PAGCarr@AOL.COM on tue 12 sep 00
I presently have a relatively small, top loading Paragon (which fires like a
charm), but I need a larger kiln. I have been looking at the 7 cubic foot,
double walled, electronically controlled, top-loading, cone 10 ConeArt. I am
a small person, however, and may have difficulty loading the shelves (let
alone the pieces) while bending over. I make tiles and sculpture. Lately, I
have been toying with the concept of a front loader. I would appreciate any
advise and discussion.
Thanks, in advance!
Paulette Carr
St. Louis, MO
pagcarr@aol.com
chrisclarke on wed 13 sep 00
Hi Paulette,
I too am a small person, and if I would have had the resorces, I would have
bought a front loader. We had one at my college that was big enough for me to
stand in (okay, but it's still pretty big). It made it so easy to load large
sculptures along with everything else. I have a skutt1027 that I stand on a big
piece of wood to load, a major hassle. I also purchased an Aim gas kiln that is
taller by several inches. I haven't gotten it yet but I'm sure it will be a pain,
I need a bigger piece of wood. Buy a front loader if you can! chris@ccpots
PAGCarr@AOL.COM wrote:
> I presently have a relatively small, top loading Paragon (which fires like a
> charm), but I need a larger kiln. I have been looking at the 7 cubic foot,
> double walled, electronically controlled, top-loading, cone 10 ConeArt. I am
> a small person, however, and may have difficulty loading the shelves (let
> alone the pieces) while bending over. I make tiles and sculpture. Lately, I
> have been toying with the concept of a front loader. I would appreciate any
> advise and discussion.
>
> Thanks, in advance!
> Paulette Carr
> St. Louis, MO
> pagcarr@aol.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
CARParagon@AOL.COM on wed 13 sep 00
Paragon makes square front loaders as well. However, they are a bit pricey
and are most intended for industrial use.
For people who need a shorter Cone 10 kiln, Paragon's TnF 27L-3 is has a 28
inch diameter, but is only 22 1/4 inches deep. For reference, the typical
large round cone 10 kiln is 29 inches deep. The digital controller and
spring counter balanced Lite Lid are standard on this kiln.
With Best Regards;
Curt A. Rothman
Director of Business Development
Paragon Industries
800-876-4328
vince pitelka on wed 13 sep 00
> I presently have a relatively small, top loading Paragon (which fires like
a
> charm), but I need a larger kiln. I have been looking at the 7 cubic
foot,
> double walled, electronically controlled, top-loading, cone 10 ConeArt. I
am
> a small person, however, and may have difficulty loading the shelves (let
> alone the pieces) while bending over. I make tiles and sculpture.
Lately, I
> have been toying with the concept of a front loader. I would appreciate
any
> advise and discussion.
Paulette -
I am not aware of any inexpensive frontloader kilns. The reason is pretty
easy to understand. Toploader kilns are inexpensive because they require no
frame at all, except for the legs. They stay together by tension from the
little "hose-clamp"-type clamps on the outer jacket. It is simple to hang
the lid and the control boxes off of this jacket.
Front loaders, on the other hand, require a very rigid steel frame to
support the refractory, whether it is brick or fiber. That jacks the price
up considerably. I have always suspected that there is a potential price
niche in there between the currently available toploaders and frontloaders.
The available electric frontloaders I know of cost a minimum of four to five
times an equivalent-sized toploader. Please let us know if you find a less
expensive frontloader.
Good luck -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Veena Raghavan on thu 14 sep 00
Message text written by Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>I too am a small person,<
Hi Chris and Paulette,
I too am short, short, short, and would love to get a front loader.
That is what I had in mind, when I finally got my own studio. But, wow, the
prices are out of this world. If you find a reasonably priced one, I would
really appreciate knowing about it. From what I could see, the price
difference was very significant.
Good luck and thanks in advance.
Veena
Veena Raghavan
75124.2520@compuserve.com
CARParagon@AOL.COM on thu 14 sep 00
What size chamber would be most preferable in a front loading kiln? At
Paragon, we make a large number of square front loading kilns used for
different markets, but could easily be adapted for cone 10 if need be.
With Best Regards;
Curt A. Rothman
Director of Business Development
Paragon Industries
800-876-4328
June Perry on thu 14 sep 00
Curt, for my purposes a 9 or 10 cu. ft would work fine -- say 24" wide and
deep and maybe 28 high. I don't make very tall pots, but at times like to
throw quite wide platters, so this size would work well for me.
I've been putting off buying a larger electric kiln for years (I have a tiny
cone 10 test kiln), waiting for my dream electric kiln -- front door opening,
well insulated for slow cooling, true cone 10-11, good venting system, easily
removed digital control box for sending out for repairs, and gas optional.
Last, but not least, I'd like the bricks lined with ITC100 and the elements
dipped in the appropriate ITC for them. :-)
With the new, thick, fiberboards, I don't see that a front opening door would
need a very heavy frame, or am I just dreaming????
Regards,
June
June Perry on thu 14 sep 00
Oops, I also forgot -- maybe Globar elements and whatever elements are used,
let them be easy to access.
Regards,
June
Arnold Howard on thu 14 sep 00
The reason square kilns are more expensive than round ones is that the wall
bricks of a square kiln are cemented together. The bricks of a round kiln are
held in place by the mitered corners. It makes a world of difference in labor
cost. I remember Frances Darby (who founded Paragon) saying, "Square kilns
are *murder* to build."
Nevertheless, Paragon makes a huge number of square kilns, mostly for the
glass market. As Curt Rothman posted recently, they can easily be modified
for cone 10.
Arnold Howard
Paragon
--- Veena Raghavan <75124.2520@COMPUSERVE.COM> wrote:
> Message text written by Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> >I too am a small person,<
>
> Hi Chris and Paulette,
> I too am short, short, short, and would love to get a front loader.
> That is what I had in mind, when I finally got my own studio. But, wow, the
> prices are out of this world. If you find a reasonably priced one, I would
> really appreciate knowing about it. From what I could see, the price
> difference was very significant.
> Good luck and thanks in advance.
> Veena
>
> Veena Raghavan
> 75124.2520@compuserve.com
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!
http://mail.yahoo.com/
Millie Carpenter on thu 14 sep 00
Curt,
10 cubic feet would be nice, and on a stand that would not make the top of it too
high for us barely 5 feet tall little old ladies in Berks. how would you vent
these ?
cone ^6 is good, ^10 as an option would be good.
Millie in Md
> What size chamber would be most preferable in a front loading kiln? At
> Paragon, we make a large number of square front loading kilns used for
> different markets, but could easily be adapted for cone 10 if need be.
>
> With Best Regards;
>
> Curt A. Rothman
> Director of Business Development
> Paragon Industries
> 800-876-4328
PAGCarr@AOL.COM on fri 15 sep 00
Firstly, thanks to Chris, Veena and Millie for seconding a need for front
loading kilns for small/short people. I know, however, that the market would
be much bigger than that, as Vince, June and many others have indicated to me
privately. I would like to primarily like to thank Curt, however, for
responding so quickly to potential market demand.
Curt, I would like an interior chamber of 24" x 24" x at least 28." I am
looking for a well-insulated, vented, cone 10 capable kiln with
electronically controlled firing (as you have with your top loading kilns). I
might also be interested in the coatings as optional at additional expense.
As others have noted, there are presently several makers of cone 10 front
loading kilns, but the prices are much (3-5 times) higher. Can Paragon do
any better? It seems, the ceramic world is waiting ...
Finally, is there anyone who uses a front loader who has experienced any
difficulties in firing? I would like to hear from someone who might know of
the glitches first hand.
My best,
Paulette
Veena Raghavan on fri 15 sep 00
Message text written by Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>9 or 10 cu. ft would work fine<
Curt,
Another short one, who would like to buy a kiln, in this case my
first and probably only one.
> waiting for my dream electric kiln -- front door opening,
well insulated for slow cooling, true cone 10-11, good venting system,
easily<
June's dream pretty well fits my dream too, except that I can do without
the gas option, since I would have the kiln in my basement.
Any hope of something like this in the near future?!
Thanks in advance for asking us about our dream kilns.
Veena
Veena Raghavan
75124.2520@compuserve.com
ferenc jakab on sat 16 sep 00
>
> Finally, is there anyone who uses a front loader who has experienced any
> difficulties in firing? I would like to hear from someone who might know
of
> the glitches first hand.
I've been following this thread with mild interest wondering why people are
so reluctant to build their own. It's much cheaper and you get what you
want. Follow Rhodes and Olsen, ask some advice from a combustion engineer
and you can do it. I built my front loader with the remains of an over fired
electric kiln. I did make an error with the flue, (I made it too small) but
even paying a combustion engineer for three hours of advice and testing I
was still getting a front loading kiln for 1/2 price. It's height suits me
perfectly. I'm 5'7".
I could have trimmed the legs if I needed to.
Feri.
| |
|
