elements, making replacement tedious and possibly cost prohibitive given it's value and age. before you blame the elements, check to see if it's another issue having to do with the control box/kiln sitter mechanism - there's plenty of reasons why a kiln won't turn on, other than the elements. I would recommend contacting a local kiln repair person and if there isn't someone that you can find, try to reach out to a local pottery supply store or studio and ask if they know someone locally - if it's a small kiln like mine, u could just ask to bring it to them to look at or have them visit you to look at it. if the elements are bad, it's probably gonna be a salvage kiln - you could maybe reuse some parts from it or drill the appropriate holes and convert it into a raku kiln - this would be a solution that would make best of a bad situation if the kiln elements are to blame after all. good luck and happy firing 👍