u/Federal_Job_4139

I'm getting into forging and metal melting as a hobby, I just have some cheap beginner equipment at the moment, I'm using a propane forge: https://a.co/d/09UWlEgF and a graphite crucible: https://a.co/d/01x6tmSC . I'm aware that you must heat treat your crucible before first use. many sources say to heat your crucible in the oven at 200C for an hour or 2 (before heating the rest of the way in the forge) but they don’t specify much. im wondering if I have to heat it up to 200 OVER the span of 2 hours or if I can just let the oven heat it up to 200 and then keep it there for 2 hours. Also once heat treated do I still have to heat it up in my forge gradually or can I be more lenient and heat it up faster.