Snail Scott on wed 18 aug 10
On Aug 18, 2010, at 7:58 PM, Brad Sondahl wrote:
> ....what I just figured out is that a U shaped staple
> of Kanthal wire will hold them much more securely...
You can actually buy these, packaged and
sold as 'element staples', and they are exactly
what you came up with: a 'U' shape made from
Kanthal wire. Many suppliers sell them. Certainly
cheaper to make your own, though.
-Snail
Brad Sondahl on wed 18 aug 10
This is kind of obvious, but I only figured it out myself in the last
couple weeks. When your electric kiln gets to the point of having
chunks missing in the soft brick, elements tend to want to visit their
neighbors. Elements often come with short pieces of element wire to
secure them in the channels, but they can bend with time and let the
element escape. So what I just figured out is that a U shaped staple
of Kanthal wire will hold them much more securely. I make them from
about 2 inches of heavy element wire, bent with a pliers, and poked
into the soft brick with a pliers, at a slight downward angle, so
gravity will help keep them secure. I've tried it in both my kilns
fired to cone 9 for several weeks and they seem to work well.
Brad Sondahl
http://www.sondahl.com
jonathan byler on thu 19 aug 10
it is important to note that the staples should be made from the exact
same alloy as the elements. there are many types of "kanthal" and
nichrome. there are at least two relatively common types of the
kanthal wire used as kiln elements if I remember correctly. there is
good possibility of faster degradation of the elements where the
staples are touching them if they are not made of the same alloy.
On Aug 18, 2010, at 11:35 PM, Snail Scott wrote:
> On Aug 18, 2010, at 7:58 PM, Brad Sondahl wrote:
>> ....what I just figured out is that a U shaped staple
>> of Kanthal wire will hold them much more securely...
>
>
>
> You can actually buy these, packaged and
> sold as 'element staples', and they are exactly
> what you came up with: a 'U' shape made from
> Kanthal wire. Many suppliers sell them. Certainly
> cheaper to make your own, though.
>
> -Snail
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