Dave Finkelnburg on tue 8 may 01
Janet,
Either the fiber or the board will shrink when heated. Plan for this by
overlapping joints.
Fiber will make the kiln lighter, so it's more energy efficient. It
will heat faster with the same amount of fuel. :-) It will also cool
faster. :-( Well, possibly that will make you frown. Rapid cooling can
give you vastly different results than slow cooling with some glazes. You
can fire down, however, and you can crash cool an all-brick kiln, so you'll
find a way to fire as you want.
As long as the galvanized metal gets above 100-degrees C, but not hot
enough to fume the zinc, it should work great! 9-inches of IFB 2300's will
give you about 150-degrees C on the outside of the kiln at Cone 10.
It's a lot of extra work to build the car. If you never make heavy
ware, and use light-weight shelves, you may not mind reaching into the back
of the kiln. I use 1-inch thick shelves and fire pieces that sometimes
weigh ounces but occasionally they're over 100 pounds. I love having the
car. Mine works like a dream, thanks mostly to wonderfully good advice on
how to construct it from Tracy Dotson of Penland, North Carolina.
Like you plan to, I put about a 7-inch arched dome on my kiln. I like
how it looks. It was a pain to build. If I live long enough to have to
replace it, I'll make a flat top.
Please note, these are all highly biased opinions. I stand by them,
unrepentant. :-)
Good luck with your project.
Dave Finkelnburg
Paul Bailey / Janet Moe on tue 8 may 01
I am working on a design for a propane fired kiln I plan to build this su=
mmer. I
have talked to many potters and looked at many kilns and am still undecid=
ed about
certain aspects. Any hints, opinions or information anyone cares to give =
I am
grateful...
So far I am thinking ...
-IFB 2300 bricks on the inside hot face, sprayed with ITC. I may have=
access to
some used bricks, will I be able to use the ITC on them?
- outside either IFB 2300 brick or fiber or fiber board. I am particu=
larly
interested in the difference between these three; ease of building, diffe=
rences in
firing and how they stand up over time. If I use the fiber or fiber board=
I am
planning to cover it with galvanized metal. Are there any problems with t=
hat?
- The size I am planning is three stacks of 12" X 24" shelves about 4=
0" high
giving me a stacking space of about 20 cu. ft. The shelves will be laid o=
ut 2 ft.
across and 3 ft. depth. I am trying to decide between a brick up door or =
whether it
would be a good idea to go for the car kiln. How difficult is it to load =
the stack
in the back?? How much extra work is it to build the car? The roof will h=
ave a 7"
arch.
At this point I am trying to acquire my materials, I'm sure there will be=
many more
questions as I proceed. Thanks to those on the list who share their knowl=
edge so
willingly. As this is my first kiln building experience I feel more confi=
dent
knowing the list is here. TIA for any and all help!
Janet, experiencing a cool spring on the British Columbia coast
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