soda kiln possibility question

updated sun 1 jun 08

Pam Epperson on tue 27 may 08

With the loss of Leonora Coleman our soda firing mentor several of us are thinking about purchasing a 30 year old 7 ft. by 6.5 ft high catenary arch kiln with side forced air burners..low pressure for natural gas 2 burners on either side. We would like to reconfigure this kiln to become a soda kiln and wonder if the side burner format is a plus or minus..thanks Pam

jonathan byler on wed 28 may 08

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vince,

Why would the power burners be more likely to corrode? are they not
simply pulling fresh air through them and blowing into the kiln? I
would think that if the burners were el cheapo type with steel flame
retention nozzles instead of proper ones of cast iron, or better yet
ceramic, that the rest of the would hold up just fine. If the
atmosphere at the level of the blowers is that corrosive, I would
think that a person should not be around to fire it either, since it
would be just as corrosive to you. Won't a good stack and good
ventilation around the kiln prevent corrosion to the burners?


jon byler
3-D Building Coordinator
Art Department
Auburn University, AL 36849

On May 27, 2008, at 9:18 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:

> Pam Epperson wrote:
> "With the loss of Leonora Coleman our soda firing mentor several of
> us are
> thinking about purchasing a 30 year old 7 ft. by 6.5 ft high
> catenary arch
> kiln with side forced air burners..low pressure for natural gas 2
> burners on
> either side. We would like to reconfigure this kiln to become a
> soda kiln
> and wonder if the side burner format is a plus or minus."
>
> Pam -
> Side burners work fine for soda, but a soda kiln is generally a
> dedicated
> kiln, with charging ports in the front and/or back of the
> fireboxes. Are
> you going to have to dismantle and reassemble this kiln? If so,
> you can
> redesign it however you want, assuming it is in good-enough shape
> to stand
> up to the dismantling and reassembling. Is it a hardbrick kiln?
> Softbrick
> deteriorate pretty quickly in soda.
>
> Personally, I am not fond of power burners on salt or soda kilns,
> because
> the motors and blowers deteriorate very quickly in the corrosive
> atmosphere.
> Tube burners or venturi burners are really the only way to go for a
> gas-fired salt or soda kiln.
>
> If this kiln was intended to be a downdraft reduction kiln, why not
> just
> keep it as that? The power burners will last indefinitely in that
> kind of
> service, but will be doomed to failure in a soda kiln.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka


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vince,

Why would the power burners be more likely to =
corrode? =A0are they not simply pulling fresh air through them and =
blowing into the kiln? =A0I would think that if the burners were el =
cheapo type with steel flame retention nozzles instead of proper ones of =
cast iron, or better yet ceramic, that the rest of the would hold up =
just fine. =A0If the atmosphere at the level of the blowers is that =
corrosive, I would think that a person should not be around to fire it =
either, since it would be just as corrosive to you. =A0Won't a good =
stack and good ventilation around the kiln prevent corrosion to the =
burners?

style=3D"border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: =
Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; =
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0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; ">jon byler

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">face=3D"Helvetica" size=3D"3" style=3D"font: normal normal normal =
12px/normal Helvetica; ">3-D Building Coordinator

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; ">Art =
Department

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">size=3D"3" style=3D"font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; =
">Auburn University,=A0AL 36849

=

On May 27, 2008, at 9:18 PM, Vince Pitelka =
wrote:

type=3D"cite">

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Pam Epperson wrote:

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">"With the loss of Leonora Coleman our soda firing =
mentor several of us are

margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">thinking =
about purchasing a 30 year old=A0 =
7 ft. by 6.5 ft high catenary arch

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">kiln =
with side forced air burners..low pressure for natural gas 2 burners =
on

0px; margin-left: 0px; ">either side.class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 We would like to reconfigure =
this kiln to become a soda kiln

margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">and wonder if =
the side burner format is a plus or minus."

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; =
min-height: 14px; ">

margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Pam -class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Side =
burners work fine for soda, but a soda kiln is generally a =
dedicated

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">kiln, with charging ports in the =
front and/or back of the fireboxes.=A0=
Are

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">you going to have to dismantle =
and reassemble this kiln?=A0 =
If so, you can

0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">redesign it however you =
want, assuming it is in good-enough shape to stand

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">up to the dismantling and reassembling.class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 Is it a hardbrick kiln?class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 Softbrick

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">deteriorate pretty quickly in soda.

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; ">

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; =
">Personally, I am not fond of power burners on salt or soda kilns, =
because

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">the motors and blowers =
deteriorate very quickly in the corrosive atmosphere.

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Tube burners or venturi burners are really the only =
way to go for a

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">gas-fired salt or soda =
kiln.=A0

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; ">

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">If this =
kiln was intended to be a downdraft reduction kiln, why not =
just

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">keep it as that?class=3D"Apple-converted-space">=A0 The power burners will last =
indefinitely in that kind of

margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">service, but =
will be doomed to failure in a soda kiln.

0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">- =
Vince

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; ">

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">Vince Pitelka

margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Appalachian =
Center for Craft

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Tennessee Tech =
University

margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">href=3D"mailto:vpitelka@dtccom.net">vpitelka@dtccom.net; href=3D"mailto:wpitelka@tntech.edu">wpitelka@tntech.edu

style=3D"margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; =
margin-left: 0px; ">href=3D"http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka">http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelkaa>

=

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