Mimi Patrick on tue 25 feb 97
It's time to fire for the first time this year. As the winter was very wet
here in Reno, I think some burner maintenance is in order. My updraft
propane kiln is outdoors and although it was covered all winter, there
seems to be some accumulation of rust on the burners. What is the best way
to go about cleaning them and what to do about cleaning out the orifices?
Mimi Patrick
nevpotter@inetworld.com
http://www.aztech-cs.com/finecrafts
Marget and Peter Lippincott on wed 26 feb 97
Mimi Patrick wrote:
> Hi Mimi:
A product called Naval Jelly is a good rust remover. It is available at
any hardware store. I'm not sure what its ingredients are, but who
cares, it works. I bet the orafice is the only really critical thing to
clean and perhaps the air inlet adjusters in case you need to make an
adjustment. Have you considered taking in your burners for the winter.
I bet they will just unscrew with a pipe wrench.
Peter
The Mudpuppy
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> It's time to fire for the first time this year. As the winter was very wet
> here in Reno, I think some burner maintenance is in order. My updraft
> propane kiln is outdoors and although it was covered all winter, there
> seems to be some accumulation of rust on the burners. What is the best way
> to go about cleaning them and what to do about cleaning out the orifices?
>
> Mimi Patrick
> nevpotter@inetworld.com
> http://www.aztech-cs.com/finecrafts
Vince Pitelka on thu 27 feb 97
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> It's time to fire for the first time this year. As the winter was very wet
>> here in Reno, I think some burner maintenance is in order. My updraft
>> propane kiln is outdoors and although it was covered all winter, there
>> seems to be some accumulation of rust on the burners. What is the best way
>> to go about cleaning them and what to do about cleaning out the orifices?
>>
>> Mimi Patrick
Mimi -
There have been some pretty "creative" suggestions in resonse to your
question. You are in an arid climate, although, as you stated, you have had
a wet winter. But the kind of rust you report is not the kind that grows on
iron when close to the sea shore, for example. I cannot believe that it is
really any problem at all. It will probably dissappear the first time the
burners heat up. To prevent it in the future, just get down on your hands
and knees and spray the burner bodies with WD-40 several times through the
winter. No more rust.
Burner orifices in venturi burners are usually brass, and are not subject to
rust, so this should not be a problem at all. If you have power burners,
the orifices may be steel, but again I cannot believe that sufficient rust
would form on them to be a problem. If you can look straight down the
burner tube from inside the kiln (using a mirror if necessary), with a
powerful flashlight you should be able to see the orifice opening. If the
burners are mounted under the floor, pointing straight up, then there is a
serious possibility of debris (especially from exploded greenware) getting
caught in the burner tubes, but that problem is unrelated to yours.
I have never experienced any problematic rust buildup on cast iron burners
in outdoor kilns, even on the Northern California coast. Here in Tennessee
the biggest problem we have is with mud-dauber wasps, which will do their
creative clay work in the most unlikely locations, especially small enclosed
openings or tubes, like BURNERS!!! We always have to clean out a bunch of
them every year.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Phone - home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
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