missing peep plug

[jkglassworks]

Hello,
Just a quick question for all you lovely experts out there.
My darling daughter (though I may have done the same) dropped my peep hole plug on the stone floor and broke it pretty badly. it is still cylindrical, but the end popped out, so there is an open hole into the kiln.
I plan to order a new one on line, but in the meantime.....should I use the kiln? Can I just plug it up with the chips the best I can? Fiber paper?
I don't really want to miss out on days of use if I don't have to
Thanks!
Joanne

[Morganica]

How big is the kiln? I have a Skutt bathtub kiln, and leaving the plugs out of the two peepholes will slow down the firing by about a half hour, all told, but doesn't seem to make much difference to the quality of firing. I think there are enough elements, and enough air volume that it's not a big deal in MOST firings. When I'm doing something tricky, I use the plugs.

It might make a difference with a smaller kiln, however. You can plug the kiln with just about anything refractory as long as you don't damage the kiln. If you've got a ceramics supply place nearby, though, they'll sell kiln plugs and they're not very expensive--you'd have one faster. You could also get a soft firebrick and carve it into a plug shape with a tile saw and sharp knife (wear a mask).

The easiest is to just shove mass of fired fiber paper into the broken plug and keep using it.

[jkglassworks]

it is a smallish kiln...a Skutt Hot Start. a 12 inch round shelf. I did fire it yesterday, and the time seemed ok, and the end product was fine.
I just ordered a plug, so it should be here next week. No, unfortunately I do not have anything nearby.
I will try the fiber paper.
My husband's theory was that I might be making the kiln work too hard and damaging it....

[Morganica]

Probably not in a week of small firings, no.

[Barry Kaiser]

Been firing all my kilns for years without plugs.

If you want to realize how little heat escapes, fire your kiln and hold your hand near the peep hole when it is hot. You will feel very little heat.

Barry

[Bert Weiss]

A wad of fiber blanket makes an excellent plug. You can remove it with your bare hand, even when it is 1500º inside. If you were to put a cigarette in your mouth and place it in the hole, take a drag and it will light right up. (I don't suggest you do this, just sayin...)