Orton Product Catalog

    The complete selection of Orton firing products including Orton Self Support Witness Cones and Orton Firing Cones for the classroom, potter and clay artist.

    The Orton Ceramic Foundation was started in 1932 as a charitable trust for the benefit of the ceramic arts and industry.  The roots of the Orton Foundation actually date back to 1896 with the establishment of the Standard Pyrometric Cone Company by Dr. Edward Orton Jr. who was a pioneer in developing and applying scientific principles to ceramic manufacturing.  In 1894, just two years prior to the establishment of the Standard Pyrometric Cone Company, Dr. Edward Orton Jr. was appointed the first Chairman of the Ceramic Engineering Department at The Ohio State University and later would be named Dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University.

     It is this long history of scientific study and education that continues with the Orton Ceramic Foundation. Today the Orton Foundation provides critical products to assist high temperature processing of ceramic materials which in turn allows the Orton Foundation to support additional scientific research in the areas of heat processing of ceramic and other high temperature materials.

Orton Products

• Pyrometric Products (Orton Firing Cones and Orton Witness Cones)
• Industrial Products
• Kiln Vents & Accessories
• Digital Kiln Controllers (in joint partnership with Paragon Kilns since 2001)
• Educational Products, including videos, books and technical literature

     Dogwood Ceramic Supply supplies Orton products to schools and universities as well as professional and hobby ceramic, pottery and glass artists.

Orton Product Announcements

Orton Witness Cones

     The Standard Pyrometric Cone Company, founded by Dr. Edward Orton Jr. in 1896, was started to manufacture Standard Pyrometric Cones to verify and document the proper firing of industrial ceramics. The products were cone shaped and used to witness the firing, hence the name ... Witness Cones or Orton Witness Cones.
     Today, with digital controlled kilns, the purpose of the Orton Witness Cone remains the same as it was 1896 ... witnessing the firing of the kiln. As with advances in kiln technology, the Orton Witness Cone of yesterday has also improved. No longer is there the need to properly balance and align the Witness Cone, as today's Self Supporting Witness Cones allow for easy placement in the kiln.

Orton Self Supporting Witness Cones

Set of Orton Witness Cones, before and after the firing of a kiln.

   Witness Cones measure the heat-work performed in the kiln firing. Heat-work is a time versus temperature equation based upon the rate per hour of temperature increase to a specific final temperature. Witness Cone values are based upon the melting temperatures, as defined by heat-work, of common ceramic and industrial materials. The average temperature difference between Witness Cone values is typically between 20 and 30˚C.
Witness Cones are commonly used in sets of Witness Cones. As illustrated in the drawing above, 3 Orton Witness Cones of adjoining values, such as 03, 04 and 05, are placed on the kiln shelves a minimum of 6" from the wall bricks. Just prior to the final firing temperature the coolest Cone (05 in the illustration) will over-melt. At the final firing temperature the middle value Cone (04 in the illustration) will melt into a perfect 90˚ arch such that the tip of the cone has slumped to a point about the same height off the shelf as the top of the self supporting base. The hottest Cone (03 in the illustration) will not bend. Any deviation from the anticipated Witness Cone results will indicate a probable firing problem. Larger kilns will use multiple sets of Cones to verify the firing results throughout the firing chamber.

    Witness Cones should be used in the modern digital controlled kiln to verify the accuracy of the controller and thermocouple calibrations as well as to indicate loading or element fatigue problems in the kiln.

    The Orton Ceramic Foundation has produced an interesting video to demonstrate Witness Cone behavior during the firing process.

    Orton Self Supporting Witness Cones are packaged in boxes of 25 Witness Cones per box.

Dogwood Ceramic Supply stocks the following Self Supporting Cones:

Pricing:

Boxes of Orton Witness and Firing Cones may be combined for the quantity price.

Ordering Information:
    All Orton Cones use an alpha prefix and 1 to 3 digit number to signify the correct item number. SSB is Orton's alpha prefix for Self Supporting-Box. When ordering Orton Witness Cones always reference the SSB prefix. The number values can be confusing. 04 is not the same as 4. And the "0" in 019 is required as Cone 19 exists for industrial customers.

Orton Firing Cones

    The classic firing cone is used in the mechanical shut-off device that is commonly called a "Kiln Sitter" or "Dawson Kiln Sitter". When the kiln reaches the proper degree of heat-work (time and temperature) the firing cone melts and allows the kiln shut-off device to turn off the kiln. While digital controlled kilns, such as the Paragon TnF 82-3, has eliminated the need for firing cones for the operation of the kiln, Orton Witness Cones should still be used to document the proper firing of the kiln. Dogwood Ceramic Supply continues to stock firing cones for customers that are using older kilns equipped with a Dawson Kiln Sitter.


    Firing Cones are available in two styles:

    • BRB Firing Bars, also known as Mini Bars
    • SRB Junior Cones, also known as Firing Cones

    Both styles of cones are packaged in boxes of 50 Cones per box.

Dogwood Ceramic Supply stocks the following Firing Cones & Firing Bars:

Pricing:

Boxes of Orton Witness and Firing Cones may be combined for the quantity price.

Ordering Information:
    All Orton Cones use an alpha prefix and 1 to 3 digit number to signify the correct item number. SRB is Orton's alpha prefix for Junior Cones, also known as Firing Cones, and BRB is Orton's alpha prefix for Firing Bars. When ordering firing cones or firing bars always use the proper BRB or SRB prefix. The number values can be confusing. 04 is not the same as 4. And the "0" in 019 is required as Cone 19 exists for industrial ceramic customers. SRB Firing Cones are more common and desirable than BRB Firing Bars as the SRB Firing Cone can be shifted slightly in the Dawson Kiln Sitter such that a slightly thicker or thinner part of the cone is exposed, thus slightly increasing or decreasing the amount of heat-work. Because SRB Firing Cones are more popular than BRB Firing Bars, Dogwood Ceramic Supply will assume SRB Firing Cones whenever SRB or BRB are not specified.

Orton Announcements

    Orton's annual price adjustment for 2010 is effective March 1, 2010. SRB and BRB Firing Cones will increase 10% in price while the SSB Self Supporting Witness Cones will increase approximately 5%.
 
Dogwood Ceramic Supply Comment:

    20 years ago the wholesale cost of Firing Cones was substantially less than the wholesale cost of Witness Cones. But for the past 20+ years, the cost of Firing Cones have steadily increased at a rate greater than the price increases for SSB Self Supporting Witness Cones such that in 2009 the wholesale prices of the two different product groups exactly matched in price. For 2010 the wholesale cost of Firing Cones will far exceed the wholesale cost of Witness Cones.

    The fundamental force driving Firing Cone prices over the past 20+ years has been the sharp decline in demand for the product as digital controlled kilns have consistently outsold the old-style mechanically operated (Kiln-Sitter) kilns.

    Dogwood Ceramic Supply has been in the forefront of the movement to promote digitally controlled kilns. We stopped stocking kilns equipped with the Kiln-Sitter in 1996. We sold our last catalog standard kiln equipped with a Kiln Sitter to a new customer in 1999.  Maybe, just maybe, Dogwood Ceramic Supply might have been the Big Dog driving the market as Paragon didn't make their announcement to cease designing kilns equipped with a Kiln Sitter until 2001.

    Because there are still a few legacy kilns (pre-1999 units) sold by Dogwood Ceramic Supply on the market, Orton Firing Cones will continue to exist in Dogwood Ceramic Supply's inventory of showroom products for the foreseeable future.  However, as the legacy kilns are replaced with a modern kiln, the breath and depth of our Orton Firing Cone inventory will be trimmed to meet real world demand for the product.  Customers needing Firing Cones for unusual Cone values are strongly advised to evaluate their needs in advance.  Dogwood Ceramic Supply places bulk orders with Orton every 60 days and we will accept orders even for a single box of Firing Cones.

     For 2010, for the convenience of Dogwood Ceramic Supply and our customers, Dogwood Ceramic Supply has convenienced priced open stock quantities (single boxes) of Orton Witness and Firing Cones.  Bulk prices are based upon appropriate discounts from the proper retail prices.

September 17, 2008

    As you may have heard, W. P. Dawson, the manufacturer of the Kiln Sitter, is out of business. This has caused a lot of worry in the industry. Attached is a message from Orton regarding the Kiln Sitter:
 
NOTICE TO THE CERAMIC INDUSTRY FROM The Edward Orton Jr. Ceramic Foundation. Orton knows that many of you are concerned that you will not be able to get replacement parts for your Dawson Kiln Sitter .... There has been much speculation and rumors about the status of the Dawson Kiln Sitter and replacement parts. Orton is taking positive action to work with the owners of Dawson to acquire the necessary assets to continue the production of the Kiln Sitter and provide the industry a long term, reliable source of parts for the Kiln Sitter.

Note: edited by Dogwood Ceramic Supply for clarity.

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