Jeff Lawrence on wed 17 dec 97
Hi again on this impedimentary topic:
My kiln chamber is 54" wide X 54" tall X 64" from door to burner wall, made
of monolithic ceramic fiber modules.
First firing empty with minimal bagwall (Nils Lou's Art of Firing config)
produced 1/2 cone difference between hottest and coldest and great joy in
my heart.
Second and several subsequent firing with ware and same bagwall setup,
torched everything on the bottom shelves by the door and produced a 2 cone
difference (coldest was burner wall top shelf).
Firings since bagwall erection vary, depending on load (emptier the kiln,
the smaller the difference) and bagwall additions/subtractions of the hour.
The latest bagwall iteration, with looser shelves and ware packing,
produces a difference of 1/2 to 1 cone (emptier/fuller). It also eliminates
the flame impingement which was, I suspect, overcooking the bottom door
sector.
It is the difference between my kiln, built along conservative principles,
and the bagwall, which is growing like one of those mutant fungi they find
in the Northwoods every now and then, which piques my curiousity. Surely,
there must be a more elegant approach.
I recognize that Owen Rye has a point - use what you get, but I have
customers who look for consistency in my advertised stuff. Maybe those
honeycomb shelves Marcia was tracking down are the answer ...
Thanks again for your ruminations.
Jeff
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