Elizabeth Priddy on fri 14 may 10
Some breasts stick out harem scarem,
making matters even worse!
And many a clay dude could benefit from a Bro
or Mansiere, so the problem is not gender specific.
Regarding the gazelle-like speedy, snake-like agile,
short, and full breasted (disregarding their
(harrumph!)orientation) potter...
I don't like to brag, but that's a spot on description of me!
How did you know!?!?!?
I was face down in a small top loading kiln this
morning and can attest to the problems you mentioned.
I will load the wood kiln in the morning,
which is also a top loading, so there I go again.
I take out half of the brick on one side and load
using a cinder block set of sturdy steps in semi
comfort then build that side back up before
putting the top assembly on.
The front loading is even worse for me, though.
Back surgery has made the leaning forward carrying
weight option excruciating, while I can brace
against the top loader making it slightly less bothersome.
- ePriddy
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
"Females often come equipped with breasts
which stick out in front..." -Lili
lili krakowski on fri 14 may 10
While fuel burning kilns have their problems, a lot is written about =3D
them, and help is always on the way, WHY are electric kilns still so =3D
difficult for us short weak elderly people to stack and empty?
ALL the stats indicate that the average US woman is just about 5'4" and =
=3D
weighs 163 lbs. It all sounds kinder in the metric system, but short =3D
and dumpy remains.
We also have an "aging population" which means many no longer have the =3D
gazelle-like agility, and snake-like flexibility of youth.
Plus, many potters are female! Females often come equipped with =3D
breasts which stick out in front...and interfere, or can interfere with =
=3D
full range crosswise arm movement.
Men also can be short and round, and some are tall and round....Tummies, =
=3D
a.k.a. beer bellies, are no help in bending over a kiln.
Front loaders are great: but also far costlier than most of us can =3D
afford. And as I have not dealt with one since the 1950s (18" x 18" x =3D
18" Washburns) I have no idea how easy or not it is to replace =3D
elements.
Last: I do not know if the new computerized kilns are any different: but =
=3D
large plain old manual top loading kilns are hell to deal with. =3D20
I am in the painful process of putting new elements in my 1963 Knight =3D
kiln. The cages which cover the switches and wires have been rotted =3D
by steam over the years. They now are brittle and broken in some =3D
places, and have caused numerous gashes on my fingers. (Fingers too =3D
fat, cages too small for workgloves)
I could take the rings apart. The brick, however, has become fragile, =
=3D
with cracks I do not want to confront, and the metal rings, while I can =
=3D
and do back them up with long long hose clamps are fragile too...So I =3D
did take the top off....but left the other two rings alone.
Besides the bloodletting I have to do all this in short time spans =3D
because hanging over the kiln edge on my stomach--and this is NOT belly =3D
territory, this is my actual stomach, the part below the breastbone and =3D
above the waist--makes me nauseous. =3D20
I do not have the big bosom problem....but know several D-cup potters. .
As I am not a production potter and make what I want to make when I want =
=3D
to make it, I manage to have several tallish pieces for every glaze =3D
firing--pieces which go on the bottom, so there are only one or two =3D
"leanings". How any woman of average size and height stacks mugs, or =3D
cereal bowls is a good question.
I do have a little platform to stand on ...but it throws me off =3D
balance--yes, were I younger it might not, but I am NOT younger!
So I ask the several on this list--and, Yo! in the world at large--WHY? =
=3D
The lid and top ring of a kiln could be swivelable....Or possibly in two =
=3D
(vertically cut) halves, with the elements NOT going all the way round, =3D
but cleverly wrapped each within a half. =3D20
FAR more solid construction of that top ring might allow it to have =3D
handles that DO NOT steam off, and that COULD be used to lift the thing.
And as far as shelves go: Whom would it hurt if those C shaped half =3D
shelves, and certainly whole ones could have holes in them through which =
=3D
a piece of rope could be looped to allow easier lowering and raising =3D
(rope removed once things set down)?
After breakfast I will clean my entire house before I go "hangout" with =3D
my kiln. In the hope that by three PM breakfast will no longer =3D
interfere with kiln repair!
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Gwynneth Rixon on fri 14 may 10
At last=3D2C someone who is not singing the praises of top loading kilns!!
Lili=3D2C am I being too cynical in thinking that someone dreamed up these =
be=3D
asts because they were cheaper to build?
As heat rises=3D2C I can't see them being sensible that way either.
Gwynneth
www.gwynnethrixonceramics.co.uk
=3D20
_________________________________________________________________
http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/197222280/direct/01/
We want to hear all your funny=3D2C exciting and crazy Hotmail stories. Tel=
l =3D
us now=3D
Michael Wendt on fri 14 may 10
Lili,
Look at my top hat gas kiln.
http://www.wendtpottery.com/tophat_circular_ring_kilns.htm
I could easily build a similar hoist for an electric
that would lift the top ring with lid
effortlessly (due to counterweights),
take up virtually no more floor space
and would be utterly safe thanks to
locking pins that prevent the top from
falling in the event of a cable break.
Any takers?
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Arnold Howard on fri 14 may 10
From: "Gwynneth Rixon"
At last, someone who is not singing the praises of top
loading kilns!! Lili, am I being too cynical in thinking
that someone dreamed up these beasts because they were
cheaper to build?
As heat rises, I can't see them being sensible that way
either.
--------------
Gwynneth, you're right--top loading kilns are easier to
build than front-loading. They're less expensive because of
the savings in labor.
Above 1100 degrees F, heat no longer rises. If a kiln is
cooler on the bottom than the top at higher temperatures, it
is not due to heat rising. It is due to the thermal mass of
the firebrick bottom, which absorbs a lot of heat.
Here is a video that shows the steps taken to make a
top-loading kiln:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DXuCZa8QALjE
This next video shows Paragon's front-loading kiln assembly
area:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DMZOBcr_LLSA
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Arnold Howard on fri 14 may 10
From: "lili krakowski"
The lid and top ring of a kiln could be swivelable....Or
possibly in two (vertically cut) halves, with the elements
NOT going all the way round, but cleverly wrapped each
within a half.
FAR more solid construction of that top ring might allow it
to have handles that DO NOT steam off, and that COULD be
used to lift the thing.
------------
Years ago I changed elements every time I fired an 8-sided,
22 1/4" deep test kiln. (We were adjusting the ohms in the
elements to make the kiln fire more evenly.)
Since I changed the elements so often, I found a little
trick that simplified the process. After you remove the old
elements, place a new one on the top edge of the kiln. The
element should be pre-stretched and bent in the corners. If
the element feeds into two or more rows of grooves, the
element will lay on top of the kiln like a coiled rope.
Start feeding the bottom coil into the first element hole.
If you feed the top coil, the element will become tangled
and you will have to start over.
And, of course, tighten the connectors properly. Vice-Grips
and a 1/4" box-end wrench enable even the smallest hands to
really bear down on barrel connectors. Loose connectors not
only burn out later, but they can actually reduce the kiln's
amperage.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Lis Allison on fri 14 may 10
On Friday 14 May 2010, Lili wrote:
> While fuel burning kilns have their problems, a lot is written about
> them, and help is always on the way, WHY are electric kilns still so
> difficult for us short weak elderly people to stack and empty?
>
Oh, Lili, I am so 'there' with you! I've gotten used to not planning to
put short things on the bottom of my kiln..... but it isn't efficient, at
least not always. Mine is on right now with the lowest shelf basically
empty. Need a batch of flat dishes for tomorrow and I find trying to place
them on the bottom I just bump glaze off edges, smudge painting and so on,
so I don't even try to get that layer really full.
Somewhat on this subject, what experience do people have with top-loading
kilns that have elements in the floor? How do you stack? How does the
brick floor hold up over time?
I'll be buying a new kiln soon and the one that is made sort-of-locally
has elements in the bottom and it worries me. Am I wrong?
Lis
--
Elisabeth Allison
Pine Ridge Studio
www.Pine-Ridge-Studio.blogspot.com
Snail Scott on fri 14 may 10
On May 14, 2010, at 9:22 AM, Gwynneth Rixon wrote:
> At last, someone who is not singing the praises of top loading
> kilns!!
> Lili, am I being too cynical in thinking that someone dreamed up
> these beasts because they were cheaper to build? As heat rises, I
> can't see them being sensible that way either.
Cheaper to build - that is pretty much it. A LOT
cheaper to build, I suspect. And thus to buy.
Heat doesn't rise, though, unless there is a
heat gradient. A 'tight' electric kiln should
experience relatively little convection; not
much difference in that respect between a
front-loader and a top-loader.
Hey, Arnold- just out of curiosity, since you are
reading this thread - how many front-loaders
does Paragon sell, relative to top-loaders of
similar capacity and capability?
-Snail
Snail Scott on fri 14 may 10
On May 14, 2010, at 8:45 AM, lili krakowski wrote:
> ... WHY are electric kilns still so difficult for us short weak
> elderly people to stack and empty?
> ALL the stats indicate that the average US woman is just about 5'4"
> and weighs 163 lbs. It all sounds kinder in the metric system, but
> short and dumpy remains...
Not elderly, but short, for sure. After the floor
only mold electric collapsed into chunks (long
story), I cannibalized my even older kiln, using
its lid as an 'under-floor', stacking the original
floor fragments on top, then the whole kiln on
that. Works great, evens out my firings nicely,
and allowed me to shorten my kiln stand by a
solid 6 inches. (Maybe more would have worked,
but I just took the legs off and propped up the
corners on some hardbrick laid flat.) The extra
floor adds a couple of inches back in, but even the
few inches of reduction really makes reaching the
floor a lot easier. (The reason the floor collapsed
in the first place was due to years of balancing
on my gut to reach the bottom, full weight on the
rim and feet in the air: in retrospect, a bad idea.)
I wouldn't want to give up kiln height, since I already
have to fire most of my stuff in sections and I don't
want more constraints. When I fire really cumbersome
stuff, I unstack the kiln, load the work on the floor, then
rebuild the kiln around it. Long term. I plan to rig a
pulley to facilitate unstacking alone, though. The rings
aren't heavy, but they're hard to get short arms around,
and hard to navigate back into place around the work
when you can't hardly see it. (My heart says:"Electric
motorized bridge crane!" My brain, which answers to
my bank account and my schedule, says: "Well pulley
and a cleat.")
-Snail
Maurice Weitman on sat 15 may 10
At 22:35 -0700 on 5/14/10, Elizabeth Priddy wrote:
>Some breasts stick out harem scarem,
>making matters even worse!
>
>And many a clay dude could benefit from a Bro
>or Mansiere, so the problem is not gender specific.
I use duct tape myself. Very slimming.
And trendy Big Box stores carry rolls in Ralph Lauren colours.
Slimming and stylin'.
Regards,
Maurice
Arnold Howard on mon 17 may 10
From: "Snail Scott"
> Hey, Arnold- just out of curiosity, since you are
> reading this thread - how many front-loaders
> does Paragon sell, relative to top-loaders of
> similar capacity and capability?
The top-loading kilns outsell the front-loading by 6-1 or
more.
A wide, short top-loader may be the answer to those who have
difficulty loading a deep kiln. The TnF-27-3 firing chamber
is 28" wide and only 22 1/4" deep.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
jonathan byler on mon 17 may 10
is this because they are so much cheaper to make, and therefore
cheaper to buy?
On May 17, 2010, at 1:38 PM, Arnold Howard wrote:
> From: "Snail Scott"
>> Hey, Arnold- just out of curiosity, since you are
>> reading this thread - how many front-loaders
>> does Paragon sell, relative to top-loaders of
>> similar capacity and capability?
>
> The top-loading kilns outsell the front-loading by 6-1 or
> more.
>
>
> Sincerely,
>
> Arnold Howard
> Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
> ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Arnold Howard on mon 17 may 10
From: "jonathan byler"
> is this because they are so much cheaper to make, and
> therefore
> cheaper to buy?
Yes. The top-loaders have the lowest cost per cubic foot,
because they are faster to produce than the front-loaders
and because the materials are less expensive. The
front-loaders require welding, a specially fitted door with
sealed bearings, a firebrick recess around the door,
cemented walls, and a heavier steel case. We also add more
insulation to the front-loaders.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
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