Karl David Knudson on wed 5 mar 97
I've got a few older octagonal kilns that I am trying to repair/fix-up.
I managed to aquire a number of good (read new) elements from a larger
square kiln. I am wondering if it is possible to cut down the long
elements into smaller sections to replace the older elements in teh
ocatgonal kilns. I would think that I would have to be carefull to make
sure that the sections would be equal to the length of the prescribed
element. Would there be any other problems that I may run into? The wire
in not to the brittle stage yet and is still workable (so far).
Keeping busy,
Karl
David Woodin Set Clayart digest on thu 6 mar 97
You have to be carefull about the resistance (ohms) of the wire. You need to
know how many amps the old kiln was drawing and by using ohm's law figure
out the required resistance of the elements you are going to cut. You can
get close enough by using a didital volt/ohm meter.
Brooks Burgess on thu 6 mar 97
At 08:49 AM 3/5/97 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>I've got a few older octagonal kilns that I am trying to repair/fix-up.
>I managed to aquire a number of good (read new) elements from a larger
>square kiln. I am wondering if it is possible to cut down the long
>elements into smaller sections to replace the older elements in teh
>ocatgonal kilns. I would think that I would have to be carefull to make
>sure that the sections would be equal to the length of the prescribed
>element. Would there be any other problems that I may run into? The wire
>in not to the brittle stage yet and is still workable (so far).
>
>Keeping busy,
>Karl
>
>I'm not an electrician but under the heading of other problems....I think
that the gauge and the number of coils per linear inch ( how tight the coils
are wound) would make a difference in the electrical resistance of the coils.
Brooks
Lance Philip Strugar on fri 7 mar 97
I'd like to add a few thoughts regarding element reuse.
1) The elements should of similar metal. Check the temperature
range of the "from" kiln versus the "to" kiln.
2) The coil diameters should be the same.
3) The number of windings per unit length should be the same. This can
be adjusted if the new elements are flexible.
4) Carefully measure the resistance of the old elements, and match up
the new ones by cutting at the appropriate place. The old elements will
probably be oxidized, so you need to be careful about reading the
resistance. Try rubbing the probe against the old element wire in order
to get through to the wire. Take the lowest reading. This will be less
than 100 ohms for most elements.
5) If you must bend the new element, be very careful. If it has
never been used, there is no problem. Otherwise, use a small torch
and gently heat the element where you want to bend it. Try to not touch
the element with your fingers. Use a long nose. (Pliers I mean. - You
might burn your OWN nose, and get oil (etc.) on the element.)
6) Crimp the connections well.
Hope this helps.
Lance Philip Strugar
> --- from original Post
> I managed to aquire a number of good (read new) elements from a larger
> square kiln. ...
>
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