mel jacobson on tue 7 jun 11
back burning as nils has said is always a controllable issue.
things get out of balance. air/gas pressure.
i have never seen it be the fault of the burner as such.
it is a gas/air issue. and, with multiple burner kilns, it may
be tough to find.
i have plugged the air vents of burners before with
a small bit of kaowool. just slows things down.
on some older burners when we had high gas pressure issues
we even made some beer can baffles.
it is all about experimentation.
and not in the middle of a firing. when the kiln is empty.
look and see.
nils` reminder of the empty kiln test is a rally a great reminder.
and, firing with a dirty, low air setting is just plain stupid. a waste
of fuel, big time.
and, i agree with nils 100 percent. get as much heat/energy into
your kiln as fast as you can, then cut back as the kiln gets hot.
it just makes sense. long pre/heats and slow firings are just
stupid.
and, one of the main reason for our new book was/IS:
the bad information coming out of colleges and art centers
are legion. the automatic electric kiln has killed the knowledge base of
fuel firing. students don't get much technical information any longer...th=
en
they get an mfa and head to the real world. loaded with `smart art`
theory, but do not have a clue how to do/make anything. we are now on
our third generation of un/trained teachers. but, brilliant with
metaphor.
and, that is not a broad brush...there are still pockets of
great teaching...but, you don't have to move very far from
field to find no `craft/tech` teaching at all. `bob does that
stuff in the back room`.
remember, i get the calls and emails.
`MY KILN DOES NOT WORK, WHAT DO I DO?`
and, as my dear friend joe koons said so often...`it is frightening
how many supposedly intelligent famous potters/teachers would ask the
dumbest questions and then argue with you after you give them
the right answer.` many people get all their information from
books written from 1930-1950.
it is nearly 2012. thermo-dynamics theory
has moved forward. industry and the space age has changed
our thinking 5000 fold. we must move forward. and that is
ecology at its best, and the bottom line of fuel costs are really
important to your `bottom line`. waste is really expensive,
and in many ways. waste and your costs should always lead
your technical knowledge. it just makes sense.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com
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