Pfeiffer Fire Arts on thu 6 nov 08
We recently bought a used kiln. Compared to the price of a new one this
looked very cheap. The problem is that though we knew it was not a new =
kiln
it was much the worst for the ware. Lots of small parts missing. Brick a =
bit
beat up. 3 out of 5 infinity switches bad. All the contactors in bad =
shape
and one had one side burned off (not sure how you can do this but =
someone
did). All the cords going from the rings to the controller were bad. The
plugs on the controller were rusty and need to be replaced. Wiring so =
old it
needed to be replaced. Hot wire shorted to the case going to the kiln =
setter
and the tube on kiln setter needed replacing. All the shelves were a =
mess,
only one the right size with lots of melted glaze on a bare shelf. All =
the
others broken, a mess with melted on glaze, and will add to my scrap =
shelf
pile. Maybe cut up into smaller shapes and use as mini shelves.
The problem is all this takes time to find out and after driving for a =
day
and burning a lot of gas we did not want to just say no thanks and go =
home
without a kiln we really did need. You can't count on the person who is
selling it to know what they are selling. In this case the kiln went =
through
a number of people and my guess is most did not know what they were =
doing.
As it turned out I can and did fix or replace all the bad parts. =
Rewiring
was not hard and the elements on 3 rings are in very good shape. The =
fourth
ring I used for spare parts to fix bricks on the other rings and the
elements in it look like someone used them to play slinky. We only have =
the
power for 3 rings so this works out alright.
If we needed to pay someone to do this it would have been a very bad =
deal.
As it is we have a not-so-cheap kiln that we are happy with. There is =
not
much left that is old except the brick. We are lucky in that we had the
electronic knowledge and were willing to learn how to fix it. It is the
first one I had to take the covers off of (but not our first old used
electric kiln). If you are not willing to work hard to make something =
work,
you should think long and hard before buying a used kiln. The parts cost
about what we paid for the kiln but in the end we have a new "old" L&L =
which
works great <<< now >>>.
If we should ever need to buy another used kiln my first question is how =
old
it is and what it cost when new. Comparing to a new version is a bad =
idea;
they are just not the same thing. Then maybe 1/2 to 1/10 of the price =
paid
depending on the age would be about the right price to think about =
paying
for a used kiln. The second question would be have YOU fired it, to =
what
temperature, and what problems did you have with firing the kiln. If =
they
got it from someone and have never fired it, run away!
I will say I really like how easy reworking an old L&L turned out to be =
but
I could see it would be very daunting to a lot of non technical types. =
At
first all you see is a maze of wire and parts but if you look close it =
is
one very simple circuit repeated, in this case, 5 times. You can still =
get
most of the parts and the wiring design is very easy to work out. While =
I
was at it I made a few changes to make it easier to work on which has =
made
latter fixes easier. I would never have guessed that there are so many =
ways
for an infinity switch to go bad! On this kiln the switch does not power =
the
elements directly but kicks the contactor in to do the real work. If =
this is
not a very clean on/off from the switch -- you get lots of arcing that =
burns
the contactor up before long.=20
L&L also sells a brick repair kit that works very well. You mix brick =
dust
and a cement and paste away. A bit of sanding a day later and the bricks =
are
almost as good as new.
Many kudos to L&L for all their help through good parts and good
documentation available on the web. =20
Now, if fires like a charm.
Dan & Laurel in Elkmont Al
pfeifferFireArts.com
Arnold Howard on fri 7 nov 08
From: "Pfeiffer Fire Arts"
We recently bought a used kiln. Compared to the price of a
new one this
looked very cheap. The problem is that though we knew it was
not a new kiln
it was much the worst for the ware.
-------------
One time I bought a WV Fastback at what seemed like a good
price, because the engine had been in a fire. I ended up
selling it and losing money. My father said, "You would have
been better off giving the seller $100 to keep the car."
I've seen used kilns in mint condition that are brought to
the factory for new elements. The bricks look almost new
even though the kilns are over 30 years old. You can find
bargains like that, often sold by the children of deceased
kiln owners.
Before driving a long distance to look at a used kiln, ask
the owner to email photos. You can usually tell even from
photos if the kiln is worth looking at.
If you can't turn on the kiln because it is not close to a
power source, take an ohmmeter with you so you can at least
test the elements. Examine the switch box wires carefully
with a flashlight. Burned out switches often show signs of
heat damage or loose connections.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
gayle bair on fri 7 nov 08
Beware of misleading answers when asking "How old is it?" when
considering buying used equipment.
A common skirting the truth answer is "Well I've had it for (fill in
the blank) years."
Get the serial number or date that is printed on the plate on the
motor or somewhere else.
I recently fell for "I've had it about _____ years!" but when I got it
home and scraped through the
years of grime it was made in 1975.
Fortunately I didn't lose $ as it wasn't what I wanted but was for
someone else.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island WA
Tucson AZ
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Nov 6, 2008, at 8:32 PM, Pfeiffer Fire Arts wrote:
> snip>
>
> If we should ever need to buy another used kiln my first question is
> how old
> it is and what it cost when new. Comparing to a new version is a bad
> idea;
> they are just not the same thing. Then maybe 1/2 to 1/10 of the
> price paid
> depending on the age would be about the right price to think about
> paying
> for a used kiln. The second question would be have YOU fired it, to
> what
> temperature, and what problems did you have with firing the kiln.
> If they
> got it from someone and have never fired it, run away!
> snip>
>
> Now, if fires like a charm.
>
> Dan & Laurel in Elkmont Al
> pfeifferFireArts.com
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