Lisa VanDonsel on thu 26 jul 12
Two questions...is anyone familiar with Clayworld low fire white clay? Any
thoughts? Leading a workshop for kids (supplies paid for by outfit
sponsoring the class), and looking for a low fire option, as I normally
fire to cone 5.
Also, changing element on a Skutt kiln, first time doing this. Watched the
various videos on youtube, and it seems straightforward, except for the
element pins. Having a hard time getting pins in between the coils at the
recommended angles (angled down and sideways) Any pointers and words of
wisdom on element pins?
Thanks,
Lisa
Snail Scott on thu 26 jul 12
On Jul 26, 2012, at 12:34 PM, Lisa VanDonsel wrote:
> Having a hard time getting pins in between the coils at the
> recommended angles (angled down and sideways) Any pointers and words of
> wisdom on element pins?
Use needle-nose pliers. Start the pin up against the top edge
of the element channel, and angled down to just catch under
a loop of element wire. (No benefit if it goes between loops.)
Get it started through the wire and make sure to catch the loop
before trying to jam it into the brick, even if you do it by hand.
I find it's easiest with pliers, but not everyone agrees.
Some folks try to trap the bottom coil of an element between
the channel floor and the pin by having the pin touch the
channel lip, but I prefer to trap it against the top/ back of the
channel, and have the pin touch the channel's top edge.
That said, most of the time a pre-sized and bent factory-made
element will fit into place with little fuss, and the element
pins are just security, keeping it in place while it softens and
settles itself during that first firing. Unless you have broken-out
element channels, or are using a nonstandard element, pins
are generally a minor concern.
-Snail
Arnold Howard on thu 26 jul 12
On 7/26/2012 12:34 PM, Lisa VanDonsel wrote:
> Also, changing element on a Skutt kiln, first time doing this. Watched t=
he
> various videos on youtube, and it seems straightforward, except for the
> element pins. Having a hard time getting pins in between the coils at th=
e
> recommended angles (angled down and sideways) Any pointers and words of
> wisdom on element pins?
Use needle-nose pliers to grip the pins. If you are having difficulty
getting the pins between the coils, then push the pins with the pliers,
and finish pressing into place by tapping with a small screw driver.
Drive the pins straight into the firebricks. If you change the angle
even slightly while you push them in, the holes will enlarge.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
jonathan byler on fri 27 jul 12
I bend a little hook on the pins to catch the element wire when I push
the pin in. also makes grasping with pliers easier. I have had the
opposite experience from snail with factory elements going into
factory element holders that were not particularly rough looking. I
neglected to put enough (or maybe any?) pins in and the kiln puked
half of the element wires out of the holders and one shorted out. sad
waste of $60, but this is how some of us occasionally learn not to
make mistakes. YMMV
-jb
On Jul 26, 2012, at 1:30 PM, Snail Scott wrote:
> On Jul 26, 2012, at 12:34 PM, Lisa VanDonsel wrote:
>> Having a hard time getting pins in between the coils at the
>> recommended angles (angled down and sideways) Any pointers and
>> words of
>> wisdom on element pins?
>
>
> Use needle-nose pliers. Start the pin up against the top edge
> of the element channel, and angled down to just catch under
> a loop of element wire. (No benefit if it goes between loops.)
> Get it started through the wire and make sure to catch the loop
> before trying to jam it into the brick, even if you do it by hand.
> I find it's easiest with pliers, but not everyone agrees.
>
> Some folks try to trap the bottom coil of an element between
> the channel floor and the pin by having the pin touch the
> channel lip, but I prefer to trap it against the top/ back of the
> channel, and have the pin touch the channel's top edge.
>
> That said, most of the time a pre-sized and bent factory-made
> element will fit into place with little fuss, and the element
> pins are just security, keeping it in place while it softens and
> settles itself during that first firing. Unless you have broken-out
> element channels, or are using a nonstandard element, pins
> are generally a minor concern.
>
> -Snail
Lisa VanDonsel on fri 27 jul 12
Thanks for the tips!
On Fri, Jul 27, 2012 at 12:53 AM, jonathan byler wrote=
:
> I bend a little hook on the pins to catch the element wire when I push
> the pin in. also makes grasping with pliers easier. I have had the
> opposite experience from snail with factory elements going into
> factory element holders that were not particularly rough looking. I
> neglected to put enough (or maybe any?) pins in and the kiln puked
> half of the element wires out of the holders and one shorted out. sad
> waste of $60, but this is how some of us occasionally learn not to
> make mistakes. YMMV
>
> -jb
>
>
>
> On Jul 26, 2012, at 1:30 PM, Snail Scott wrote:
>
> On Jul 26, 2012, at 12:34 PM, Lisa VanDonsel wrote:
>>
>>> Having a hard time getting pins in between the coils at the
>>> recommended angles (angled down and sideways) Any pointers and
>>> words of
>>> wisdom on element pins?
>>>
>>
>>
>> Use needle-nose pliers. Start the pin up against the top edge
>> of the element channel, and angled down to just catch under
>> a loop of element wire. (No benefit if it goes between loops.)
>> Get it started through the wire and make sure to catch the loop
>> before trying to jam it into the brick, even if you do it by hand.
>> I find it's easiest with pliers, but not everyone agrees.
>>
>> Some folks try to trap the bottom coil of an element between
>> the channel floor and the pin by having the pin touch the
>> channel lip, but I prefer to trap it against the top/ back of the
>> channel, and have the pin touch the channel's top edge.
>>
>> That said, most of the time a pre-sized and bent factory-made
>> element will fit into place with little fuss, and the element
>> pins are just security, keeping it in place while it softens and
>> settles itself during that first firing. Unless you have broken-out
>> element channels, or are using a nonstandard element, pins
>> are generally a minor concern.
>>
>> -Snail
>>
>
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