Michael Wendt on mon 15 mar 10
Eleanora,
Consider a partial tophat system like mine:
http://www.wendtpottery.com/kilns.htm
The idea is to use a counter weight the same as the part
lifted so very little force is needed.
In contrast, a winch can drop the lifted component if the
latch pawl is not engaged.
I build hoists to order and they usually cost $350-500
depending on the material needed.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
you wrote:
I have waited way too long to ask clayart about this. My
kiln lid
is too heavy for me to lift. As I am forever adjusting the
height of
my kiln, the "normal" hinged system doesn't work for me.
I am enthusiastic about creating a pulley system to lift and
lower
the lid, which would live up near the ceiling between uses.
I have
looked at Amazon and maybe a bike hoist, or even two bike
hoists
used in tandem. would do the job.
It would have to be used with a cable, not rope.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Eleanora
Eleanora Eden on mon 15 mar 10
I have waited way too long to ask clayart about this. My kiln lid
is too heavy for me to lift. As I am forever adjusting the height of
my kiln, the "normal" hinged system doesn't work for me.
I am enthusiastic about creating a pulley system to lift and lower
the lid, which would live up near the ceiling between uses. I have
looked at Amazon and maybe a bike hoist, or even two bike hoists
used in tandem. would do the job.
It would have to be used with a cable, not rope.
Any thoughts?
Thanks,
Eleanora
--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com
Eleanora Eden on tue 16 mar 10
Hi Michael,
That system is very cool but it is way more than I need.
I hadn't really gotten as far as envisioning the stopping
mechanism to keep the lid up when it is up, but I think it
could be pretty simple.
Best,
Eleanora
>Eleanora,
>Consider a partial tophat system like mine:
>http://www.wendtpottery.com/kilns.htm
>The idea is to use a counter weight the same as the part
>lifted so very little force is needed.
>In contrast, a winch can drop the lifted component if the
>latch pawl is not engaged.
>I build hoists to order and they usually cost $350-500
>depending on the material needed.
>Regards,
>Michael Wendt
--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com
paul gerhold on tue 16 mar 10
Eleanora,
If you have a ceiling above your kiln or a wall behind it, this is pretty
easy. Drill a hole in the middle of the lid handle that will fit an S
hook. Go from the S hook to about a foot of small chain and then to a
rope. The rope goes to a pulley in the ceiling behind the back of the kiln
or on the wall behind the kiln. My system goes to the wall , and then to th=
e
ceiling with another pulley. You can then go to another pulley off to the
side away from the kiln and then to a counterweight that balances the lid.
I also built a wood stop that when the lid is raised stops the lid from
going more than slightly past vertical. The counterweight pulls the lid
tight against this stop so the lid is not working against the hinge. Tota=
l
cost for my system probably about $30. Have been using it on my big Skutt
for about 15 years.
When you change the height of the kiln you unhook the S link, raise the kil=
n
and the rehook the link. You can use a coated cable in place of the rope
but it is not really necessary if you use a piece of chain to take the
heat. If you use cable you will have to check the cable clamps from time t=
o
time to make sure thay stay tight.
Paul
On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 10:38 PM, Eleanora Eden wrote=
:
> I have waited way too long to ask clayart about this. My kiln lid
> is too heavy for me to lift. As I am forever adjusting the height of
> my kiln, the "normal" hinged system doesn't work for me.
>
> I am enthusiastic about creating a pulley system to lift and lower
> the lid, which would live up near the ceiling between uses. I have
> looked at Amazon and maybe a bike hoist, or even two bike hoists
> used in tandem. would do the job.
>
> It would have to be used with a cable, not rope.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eleanora
>
> --
> Bellows Falls Vermont
> www.eleanoraeden.com
>
James Freeman on tue 16 mar 10
Eleanora...
Michael's system is really slick and quite impressive, and his price
seems very reasonable. If, however, that is not what you are looking
for, there are other options.
The simplest option might be to purchase one of the commercial
aftermarket lid-lifter systems. I have one of the spring-loaded
systems on my large Shimpo kiln. I believe the lifter was made by
L&L. It replaced the standard hinge, and works very well. There are
also counterweighted varieties. Very easy to install, even if not
exactly inexpensive.
Your bicycle hoist idea would work just fine, and I don't see any
reason why you would have to replace the rope with cable. A kiln
weighs about the same as most bicycles, so the rope would be plenty
strong. While the kiln is firing, simply unhook the hoist from the
lid handle and pull it up toward the ceiling to keep the rope away
from the heat. If you opt for this route, Harbor Freight sells the
bike hoists for far less than anyone else I have found. The same
hoist that is $25 at the home center store is $10 at Harbor Freight.
They also go on sale quite frequently on their front or back cover for
$5-6.
You can also make your own very simple counterweight system. Install
two single pulleys on your ceiling, one above your kiln, and a second
one either behind or beside it. Run a cable from the lid handle up to
the first pulley, over to the second, then down a few feet toward the
floor. Hang a counterweight that is slightly less heavy than your
kiln lid from the free end of the cable. You can use bricks,
water-filled jugs, weights from an old weightlifting set, or whatever.
The counterweight will effectively subtract itself from the weight of
the lid, allowing you to lift it with ease.
Good luck with your project.
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I
should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/clayart/
On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 9:38 PM, Eleanora Eden wrote:
> I have waited way too long to ask clayart about this. =3DA0My kiln lid
> is too heavy for me to lift. =3DA0As I am forever adjusting the height of
> my kiln, the "normal" hinged system doesn't work for me.
>
> I am enthusiastic about creating a pulley system to lift and lower
> the lid, which would live up near the ceiling between uses. =3DA0I have
> looked at Amazon and maybe a bike hoist, or even two bike hoists
> used in tandem. would do the job.
>
> It would have to be used with a cable, not rope.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Eleanora
>
> --
> Bellows Falls Vermont
> www.eleanoraeden.com
>
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