Schapansky on wed 12 jun 96
Hi Everyone!
When setting up my studio I bought a second hand Duncan electric
kiln; I have no idea how old it was when I bought it and I have had it for
about a year (but have only used it regularly since November of last year).
My question is what can I do to repair cracks in the floor and also pieces
that have broken around the edge.....the firebrick seems to want to crumble
very easily (more brick broken after replacing the bottom element this
week). I have tried a product from plainsman pottery called Supertite Bond
mortar; but it crumbles off after only a few firings. I fire to cone six.
Any, sugguestions on repairs and maintenance would be greatly
appreciated.
Also, does anyone have a celadon like cone 6 glaze they could share?
TIA
Elizabeth Schapansky
Clay Vision
Chetwynd, B.C.
Become sand beneath your feet,
Until next we meet...
LEE on thu 13 jun 96
Elizabeth,
One way to repair the bottom of your electric kiln is to rebuild it.
An easy way is to stack up loose brick. My kiln floor is two brick thick--
5" of softbrick, on top of cement blocks (with the holes exposed for
ventilation). Obviously with this set-up, there is no need for the
metal frame support.
The kiln "pad" is a square shape larger in diameter than your round kiln.
In between each kiln section (including the floor) are thin strips of
fiber, acting as insulation gaskets. Very little heat is lost.
I did this with my kiln three years ago and converted the "old" floor
into a lid.
Another tip: If you have bricks inside the kiln with chunks (a technical
term) missing below the elements; Instead of pinning the elements up,
you can loosen the stainless steel shell, slide out the brick and invert it.
Presto, your gaps are now at the TOP of the element; hence, your element
is now completely supported.
This has been from my experience of buying a very used kiln. It was
a Skutt (7 cu. ft.) and payed $75 for it. It works great!
May you always un-plug while doing repairs,
Lee LREXRODE@EDINBORO.edu
Bill Buckner on fri 14 jun 96
Elizabeth:
I have always successfully repaired chipped firebrick in my electric
bisque kiln easily and cheaply as follows:
1. Disconnect the kiln's power!
2. Mix a slurry (about the thickness of cream) of fireclay and water.
3. With a brush and clear water, thoroughly wet the two brick surfaces to
be joined. Then generously apply the fireclay slurry to both surfaces.
Then bond the two surfaces together (masking tape can help hold them in
place on vertical surfaces). As the clay dries, dab in more as needed to
keep the surfaces flush. Allow it to dry, then sand lightly, if needed.
4. Fire the kiln as usual. Since the bond is made with fireclay, this
type of repair is good for high fire kilns as well.
Warning: the bond is VERY FRAGILE until you fire the kiln again.
-Bill
Bill Buckner e-mail: bbuckner@gsu.edu
Georgia State University http://www2.gsu.edu/~couwbb
On Wed, 12 Jun 1996, Schapansky wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi Everyone!
> When setting up my studio I bought a second hand Duncan electric
> kiln; I have no idea how old it was when I bought it and I have had it for
> about a year (but have only used it regularly since November of last year).
> My question is what can I do to repair cracks in the floor and also pieces
> that have broken around the edge.....the firebrick seems to want to crumble
> very easily (more brick broken after replacing the bottom element this
> week). I have tried a product from plainsman pottery called Supertite Bond
> mortar; but it crumbles off after only a few firings. I fire to cone six.
Cathy Nelson Hartman on fri 14 jun 96
On Thu, 13 Jun 1996, LEE wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Elizabeth,
>
> One way to repair the bottom of your electric kiln is to rebuild it.
>
> An easy way is to stack up loose brick. My kiln floor is two brick thick--
> 5" of softbrick, on top of cement blocks (with the holes exposed for
> ventilation). Obviously with this set-up, there is no need for the
> metal frame support.
>
> The kiln "pad" is a square shape larger in diameter than your round kiln.
> In between each kiln section (including the floor) are thin strips of
> fiber, acting as insulation gaskets. Very little heat is lost.
>
> I did this with my kiln three years ago and converted the "old" floor
> into a lid.
>
> Another tip: If you have bricks inside the kiln with chunks (a technical
> term) missing below the elements; Instead of pinning the elements up,
> you can loosen the stainless steel shell, slide out the brick and invert it.
> Presto, your gaps are now at the TOP of the element; hence, your element
> is now completely supported.
>
> This has been from my experience of buying a very used kiln. It was
> a Skutt (7 cu. ft.) and payed $75 for it. It works great!
>
> May you always un-plug while doing repairs,
> Lee LREXRODE@EDINBORO.edu
>
I would like to add a word of caution to all you electric kiln repair
people. Until recently some of the insulation in the kilns was asbestos.
This includes the power supply cord as well as the kiln proper. As
always the repair person needs to be wary when tearing into things and
the manufactures don't usually advertise the toxic substances in their
products. As a note of irony, since asbestos is a naturally occurring
material- users of it could claim to be "100% natural". :)
walter hartman
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