amy parker on wed 1 apr 98
I just fired my Brand New Kiln for the first time & have really stupid
questions. I have never used a NEW one before!!! This is an electric
kiln, with three rings. There was a definite "air space" all the way around
the top ring, below the lid, when it was up to cone 06 or so. Well, it was
getting dark by then, so it was really noticeable at that time - could not
say for sure that this was not there earlier.
My questions - is this "normal"? Will it "fix" itself after a few firings
when all settles down? I can see on the lid that there were several places
that made firm contact, at least from the oxide patterns, but I SWEAR I could
have passed a piece or shirt cardboard in thickness all the way around the
lid, except for these few pieces. Or, do i need to do some gentle sanding?
TIA for the help!
A comment on the leaching issue - several years ago there was an article in
Science News about a group of scientists who were studying lead leaching.
They were discussing lead crystal over lunch, and several of them said they
had lead crystal decanters at home with various alcoholic potions stored
therein. They returned to work the next day with their decanters and tested
the contents, and found to their horror, that some of these liquids contained
near-lethal lead levels. The more expensive the crystal, the higher the
lead content, and the more potent the spirits, the higher also, and
the "winner" of the lead content was a bottle of (whatever) that had been
passed down in the family for years, but fortunately not consumed!
amy parker Lithonia, GA
amyp@sd-software.com
John Post on thu 2 apr 98
Hi Amy,
I had the same problem on a small 2.5 cu ft test kiln that I have. It made
the kiln cool too quickly and probably wasted lots of kilowatts on its way
up to cone 6.
The problem is in the way that the hinge is aligned. It is creating a gap.
If you take all of the screws out of the hinge that hold it to the lid, you
should be able to lay the lid flat on the kiln body. You can then
reposition the hinge so that it lines up with the lid as it lies flat on
the kiln body.
Reattach the hinge to the lid in the new position. You can't just put the
screws back into the old holes. You will need to find a spot where the lid
lies flat and that you can make new holes for the screws.
Having said all that, I found that I get the best fit on my tiny test kiln
if the lid is not attached to the hinge at all. I just remove the lid
completely and lay it gently back on the kiln when I fire. No matter how I
adjusted the hinge, the fit was never as good as with it unattached. I
wouldn't do this in a classroom situation, because of safety considerations
and because the lid would probably take a beating.
Good luck,
John Post
rp1mrvl@moa.net
Sterling Heights, Michigan USA
>There was a definite "air space" all the way around
>the top ring, below the lid, when it was up to cone 06 or so. Well, it was
>getting dark by then, so it was really noticeable at that time - could not
>say for sure that this was not there earlier.
>
>My questions - is this "normal"? Will it "fix" itself after a few firings
>when all settles down? I can see on the lid that there were several places
>that made firm contact, at least from the oxide patterns, but I SWEAR I could
>have passed a piece or shirt cardboard in thickness all the way around the
>lid, except for these few pieces. Or, do i need to do some gentle sanding?
>
>amy parker Lithonia, GA
>amyp@sd-software.com
>
>
Stephen Mills on thu 2 apr 98
you need to adjust the lid hinge to give it expansion space. Currently
the brick is expanding during the firing forcing the lid open. Check
your Manual, there should be a section in there dealing with physical
adjustments.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , amy parker writes
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I just fired my Brand New Kiln for the first time & have really stupid
>questions. I have never used a NEW one before!!! This is an electric
>kiln, with three rings. There was a definite "air space" all the way around
>the top ring, below the lid, when it was up to cone 06 or so. Well, it was
>getting dark by then, so it was really noticeable at that time - could not
>say for sure that this was not there earlier.
>
>My questions - is this "normal"? Will it "fix" itself after a few firings
>when all settles down? I can see on the lid that there were several places
>that made firm contact, at least from the oxide patterns, but I SWEAR I could
>have passed a piece or shirt cardboard in thickness all the way around the
>lid, except for these few pieces. Or, do i need to do some gentle sanding?
>
>TIA for the help!
>
>A comment on the leaching issue - several years ago there was an article in
>Science News about a group of scientists who were studying lead leaching.
>They were discussing lead crystal over lunch, and several of them said they
>had lead crystal decanters at home with various alcoholic potions stored
>therein. They returned to work the next day with their decanters and tested
>the contents, and found to their horror, that some of these liquids contained
>near-lethal lead levels. The more expensive the crystal, the higher the
>lead content, and the more potent the spirits, the higher also, and
>the "winner" of the lead content was a bottle of (whatever) that had been
>passed down in the family for years, but fortunately not consumed!
>
>amy parker Lithonia, GA
>amyp@sd-software.com
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
home e-mail: stevemills@mudslinger.demon.co.uk
work e-mail: stevemills@bathpotters.demon.co.uk
own website: http://www.mudslinger.demon.co.uk
BPS website: http://www.bathpotters.demon.co.uk
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