sagging kiln elements

updated sun 26 mar 00

Diane G. Echlin on thu 23 mar 00

My apologies if this has been addressed before, but I did search the
archives and didn't find what I was looking for...

I have a Skutt KM1027 kiln with a few sagging elements. How do I get
them back in place? What causes them to sag out of there supports? How
can I prevent it from happening again?

Thanks in advance
Di

aaron tester on fri 24 mar 00

What we do in our school studio situation is to take lengths of high
temprature wire and use them to "pin" the elements back into place. this
helps keep the elements from popping out of their bracing, but pokes small
holes into the soft brick. it seems to work, i pinned the elements in our
paragon five months agao and they have held in place.

cheers,
aaron tester

>From: "Diane G. Echlin"
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>Subject: Sagging Kiln Elements
>Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2000 18:10:12 EST
>
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>My apologies if this has been addressed before, but I did search the
>archives and didn't find what I was looking for...
>
>I have a Skutt KM1027 kiln with a few sagging elements. How do I get
>them back in place? What causes them to sag out of there supports? How
>can I prevent it from happening again?
>
>Thanks in advance
>Di

______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

Mike Obrien on fri 24 mar 00

Hi Di,

They come out when they are not held in place REALLY well with pins. When
they get hot they expand and gravity takes over and they stretch.

I''ve had elements that have hung down as much as two feet, and continued
without problem until the normal replacement time. They will continue to
work as long as they don't interfere with your shelves or ware. It's a good
idea to make sure that they don't touch any other elements. They will weld
themselves together and burn out much faster than would be normal.

It's a good idea to fix them the first time you notice movement. This is
what you can do.

1. Turn on your kiln to heat the element and get it hot.

2. Turn off the kiln and use needle nose pliers to squeeze the coils back
together. Squeeze 3 or 4 coils at a time until the element is short enough
to fit back into the groove. Pin it securely.

They don't have to be red hot, only warm enough to be a little uncomfortable
to your hands. Cold elements break when you try this.

MAKE SURE THE POWER IS OFF.

Mike

Arnold Howard on fri 24 mar 00

Paragon Industries, Inc. publishes an instruction
sheet that covers the following:

How to replace a sidewall element
How to get the longest life out of your elements
Reseating a bulging element

I will be glad to send a copy to anyone who emails
their postal address to me.

Arnold Howard
Paragon

--- "Diane G. Echlin" wrote:
> ----------------------------Original
> message----------------------------
> My apologies if this has been addressed before, but
> I did search the
> archives and didn't find what I was looking for...
>
> I have a Skutt KM1027 kiln with a few sagging
> elements. How do I get
> them back in place? What causes them to sag out of
> there supports? How
> can I prevent it from happening again?
>
> Thanks in advance
> Di
>

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger.
http://im.yahoo.com

chris@euclids.com on fri 24 mar 00

> I have a Skutt KM1027 kiln with a few sagging elements. How do I get
> them back in place? What causes them to sag out of there supports? How
> can I prevent it from happening again?
> Thanks in advance
> Di

Hi Di,
Elements expand & contract during the firing. If the element is a bit too
short, there is a possibility that it will come out of the grooves... once
out of the grooves, gravity takes over & it sags when heated.
Most of the time, if you heat the element (even just the section that has
come out), stretch it slightly & fit it back into the groove ... you will
not have a problem with this section of element again.
This can be done with a propane torch or by turning the kiln on & heating up
that particular .... for both, make sure that you disconnect the power
before working on the element.
Two pairs of needle nose pliers works well to manipulate the element when it
is hot ... again, power should be off ... just in case.
Try to keep the element 'red hot' when working on it, as it becomes brittle
as it cools & can snnap easily.
Obviously, broken bricks will cause the element to come out of the bricks
also.
Element wire can be used as "pins" to keep the element in place. Some people
use straight pieces stuck into the brick in front of the element ... others
make a "U" with roughly 1"-1.25" legs & trap the element this way.
Feel free to call our 800# if you need to,
chris

chris@euclids.com
www.euclids.com
800-296-5456

Brad Sondahl on fri 24 mar 00

Turn on the kiln to high on the switch where the elements are sagging.
When the elements glow, shut off the kiln and immediately push them back
into place with a needlenosed pliers. You may wish to wear gloves to
protect your hand from inadvertant burns. If you do it when they are
cold you will break the element.
When they are red hot they are more flexible and tend to sort of ooze
out anywhere there is a weakness in the support system.
Poke element pins (1 inch pieces of kanthal wire) in to the softbrick
with the needlenose to secure them. Or visit my website for suggestions
on how to make your own ceramic supports.
http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl/kiln.html

Thanks in advance
Di


--
Brad Sondahl
New commercial pottery page http://sondahl.safeshopper.com
http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl/bradindex.html
Sondahl homepage http://www.camasnet.com/~asondahl
Original literature, music, pottery, and art