While I'm waiting for cone ten to drop.

Cones are used in ceramics to monitor the interior temperature of the kiln. Simply put they are triangles of clay formulated to melt at specific temperatures.  I fire my kilns to cone ten which is approximately 2381 degrees fahrenheit.  My cone pack only has three gages, cone 8, 9, & 10.  Everything else I calculate by the color of the kiln and a good old gut feeling (I know somewhere my college professor just cringed).  I've included a picture of my "cone pack" before and after.