Sam Shuford on fri 23 jul 99
A couple of questions about gas fired kilns.
1) What range of BTU would be needed to fire an approximately 20 square foot
kiln. (yes, I know there are a lot of factors, but a close guess is fine!)
2) Can A gas kiln be fired on propane?
3) And MOST importantly, can someone recommend a book on building your own
gas fired kiln?
Thanks
Sammy J. Shuford
Samshuford@cchat.com
Sam Shuford on sat 24 jul 99
Thanks for the reply!
When I first started reading this list all I had done was slip cast and
paint. Now, I am ready to start throwing and working with glazes NOT found
in stores!
A turning point for me was the purchase of a custom mug from a member of
Clayart, who was explaining why hers were worth her price. I bought one and
looked over it carefully. The absolute nicest piece of pottery I have had
the pleasure to hold in my hand. (but why does the coffee taste better?)
I could not find any books available from Nils Lou. I understand he reads
Clayart (Nils, where can I order your book and plans?)
I will look now for Paul's. Thanks again to you and to Clayart!
Sammy J. Shuford
Samshuford@cchat.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Marcia Selsor [mailto:selsor@imt.net]
Sent: Saturday, July 24, 1999 4:03 PM
To: samshuford@cchat.com
Subject: Re: Gas fired Kilns
According to an old Paul Soldner Book on Kilns -1968, it takes approx
14,000 BTUs/per cubic foot to fire a soft insulation brick kiln and
30,000 BTUs /per cubic foot to fire a hard brick kiln.
With things like ITC your BTU need is reduced.
Yes you can fire a gas kiln with propane. Burners can be built or get
customized burners from places like Ward Burners. Mark really knows his
stuff.
Recommended books, are Paul Soldner's , or Nils Lou,.
I question some things in Olson's book from past experience and his not
mentioning high altitudes regarding a kiln built at Banff (6000 ft.
above sea level) but it is a start.
Marci in Montana
Sam Shuford wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> A couple of questions about gas fired kilns.
>
> 1) What range of BTU would be needed to fire an approximately 20 square
foot
> kiln. (yes, I know there are a lot of factors, but a close guess is
fine!)
> 2) Can A gas kiln be fired on propane?
> 3) And MOST importantly, can someone recommend a book on building your own
> gas fired kiln?
>
> Thanks
>
> Sammy J. Shuford
> Samshuford@cchat.com
--
Marcia Selsor
selsor@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/spain99.html
http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/selsor/welcome.html
Richard Gralnik on sat 24 jul 99
Sam,
You'll probably get better answers from the gurus on line, but I'll add my $.02
based on the kiln I just finished building:
>1) What range of BTU would be needed to fire an approximately 20 square foot
>kiln. (yes, I know there are a lot of factors, but a close guess is fine!)
I think Fred Olson's book recommends 9000 BTU per cubic foot.
>2) Can A gas kiln be fired on propane?
Yes. Marc Ward can tell you more precisely (check the archives too) but you
basically need to change the orifices on your burners to sizes for propane.
Check out the info about the different types of delivery systems for getting
the propane to the kiln without freezing your tanks. Check out the info on
propane safety too.
>3) And MOST importantly, can someone recommend a book on building your own
>gas fired kiln?
The source for answers on this one is Steve Branfman (sbranfpots@aol.com)
who runs The Potter's Shop in Needham, MA. The ones I used are:
The Art of Firing - Nils Lou (on clayart). I believe this book's latest
edition has the
plans for the Minnesota Flat Top kiln published separately. Buy both.
Read them about 5 times before you do *ANYTHING* else.
The Energy Efficient Potter - Regis Brodie Check InterLibrary Loan for
this. It's
been out of print for a while.
The Kiln Book - Fred Olson
Kilns (?) - Daniel Rhodes
Karl Platt always recommended the North American Combustion Handbook from
the North American manufacturing company (Sorry I don't have the exact info.)
Make a point of reading the Clayart Archives too. The wisdom (and wit) of
the people on this list is beyond price. I have megabytes of email and pages
of notes from phone calls not to mention kiln blueprints, photos and other
things shared by the indescribably generous people who are clayart.
Richard
Craig Martell on sat 24 jul 99
Hi:
>A couple of questions about gas fired kilns.
Ok, shoot!
>1) What range of BTU would be needed to fire an approximately 20 >square
foot kiln.
Do you mean cubic feet? You need to know the total interior cubic foot
value, not just the stacking space. For a soft brick kiln the recommended
btu input is 10,000 to 16,000 btu's per cubic foot. 10 grand would be the
minimum and 16 grand would be max. For hard brick it's 16,000 to 20,000
btu's per cube. It depends on the firing temp too. If you are going to
cone 10 and above use all the heat you can get. A kiln with a total 20
cubic foot interior would need a minimum of 200,000 btu's. If you were
going to use 2 burners, you'd need 100,000 btu's per burner.
>2) Can A gas kiln be fired on propane?
Yes, propane and natural gas are widely used. Propane is 2.5 times hotter
than natural gas so if you were using identical burner systems with each
type of fuel, the propane burners would have a smaller orifice than if used
for natural gas. The plumbing setup for nat gas is different too and a
lotta books cover this.
>3) And MOST importantly, can someone recommend a book on >building your own
gas fired kiln?
The Art of Firing by Nils Lou. The Kiln Book by Fred Olsen.
One last thing, I've seen well built soft brick kilns fire to cone 10 in
12hrs with a btu input of 6000 per cubic foot. This is lower than the
recommended minimum and I wouldn't go below this value.
regards, Craig Martell in Oregon
douglas adams on wed 28 jul 99
Milton, Milton, Milton, used motor oil? How healthy is that for the
environment? They recycle and make it into new motor oil if you take it to
an auto supply store. However if it was good enough for our forefathers, why
should I complain!
At 09:32 AM 7/26/99 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi Kiln-building Fans!
>
>Another fuel source one might consider is used motor oil. David Parks'
>out-of-print book, "The Art Of Oil Firing," is a good resource for this kind
>of kiln.
>
>Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
>
The Brinks on wed 28 jul 99
Don't you mean "Dennis" Parks instead of "David", as in Dennis Parks of
Tuscorora, Nevada.
from Ann in Ca
At 09:32 AM 7/26/1999 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi Kiln-building Fans!
>
>Another fuel source one might consider is used motor oil. David Parks'
>out-of-print book, "The Art Of Oil Firing," is a good resource for this kind
>of kiln.
>
>Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
>
>
e-mail billann@impulse.net
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