mel jacobson on wed 19 dec 07
kilns are like mac/pc/ford/chev/honda/hybrid/tractor/pickup
van/chocolate cake vs. pie. we have favorites.
i must say that vince helped me build a small flat top
at the Appalachian center for craft..and he enjoyed the
experience a great deal. not once did he sputter, swear,
don capes or say bad things. he is a fine friend.
without question, a well made arch kiln is a thing of beauty.
i love them too. and, i have seen many that did not fire
worth a damn.
but, for a simple, quick and easy way to build a kiln, with
limited fuss...a minnesota flat top is the answer.
those potters with gobs of experience, know how to weld
and have access to scew backs, arch brick and all kinds
of brick making skill...wow, arch kilns are wonderful.
all you need for a flat top kiln are a few hundred
brick...some all thread rod, and some scrap angle iron.
four small welds made by any good welding shop.
the kiln can be built in one day. in fact, build one day, fire
the next.
bill merrill's kiln uses the same idea, only he has developed
a great truss/angle iron system that is really neat.
perhaps the best kiln around would be hank's drop down
kiln. marvelous kiln...but, it would be very expensive to
build...or as hank has said...`damn, can't afford to build my
own kiln.`
any kiln can give you a bad headache. learning how to fire, learning
the air currents, wind, weather....all the small changes from
place to place will drive the average potter nuts for the first
few dozen firings. you always learn...constantly. it never stops.
that is what makes firing a fuel kiln the `great adventure`.
it ain't easy. if you demand perfect firing...fire with an
electric kiln. use white clay..standard glazes. they should
be almost perfect....every time. and, you can train a monkey
to help you. but, every day i hear of a new glaze, a new idea
being developed for the electric kiln, really exciting things
happening. and, that is not simple.
what is crazy is: `mel, i have fired this kiln 86 times and have
never reached cone 10.` now that is stupid.
make changes after the first firing...find out what is going on.
some never do.
the small olympic kiln is made for a purpose...to learn to fire.
if you think you can just turn it on, let it fire and get perfect
results...you are crazy. if you want to learn to fire...fire that
little puppy a hundred times. like learning to ski on minnesota
ice hills...kids learn to control their skis. no sitting back on your
skis down a 500 yard powder run....you had better be alert,
or break legs.
here are some helpful hints for those thinking of building a kiln.
start with buying the kiln shelves. that is your foot print.
buy them...and make sure you add three extra to whatever you
buy. put them away...clean and dry.
make sure your site is clear, flat and has drainage. flat is the key.
remember, if you have a slab poured...the guy will add slant.
don't let him. you want flat. try building a house with the
footings at a 6 degree angle. and remember, a kiln is a brick house.
level, square, plumb.
for sure. learn everything you can about gas. propane, natural,
pipe, hose..pressure, regulators, baso valves...ball valves vs gate
valves. if you use propane...give your propane driver gifts.
lots of them.
if you are using propane...get the biggest tank you can squeeze onto
your property. i have two 500 gallon and a 250 for our farm
kilns. one 500 and the 250 are hooked together. i have run
copper tubing underground. all the kilns have stand pipes near them
for hooking up burners. a potter like tom wirt needs a thousand gallon
tank...in fact, he could use two one thousand gallon tanks.
never have enough propane.
cold weather is hell for propane.
talk to your dealer...get information on how to keep them warm and
working in cold weather. don't listen to fables. `hell, i just build
a charcoal fire under mine..hell, can't hurt the metal.` he was last
seen going into orbit. small 100 pound tanks hooked together work
well....but, no propane guys in mn, wisc will fill those any longer on site.
new laws forbid filling them....you have to drag them to the fill station.
250 is the standard now...you know///behind the mobile home. you see
them all the time.
several tips that have changed my life.
i add metal screen on my concrete blocks to lift my kiln in the air.
that diamond metal/expanded metal screen is great. get air under
the floor. i also itc 100 the inside of all kilns.
i make all my stacks from spiral pipe lined with kaowool sleeve
liners. itc'd together. i just soak the ends of the sleeves in itc and
drop them together. they do not leak.
a marvelous stack.
the archives are full of good kiln information.
my biggest concerns have come from `instutional potters` you know,
they work someplace....have never had a wheel or kiln of their own.
use the college, art center kilns. and complain about the firing.
and never learn how to fire, waste tons of fuel, and only use other
people's glazes. they spread myth. and almost always are around
to give others advice.
as one of them said to me (with that slight arrogant lip)
...`oh, you are one of those production
potters.` (the magic retort line)....`yes, i produce pots,
lots of pots, in fact, thousands of pots, is that what you mean...i
produce work? i have my
own studio, kiln, wheel..and glaze and clay...is that what you mean?
do you have a kiln, have you ever made a kiln, do you own your own
wheel clay and glaze...? no, well you let the institution support your
work. lots of those around. they make one pot a year and send
it to a show at nceca. or, they send the same tired pot, year after
year. i am very proud to be a production potter...always have.
and, to know and understand craft, craftsmanship and be proud of
it...is a joy.
more should try it.
(step down from a tall ladder, bow to the applause...and say..
god, i love clayart.) and clayart is not an abstract idea..it is hundreds of
great friends that love ceramics..pots, sculpture made of clay,
research, science and ideas...people who discuss and debate what is right.
men and women working together to make ceramics more and more
noble. we make mistakes...get corrected..move on. learn from
doing and trying. we are the farm kids that pee on electric fences.
`wow, won't do that again.` but, then on occasion...`damn, that
stings.`
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
Hank Murrow on wed 19 dec 07
On Dec 19, 2007, at 12:07 PM, mel jacobson wrote:
> kilns are like mac/pc/ford/chev/honda/hybrid/tractor/pickup
> van/chocolate cake vs. pie. we have favorites.
>
> all you need for a flat top kiln are a few hundred
> brick...some all thread rod, and some scrap angle iron.
> four small welds made by any good welding shop.
> the kiln can be built in one day. in fact, build one day, fire
> the next.
>
> bill merrill's kiln uses the same idea, only he has developed
> a great truss/angle iron system that is really neat.
>
> perhaps the best kiln around would be hank's drop down
> kiln. marvelous kiln...but, it would be very expensive to
> build...or as hank has said...`damn, can't afford to build my
> own kiln.`
Hank's two cents;
Yeah, since stainless steel went through the roof(6x increase since
'85!), my design costs around $25,000 installed and fired three
times. Not an easy decision to fork over that much $$ up front.
>
> any kiln can give you a bad headache. learning how to fire, learning
> the air currents, wind, weather....all the small changes from
> place to place will drive the average potter nuts for the first
> few dozen firings. you always learn...constantly. it never stops.
> that is what makes firing a fuel kiln the `great adventure`.
> it ain't easy. if you demand perfect firing...fire with an
> electric kiln. use white clay..standard glazes. they should
> be almost perfect....every time. and, you can train a monkey
> to help you. but, every day i hear of a new glaze, a new idea
> being developed for the electric kiln, really exciting things
> happening. and, that is not simple.
>
> what is crazy is: `mel, i have fired this kiln 86 times and have
> never reached cone 10.` now that is stupid.
> make changes after the first firing...find out what is going on.
> some never do.
>
> the small olympic kiln is made for a purpose...to learn to fire.
> if you think you can just turn it on, let it fire and get perfect
> results...you are crazy. if you want to learn to fire...fire that
> little puppy a hundred times. like learning to ski on minnesota
> ice hills...kids learn to control their skis. no sitting back on your
> skis down a 500 yard powder run....you had better be alert,
> or break legs.
I learned on a 20 cuft Alpine("The Devil") and learned so much about
how not to build kilns.
>
> here are some helpful hints for those thinking of building a kiln.
>
> start with buying the kiln shelves. that is your foot print.
> buy them...and make sure you add three extra to whatever you
> buy. put them away...clean and dry.
Great advice, seconded by me.
>
> make sure your site is clear, flat and has drainage. flat is the key.
> remember, if you have a slab poured...the guy will add slant.
> don't let him. you want flat. try building a house with the
> footings at a 6 degree angle. and remember, a kiln is a brick house.
> level, square, plumb.
Add a vapor barrier of sheet metal to prevent water from wicking into
the kiln from the concrete slab. e don't need to waste gas turning
water to steam.
>
> for sure. learn everything you can about gas. propane, natural,
> pipe, hose..pressure, regulators, baso valves...ball valves vs gate
> valves. if you use propane...give your propane driver gifts.
> lots of them.
More good advice.
>
> if you are using propane...get the biggest tank you can squeeze onto
> your property. i have two 500 gallon and a 250 for our farm
> kilns. one 500 and the 250 are hooked together. i have run
> copper tubing underground. all the kilns have stand pipes near them
> for hooking up burners. a potter like tom wirt needs a thousand
> gallon
> tank...in fact, he could use two one thousand gallon tanks.
> never have enough propane.
>
> cold weather is hell for propane.
> talk to your dealer...get information on how to keep them warm and
> working in cold weather. don't listen to fables. `hell, i just build
> a charcoal fire under mine..hell, can't hurt the metal.` he was last
> seen going into orbit. small 100 pound tanks hooked together work
> well....but, no propane guys in mn, wisc will fill those any longer
> on site.
> new laws forbid filling them....you have to drag them to the fill
> station.
> 250 is the standard now...you know///behind the mobile home. you see
> them all the time.
Make sure if you use propane that there is nowhere around the kiln
that the propane can pool. It is heavier that air.
>
> several tips that have changed my life.
> i add metal screen on my concrete blocks to lift my kiln in the air.
> that diamond metal/expanded metal screen is great. get air under
> the floor. i also itc 100 the inside of all kilns.
>
> i make all my stacks from spiral pipe lined with kaowool sleeve
> liners. itc'd together. i just soak the ends of the sleeves in
> itc and
> drop them together. they do not leak.
> a marvelous stack.
Amen!
>
> the archives are full of good kiln information.
>
> my biggest concerns have come from `instutional potters` you know,
> they work someplace....have never had a wheel or kiln of their own.
> use the college, art center kilns. and complain about the firing.
> and never learn how to fire, waste tons of fuel, and only use other
> people's glazes. they spread myth. and almost always are around
> to give others advice.
>
> as one of them said to me (with that slight arrogant lip)
> ...`oh, you are one of those production
> potters.` (the magic retort line)....`yes, i produce pots,
> lots of pots, in fact, thousands of pots, is that what you mean...i
> produce work? i have my
> own studio, kiln, wheel..and glaze and clay...is that what you mean?
> do you have a kiln, have you ever made a kiln, do you own your own
> wheel clay and glaze...? no, well you let the institution support
> your
> work. lots of those around. they make one pot a year and send
> it to a show at nceca. or, they send the same tired pot, year after
> year. i am very proud to be a production potter...always have.
> and, to know and understand craft, craftsmanship and be proud of
> it...is a joy.
> more should try it.
True, if a bit tongue-in-cheek.
> (step down from a tall ladder, bow to the applause...and say..
> god, i love clayart.) and clayart is not an abstract idea..it is
> hundreds of
> great friends that love ceramics..pots, sculpture made of clay,
> research, science and ideas...people who discuss and debate what is
> right.
> men and women working together to make ceramics more and more
> noble. we make mistakes...get corrected..move on. learn from
> doing and trying. we are the farm kids that pee on electric fences.
> `wow, won't do that again.` but, then on occasion...`damn, that
> stings.`
Now......... no one can argue with that!
Cheers from Eugene,
Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
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