Kurt Wild on thu 28 dec 00
Clayarters:
What follows below is a copy of a letter I wrote to a student seeking
information relative to the train kiln Mel & I built. Since it has taken
me considerable time going through my notes, picking out what I thought was
important and thus trying to provide good information I have decided to
post it to Clayart. Hopefully future "train kiln" information seekers will
check the Clayart archives.
Nathan:
Your request for information was forwarded to me by Mel Jacobson.
In part you wrote:......... "i hope that this is not too much to ask."
In answer to that remark all I can say is that it all depends on how much
research on the subject you've already done on your own or are you looking
for quick solutions to a complex problem - "to construct a train kiln as a
special project for my undergrad. degree which shares the stack with our
existing anagama." I have no easy answer to the idea or possibility of
stack sharing. It strikes me that if your campus already has an "anagama,
a niborigama as well as a nice big salt/soda kiln" your instructor
should/would be the most logical person to query on that subject.
On the other hand , my notes indicate stack dimensions as suggested by two
other potters are: Stack base 27" wide x 18" deep which gets reduced to
27" x 13-1/2" just above the height of the chamber. Total stack height of
12 feet is suggested by one potter and ours is currently 9 feet but my own
notes suggest that I would really like it to be 10 to 12 feet high. How
that relates to what you already have is for you to decide. Our kiln uses a
passive damper but also has a slide damper which is used when the kiln is
closed down.
You also wrote: "hope that you could give me some pointers". Here I would
hope you could ask some more specific questions. Due to the many possible
variations in aspects of a train kiln such as: amounts and nature of
refractory materials you have available, size requirements, financial
matters,etc. it would seem to me that others could be more helpful to you
if you asked specific questions based on a plan or ideas developed by you.
Other suggestions or "pointers":
Our train kiln chamber measures 27-1/2" deep x 27-1/2" across and 36"
from the throat to the checkered entry to the stack base. We did not
have shelves or other materials to make a top for the kiln so we cast 3
pieces of 3" x 12" X 36" A.P.Green Castolite with stainless steel pins
mixed in for strength to cover the chamber. If I were ever to build a
train again, I would make the chamber one foot longer to take better
advantage of fuel and flame activity. That would still make for a
relatively small train kiln which was our goal to begin with. We made our
throat a post and lintel construction but now I feel we might have had a
better passage of flame from the Bourry Box to the chamber had we used an
arch for the throat.
Dick Lehman has a nice drawing of a step grate (a critical part of the
kiln) in the drawing for his "Mini-gama/Maxi-firebox Kiln" which was
published in the proceedings of the Iowa Woodfire Conference - "Different
Stokes". You might contact him for a copy of that plan which certainly
would be an aid in constructing the step grate. His email address is
Our Bourry Box is 27" square (inside dimensions) with 9" thick wall. Brick
work in our Bourry Box is as follows:
Courses #1,2 & 3 floor (Special note - we neglected to put a clean out
opening at
the floor level in our kiln, to include one is a definite must.)
Course #4 has 3 secondary air ports
Course #5 is solid
Course #6 has 2 secondary air ports
Courses #7 is solid
Course #8 has 3 secondary air ports
Courses #9 up to and including #18 are solid (hobbs are in the 13th course -
just below the stoke hole)
Course #19 has 3 primary air ports (from original construction -
additional courses & height was added later to Bourry Box
with primaries
in #23 & #25, which is all that is needed . We have the
extras in #19 & #20
from our original construction)
Course #20 has 2 primary air ports
Courses #21 &22 are solid
Course #23 has 3 primary air ports
Course #24 is solid
Course #25 has 2 primaries
Course #26 is solid
Course #27 is made of 2 pieces of 3" x18" x 36" castable. There is a
1/4" gasket
of Kaowool between #26 & #27. John Neely has suggested
that "The top
of the firebox is the coldest part of the kiln. I sure
wouldn't expend any
money or effort for an exotic solution there. During the
firing there is cold
air coming in constantly anyway. Only during cooling
would insulation be
of value. Most have been kiln shelves with loose fiber
over top." We, Mel
Kurt, had made the castable pieces prior to the forgoing
email from John.
Our stoke hole is 5" high x 9" wide and has a sliding door of ceramic fiber
board which slides in a channel iron track.
Our hobbs are in the 13th course (10th from the floor). Instead of using
the hobbs to support the wood we have utilized two grate bars in the
opposite direction.
I hope this is, can be, of value to some of you out in Clayart land!
Kurt
email: KURT.L.WILD@uwrf.edu
website: http://wwwpp.uwrf.edu/~kw77
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