John Post on mon 2 apr 07
I posted this on July 29, 2001 regarding my luck with the gas electric
conversion. I tried it twice.
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I've had less than stellar success with my gas-electric conversion. I
tried it last year after reading Nil's book, but before your article
came out.
I took a small Cress electric (1.6 cubic feet) that was in good shape
and sprayed the inside with itc100 and coated new elements with itc 213.
I didn't respray over the top of the elements with itc100 again, since
this wasn't part of the directions in Nil's book. I got about 8 good gas
firings out of it before my elements burned through in several spots.
I took a look at what I did and thought that maybe the new elements
reacted with the kilns original staples that I used to hold them in
place. I thought that this was my mistake on the first try, using old
staples to hold in new elements.
So I took the elements out and the second time, I followed all of the
directions "to the letter" in your article and I used no staples to hold
the new elements in. I dipped the new elements in the 213, then sprayed
over them with the 100 ....then fired it twice and then coated with the
topcoat of 296......etc...you get the idea...
....and on my very first reduction firing two of the 4 elements burned
out. Where they burned out you can see this hard blackish-green bubbly
substance that looks like glaze...but no glaze jumped off any pots. I'm
at a loss as to why elements are burning out in this weird way....
I know other potters are reporting good success with this type of kiln
but this hasn't been my experience.
mel wrote:
> we will have to look into this problem.
> you are first person to contact me with a
> problem such as this.
>
> we will try and find an answer.
> write me off list and i will get some
> photos from you...look at those coils...etc.
> mel
William & Susan Schran User on tue 3 apr 07
On 4/2/07 6:21 PM, "John Post" wrote:
> I dipped the new elements in the 213, then sprayed
> over them with the 100 ....then fired it twice and then coated with the
> topcoat of 296......etc...you get the idea...
>
> ....and on my very first reduction firing two of the 4 elements burned
> out. Where they burned out you can see this hard blackish-green bubbly
> substance that looks like glaze...but no glaze jumped off any pots. I'm
> at a loss as to why elements are burning out in this weird way....
You applied too thick a coat of ITC.
Had similar thing happen.
Got ready to replace elements in two L&L kilns.
New elements, fired them in another kiln to red heat to burn off production
oils.
Watered down ITC, put in drywall pan, ran elements quickly through ITC, hung
up to dry.
Installed elements, fired kiln empty to ^6, set everything in place, cleaned
out black flakes from kiln (expected this).
Got about ten firings then kiln slowed down, wouldn't reach temperature on
11th firing. Unloaded kiln, examined elements. One had burned a hole right
through the ceramic element holder!. Replaced that element, no ITC, element
burn out continued until all elements eventually burned out at a point that
had that build up of burned crud.
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
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