search  current discussion  categories  forms - misc 

platters in electric kiln

updated thu 16 sep 04

 

John Tilton on sun 30 may 99

Once or twice each year for the last 20 years my friend Lennie Kesl and
I have collaborated on a series of pots. He is a painter and the pots
are red earthenware decorated with underglazes.

I have just made some platters which are 22 1/2 inches dry and the
inside dimension of my electric kiln is only 23 3/8 inches. Is there any
way to fire them in this kiln? They will be hard enough to even get in
the kiln, but I think that 2 people with small hands can do it. But boy
they will be close to the elements!

I really do not want to blow any of these guys up -- they have lots of
work in them.

Thanks.

John

--
John Tilton
16211 NW 88th Terrace
Alachua, Fl. 32615
904-462-3762
Web site: http://www.tiltonpottery.com
mailto:tilton@atlantic.net

Ray Aldridge on sun 30 may 99

At 11:37 AM 5/30/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Once or twice each year for the last 20 years my friend Lennie Kesl and
>I have collaborated on a series of pots. He is a painter and the pots
>are red earthenware decorated with underglazes.
>
>I have just made some platters which are 22 1/2 inches dry and the
>inside dimension of my electric kiln is only 23 3/8 inches. Is there any
>way to fire them in this kiln? They will be hard enough to even get in
>the kiln, but I think that 2 people with small hands can do it. But boy
>they will be close to the elements!
>

The only thing I could suggest is that if your kiln has sufficient power to
fire to red heat without using all the elements, you might bisque the
platters in the top or bottom of another load and wait to turn on the
elements adjacent to the platters until the kiln has reached red heat (and
passed the dunting point.) Don't know if this would work, however.

It shouldn't be hard to load them, because you can make a sling of a couple
of sturdy paper strips, to lower the piece into place. Trim away the ends
or pull them out after the piece is on the shelf. I wouldn't leave paper
in the glaze firing.

Ray

Sharon R Pemberton on mon 31 may 99

First, I would preheat the platter in a chamber, box, with a hair dryer to
get all of the physical moisture removed. I presume the ware is green at this
point. Make a wide sling from muslin or other cotton/silk cloth, MUST be a
natural fiber, that will allow enough room to have 2 people grasp cloth and
lower platter into kiln. The lower into the kiln the better due to the heat
rises factor. Fire very slowly. And the exact firing schedule depends on your
kiln size, type, manual, auto, ramp system, etc.

Pax tecum,

Pug

Dannon Rhudy on mon 31 may 99

At 11:37 AM 5/30/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Kesl and
>I have collaborated on a series of pots. He is a painter and the pots
>are red earthenware decorated with underglazes.
>
>I have just made some platters which are 22 1/2 inches dry and the
>inside dimension of my electric kiln is only 23 3/8 inches. Is there any
>way to fire them in this kiln? .....

John, that's pretty close to the elements, especially considering that they
are platters, lots of stresses....but, probably you can. Why not try with
ONE first, see if it goes? To keep the heating more even, put small shims
of soft brick around where the foot rim will sit, to let heat in and out from
under, keep it more even. Or, you can also use small pieces of fiber.
It will help relieve stress on the rim heating/cooling.

To get the platters IN the kiln, try this: Make a sling of twine with long
ends so that the platter can be lowered straight down. Then either pull
the twine out, or just drop it, and make one for each platter. If they're
already
glazed, and you are once-firing, then maybe better pull the sling out.
I've used slings on big pieces for bisqueing, and find that they work very
well.

Regards,

Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com


>
>I really do not want to blow any of these guys up -- they have lots of
>work in them.
>
>Thanks.
>
>John
>
>--
>John Tilton
>16211 NW 88th Terrace
>Alachua, Fl. 32615
>904-462-3762
>Web site: http://www.tiltonpottery.com
> mailto:tilton@atlantic.net
>

John Jensen on mon 31 may 99

John
I can understand that you want to be extra careful not to risk a valuable
piece so I offer my small information with that in mind. We fire birdbaths
at the school here in our Scutt 1027 from time to time and often have very
little space at all to spare. I've never tried to put them anywhere but on
the top shelf and my fingers fitting pinchingly into the corners to gently
lower the piece into place. There's never any room left over for stilts
anyway so it would have to be the top shelf. I try to have the edge of the
platter be on a level between the elements..All that being said..We've had
one piece I can remember suffer a big crack...possible dunting from a too
rapid cooling... Other than that, a lot of relative successes.
John Jensen, mudbug@toad.net
Mudbug Pottery
Annapolis, Md.

The great learning takes root in clarifying the way wherein the intelligence
increases through the process of looking straight into one's own heart and
acting on the results; it is rooted in watching with affection the way
people grow.
....Confucious

eden@sover.net on tue 1 jun 99

Hi John,

I keep thinking you might do well to make sure that the rims are as far
from elements as possible, between the elements so that the rim is adjacent
to brick rather than right up next to the element. For a bisc kiln to keep
the footrings nice and flat I put the platter on a piece of shelf it fits
on that is elevated off the shelf beneath by at least a 1/2" stilt. The
small piece of shelf seems to allow enough circulation and still give it a
solid support. Also, remembering Ron Roy's comment that was such an
epiphany for me, that platters should not be fired in the bottom half of
the kiln because it cools too fast. Since I started respecting that rule
I've had much more consistent success with platters. I like level 2 of my 4
level kiln for big flat stuff, on the theory that the top level might also
sometimes have too rapid temperature change. Anybody else have thoughts
about that?

And best of luck with it.

Eleanora

...........

Eleanora Eden 802 869-2003
Paradise Hill
Bellows Falls, VT 05101 eden@sover.net

Elias Portor on wed 2 jun 99

I have found if you have at least a breath between the elements and you fire
at a medium speed you will probably do ok. I have had to place my things
nearly a hair breadth and have had no problems. In the bisque fire I fire
on low for several hours then to med and high for a two hour time inbetween
med/high then onto finish. If you have a computerized I think med is good
at least for low fire I work with. Eportor

John Tilton wrote:

> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Once or twice each year for the last 20 years my friend Lennie Kesl and
> I have collaborated on a series of pots. He is a painter and the pots
> are red earthenware decorated with underglazes.
>
> I have just made some platters which are 22 1/2 inches dry and the
> inside dimension of my electric kiln is only 23 3/8 inches. Is there any
> way to fire them in this kiln? They will be hard enough to even get in
> the kiln, but I think that 2 people with small hands can do it. But boy
> they will be close to the elements!
>
> I really do not want to blow any of these guys up -- they have lots of
> work in them.
>
> Thanks.
>
> John
>
> --
> John Tilton
> 16211 NW 88th Terrace
> Alachua, Fl. 32615
> 904-462-3762
> Web site: http://www.tiltonpottery.com
> mailto:tilton@atlantic.net

Tena Payne on wed 2 jun 99


John:

Make a sling out of old sheeting or t-shirts. Lower into the kiln and
just let the material burn out.

Also, I have great success laying a pad of ceramic fiber on the kiln
shelves on which I place my large platters. It allowes the piece to
shift as it wants, and reduces heating/cooling stresses any large piece
goes thru.


Good Luck!

Tena
Birmingham, Alabama


--- John Tilton wrote:
> ----------------------------Original
> message----------------------------
> Once or twice each year for the last 20 years my
> friend Lennie Kesl and
> I have collaborated on a series of pots. He is a
> painter and the pots
> are red earthenware decorated with underglazes.
>
> I have just made some platters which are 22 1/2
> inches dry and the
> inside dimension of my electric kiln is only 23 3/8
> inches. Is there any
> way to fire them in this kiln? They will be hard
> enough to even get in
> the kiln, but I think that 2 people with small hands
> can do it. But boy
> they will be close to the elements!
>
> I really do not want to blow any of these guys up --
> they have lots of
> work in them.
>
> Thanks.
>
> John
>
> --
> John Tilton
> 16211 NW 88th Terrace
> Alachua, Fl. 32615
> 904-462-3762
> Web site: http://www.tiltonpottery.com
> mailto:tilton@atlantic.net
>

_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

Susan Fox Hirschmann on wed 2 jun 99

Hi john,

I also do lots of platters in electric kilns, and find that i need to have
enough space to actually create a wall of stilts around them (the large-20-24
" ones that is).
There appears to be a big difference between firing 14" platters and 18"
platters, in loss rate that is! Maybe someone out there can analyze that
issue,....particularly in cone 10 porcelain When i have a whole load of
platters, i TRY to underfire them by a cone or so. They are decorative
platters, and i find any warping is alleviated by this bit of "underfiring".
I also cool them as slowly as a fire them.....finding that slower up, and
slower down, helps immeasurably,. With all vents open to 750 degrees on the
way up.
Good luck with them.
Yep, platters are a continual challenge!

susan fox hirschmann
in steamy annandale, virginia

Knox Steinbrecher on wed 2 jun 99

Dannon,

Are you suggesting that the platter rests ON the shims of soft brick/ fiber
rather than on the kiln shelf directly???

knox.....in windy but warm Virginia

Dannon Rhudy on thu 3 jun 99


Yes. The shims will lift the platter off the shelf, allowing for better/more
even heat flow around the piece.


At 06:15 PM 6/2/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Dannon,
>
>Are you suggesting that the platter rests ON the shims of soft brick/ fiber
>rather than on the kiln shelf directly???
>
>knox.....in windy but warm Virginia
>

aharon on wed 15 sep 04


hello
my name is aharon and i live in israel
i want to build a n electric kiln
i need information i have minimum info
but realy want to learn .
my aime is to builn an electric kiln in order to melt glass
i have bricks but no plans
help ....
thank u very much