Kevin P. O'Hara on fri 8 nov 96
Hello all,
I found some plans in a book for making a kiln out of an oil drum that would
fire up to cone 10. I+m not that good of a scientist, but I am creative.
I was thinking of taking the old shell from clothes dryer and lining the
inside with 8 lb fiber blanket (specs say it hold up to 2,600 degrees F),
turning it upside down to make an updraft kiln out of it. And then I got
the idea that I might be able to double the size of the kiln (later) by
building up the walls on the bottom with hard brick and lining them with a
fiber blanket also.
I know that there are some real kiln guru+s out there. Will this work ?
Any suggestions on sources to check to calculate how many, what size and
where the best place to put burners would be ? I was considering four small
burners in the floor. I+d be using propane.
Q: Why do I want to make a kiln like this ?
A: I don+t have several thousand dollars to spend on building a kiln out of
soft brick.
There is a place here in town that sells the fiber blanket in case anyone is
interested.
Refractory Engineer+s 5701 W. Minnesota, Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317)
247-6696
-- Dura Blanket 2600 is $7.88 sq. ft., the smallest quantity is a 50 sq. ft.
roll.
500 to 999 ft is $6.71 sq. ft.
-- Dura Blanket 2300 is $4.11 sq. ft. for a 50 sq. ft. roll.
-- Rigidizer: is $50.00 per gallon.
-- hard brick 9*4.5*2.5 is $1.37 a piece
-- 2600 degree Soft brick is $3.34 a piece
-- 2800 degree Soft brick is $4.03 a piece
I thought that this information might be helpful to someone :)
LOWELL BAKER on fri 8 nov 96
Kevin asked about building a kiln using the frame of an old dryer.
Back in th eearly 80 I published an article in CM usinf the shell of
an old frig for a kiln. Lined it with fiber and used the hinged
door. worked great for large raku. I suppose you could you could
make a two chamber kioln with a double door frig. Good luck keep the
recycle cycle going.
Lowell
The University of Alabama
WardBurner@aol.com on fri 8 nov 96
Kevin,
You have a bunch of issues here...I'll go over a few, but feel free to give
me a call concerning the whole project.
<<<< I was thinking of taking the old shell from clothes dryer and lining
the
inside with 8 lb fiber blanket (specs say it hold up to 2,600 degrees F)>>>>
Be aware that the rating on all refractory products and especially fiber, are
the high duty service limit, not the continuous duty rating. All refractory
items should be used at temps. 250F below their rating (folks get around this
all the time using 2300F soft brick to ^10 and thats ok, but don't do it with
fiber). I strongly recommend that anyone using fiber to ^10 should use a
fiber with zirconia in it and rated to 2700. Far less shrinkage. Also a ^10
firing, because of it's duration, is not like Raku so you need, in this case,
to use a minimum of 3 layers of fiber to protect the outside metal and
yourself. Will this leave enough room for ware & shelves?
<<<building up the walls on the bottom with hard brick and lining them with a
fiber blanket also.>>>>
Bad idea. If you are going to build up the height of the kiln, use soft
brick. Hard brick acts like a "heat magnet" and will really suck up the
BTU's. One or two layers of fiber doesn't really alleviate this. Also be
aware that updrafts can have problems with uneveness over ^6 especially as
the height starts exceeding the diameter.
<<<where the best place to put burners would be ? I was considering four small
burners in the floor. I+d be using propane.>>>>
My catalog has a data guide in it explaining how to determine cubic feet, BTU
requirements, burner configurations, ect.. It's free.
<<<<anyone is
interested.
Refractory Engineer+s 5701 W. Minnesota, Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317)
247-6696
-- Dura Blanket 2600 is $7.88 sq. ft., the smallest quantity is a 50 sq. ft.
roll.
500 to 999 ft is $6.71 sq. ft.
-- Dura Blanket 2300 is $4.11 sq. ft. for a 50 sq. ft. roll.
-- Rigidizer: is $50.00 per gallon.
-- hard brick 9*4.5*2.5 is $1.37 a piece
-- 2600 degree Soft brick is $3.34 a piece
-- 2800 degree Soft brick is $4.03 a piece>>>>>
Avoiding commercialism and for informational purposes only (yea...right :-) )
some of my prices are:
2700F Inswool HTZ Fiber with zirconia - $4.30 sq ft (whole roll price)
2400F Inswool HP Fiber - $2.50 sq ft (whole roll price)
2300 soft brick - $2.25 a piece
2600 soft brick - $2.75 a piece
These are single brick prices and will drop considerably when buying in
volume.
Marc Ward
Ward Burner Systems
PO Box 333
Dandridge, TN 37725
USA
423.397.2914 voice
423.397.1253 fax
wardburner@aol.com
Harvey Sadow on sat 9 nov 96
Kevin P. O'Hara wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I was thinking of taking the old shell from clothes dryer and lining the ins
degrees F), turning it upside down to make an updraft kiln out of it.
And then I got the idea that I might be able to double the size of the
kiln (later) by building up the walls on the bottom with hard brick and
lining them with a fiber blanket also.
You bet! I am currently firing a brick walled car kiln with a
fiber arch and door. When I want it bigger, we lift off the arch and
build up the walls a bit, and vice versa. I once built a "dog house"
car kiln out of a fiber lined 250 gal. drum sitting on a brick firebox
and floor. Now that you mention it, I would really like to build a
fiber kiln out of a 1967 VOLKSWAGEN BUS. The picture that it creates in
my mind's eye is pure poetry. Reverse downdraft, masonry stack, a bit
of graffiti. I left my last VW bus, a four wheel closet, in Maryland
about 10 years ago. So, does anybody have one they'd like to donate for
the frame of the first "Jupiter Round Top"? Now we are really talking
about a CAR KILN!
Harvey Sadow... mostly sunny in rainy Florida.
sharonfaith@YAHOO.COM on fri 2 nov 01
Hello, I'm new to the group and hope to learn a lot. I'm not very
knowledgeable, but love working with clay. A friend has agreed to
help me build a kiln in my back yard, and there are so many ways to
go with this. I wonder if anyone who has built a kiln has any
suggestions or input. We're exploring refractory cement, fire brick,
and metal so far. I have a huge propane tank for house heating, but
am thinking I might not use it (because of logistics) and go with a
smaller refillable tank. I'd love to hear from anyone who might
offer first hand based information. Thanks a lot!
sharonfaith
John & Susan Balentine on fri 2 nov 01
Hi Sharon,
Yes , we built my kiln ( me ,husband , and # 1 teacher at Haywood community
college-Gary Clontz). First built a shed to put the kiln in. This ended up
costing as much as the kiln did. Anyway,I have a 45 cubic gas car kiln.. Works
great! Made with hard bricks in the floor and chimney , then soft for the rest of
it. We have a 500 gallon tank of gas . The gas company put a 10 lb. regulator at
the tank and then split the tubing so that one pipe (tube) goes to my kiln and the
other to the house. We have a gas furnice..The gas company had to put another
regulator on the wall of our house for the furnice. This was not difficult or
expensive to do. I look at the gas tank before I fire and at the end of the
firing. I am using a little less than 10% each time I fire. That adds up to about
$50 a firing. hope this helps--Susan
sharonfaith@YAHOO.COM wrote:
> Hello, I'm new to the group and hope to learn a lot. I'm not very
> knowledgeable, but love working with clay. A friend has agreed to
> help me build a kiln in my back yard, and there are so many ways to
> go with this. I wonder if anyone who has built a kiln has any
> suggestions or input. We're exploring refractory cement, fire brick,
> and metal so far. I have a huge propane tank for house heating, but
> am thinking I might not use it (because of logistics) and go with a
> smaller refillable tank. I'd love to hear from anyone who might
> offer first hand based information. Thanks a lot!
> sharonfaith
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
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>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Frank Colson on tue 6 nov 01
I've put my link up a few times here- seems alot
of clayart members have checked it out- http://www.r2d2u.com - kiln building plans. See
if they meet your needs!
----- Original Message -----
From:
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: 11/2/2001 12:18:59 PM
Subject: Kiln construction
Hello, I'm new to the group and hope to learn a lot. I'm not
very
knowledgeable, but love working with clay. A friend has agreed
to
help me build a kiln in my back yard, and there are so many ways to
go with this. I wonder if anyone who has built a kiln has
any
suggestions or input. We're exploring refractory cement, fire
brick,
and metal so far. I have a huge propane tank for house heating,
but
am thinking I might not use it (because of logistics) and go with a
smaller refillable tank. I'd love to hear from anyone who
might
offer first hand based information. Thanks a lot!
sharonfaith
______________________________________________________________________________
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
GlassyClass on wed 7 nov 01
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y01Y2840229Y2813136/qid=
1005147961/sr=1-/ref=z_ret_b_oop_03/102-5478396-3202532
Found some copies of that book, that is supposed to be out of print, they
are only $18.00.
Bud
Rebecca Knight on thu 8 nov 01
Went to the link and got all excited until I scrolled down and, in fine
print, it says they are sold out.
http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/ts/exchange-glance/Y01Y2840229Y2813136/qid
=
1005147961/sr=1-/ref=z_ret_b_oop_03/102-5478396-3202532
Found some copies of that book, that is supposed to be out of print, they
are only $18.00.
Bud
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blackdog on mon 19 may 03
Hello all,
I was hoping someone could offer some advice as I consider modifying my =
kiln's chimney. My chimney is a piece of culvert pipe sitting atop my =
brick flue box. It is secured by two all-thread bars which wrap around =
the pipe and are bolted to a railroad tie which stands nearby. A metal =
roof covers the outside kiln, which has a hole in it to allow the =
chimney to rise through.=20
My two questions are. What could I use to shield rain from sneaking =
between the small space between the roof and chimney and getting to my =
bricks?
What could I install at the top of the chimney to keep rain out, without =
affecting the current flow of draft.
The 60 cubic foot kiln fires to cone 10 reduction in 11 to 12 hours, =
which isn't real fast, but fast enough. (I'm in the ballpark as far as =
fuel efficiency mentioned in Nils Lou's book.) And I'm getting good =
copper reds consistently, so I'm wary of any changes.
Any experience or advice as I prepare to tweak my little monster would =
be great.
It's cooling slow in a heavy fog this morning.
Russell Adams
Black Dog Pottery
573.698.3318
http://blackdogpottery.us=20
Neil Stanley on mon 24 dec 07
I am building an approx. 40 cu/ft IFB kiln this winter. I have scoured the
internet and books for all the info I can get. I've read Nils Lou and
Olsen's books as well as my teacher has given me his input. I was
fortunate enough to received a large amount of soft brick from my hockey
buddies (payment was in cases of beer). So because I have so much soft
brick I was planning to have an interior floor space 42" x 42" and cover
this with 4 - 21" x 21" kiln shelves instead of constructing the floor out
of hard brick. As well I was thinking instead of hard brick along the base
of the fire wall were the burner flame travels, I would use kiln shelving
as you would use base board in a house. Do you have any thoughts on that?
Lynne and Bruce Girrell on mon 24 dec 07
Neil
I can't answer about the floor (though I don't understand why you would want
to veneer it with kiln shelves) I can absolutely say something about the
flame channel. I used kiln shelves in a similar area in my kiln and they
failed very quickly, cracking, deforming, and generally becoming a nuisance.
Don't do it. The temperature there is simply too high for that type of
refractory.
BTW, the shelves I used were 1" mullite
Bruce Girrell
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Stanley"
> I was planning to have an interior floor space 42" x 42" and cover
> this with 4 - 21" x 21" kiln shelves instead of constructing the floor out
> of hard brick. As well I was thinking instead of hard brick along the base
> of the fire wall were the burner flame travels, I would use kiln shelving
> as you would use base board in a house.
James and Sherron Bowen on mon 24 dec 07
read Rhode's kiln book, too. Soldner's if you can find it.
JB
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Stanley"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 6:42 AM
Subject: Kiln construction
Neil Stanley on mon 24 dec 07
Thanks Bruce,
I guess my thinking about the floor was that I have an abundant supply of
soft brick and it would give me a foot print to build my walls around.
From what I have read I thaught it might not absorb the btu's that hard
brick floor would and it would give me a solid floor for my shelf
supports.
William & Susan Schran User on mon 24 dec 07
On 12/24/07 3:46 PM, "Neil Stanley" wrote:
> I guess my thinking about the floor was that I have an abundant supply of
> soft brick and it would give me a foot print to build my walls around.
> From what I have read I thaught it might not absorb the btu's that hard
> brick floor would and it would give me a solid floor for my shelf
> supports.
Our Geil kiln has IFB floor and loading instructions have the first set of
shelves laying directly on the floor of the kiln. I had some concern that
the first shelves should be on short shelves, but this seems to work fine.
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Vince Pitelka on mon 24 dec 07
Neil Stanley wrote:
> I am building an approx. 40 cu/ft IFB kiln this winter. I have scoured =
the
> internet and books for all the info I can get. I've read Nils Lou and
> Olsen's books as well as my teacher has given me his input. I was
> fortunate enough to received a large amount of soft brick from my hocke=
y
> buddies (payment was in cases of beer). So because I have so much soft
> brick I was planning to have an interior floor space 42" x 42" and cove=
r
> this with 4 - 21" x 21" kiln shelves instead of constructing the floor =
out
> of hard brick. As well I was thinking instead of hard brick along the b=
ase
> of the fire wall were the burner flame travels, I would use kiln shelvi=
ng
> as you would use base board in a house. Do you have any thoughts on tha=
t?
Neil -
Kiln shelves used as a hotface floor will warp over time because of the
weight of the set, and that could cause the posts to shift position durin=
g
a firing and lead to major failure of the set. Kiln shelves will also
likely warp badly if used as a liner in the firebox. Remember that the
firebox experiences temperatures much hotter than the ware zone in the
kiln.
The standard practice I have always employed and taught is to use two
layers of softbrick laid flat (a total thickness of 5") in the floor, and
then one layer of hardbrick laid flat as an interior hotface floor,
including under the fireboxes. Hardbrick costs less than softbrick, so
why not just buy a small quantity of new high-duty hardbrick to do a
proper job of building the inside floor and the lower inside walls
adjacent to the flame path. It won't take much hard brick just for those
areas.
- Vince
--=20
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
vpitelka@dtccom.net
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
Bryan Hannis on tue 25 dec 07
Hi
I don't know if your burners are horizontal or vertical, If
horizontal like I have, I was advised by "people that know" to line
my flame channel with ceramic fiber, I did that and it has worked
very well, reducing my firing time somewhat. I also used 1/2"
silicone carbide shelf pieces at the back of the channel to stop
flame erosion, and it worked very well. If vertical you may want to
look at small diameter riser tubes to stop wall erosion.
Bryan Hannis
Frank Colson on tue 25 dec 07
Why not place your shelves "under" a soft brick floor and then coat the
hotface of the brick with a "rigidizer" unless you want to face the
floorbrick with 1/4" ceramic board. An alternative is to soak your soft
brick in rigidizer (colloidal silica), dry them out, and they will work like
hard refractory brick for you!
Frank Colson
----- Original Message -----
From: "Neil Stanley"
To:
Sent: Monday, December 24, 2007 12:46 PM
Subject: Re: Kiln construction
> Thanks Bruce,
> I guess my thinking about the floor was that I have an abundant supply of
> soft brick and it would give me a foot print to build my walls around.
> From what I have read I thaught it might not absorb the btu's that hard
> brick floor would and it would give me a solid floor for my shelf
> supports.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or change your
> subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
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