Connie Waring on mon 12 nov 01
I bought a pyrometer, but I need advice on how to use it.
It has a 8" type K thermocouple. It's got a procelain covered fat ink-pen
shaped rod, that goes to a procelain square with brass looking screws on it
where the wires, which are covered in some kind of woven stuff attach.
- Does the whole thing go inside the kiln (with just the wires sticking
out)? or do I just stick the procelain-covered part in through a peephole?
it seems like this would not give a very accurate reading.
- I had thought to place it on a shelf between wares in the kiln, and then
just feed the wires through the peep hole. is this the right way to do this?
thanks for any advice and instruction on this,
Connie
==============================================
Connie Waring - Systems Specialist Americas Technology Center
SGI, 11490 Westheimer, #100, Houston, TX 77077
281-493-8361 cwaring@sgi.com
Earl Brunner on mon 12 nov 01
YOu just stick the probe part in, leave the larger end with the screws
outside of the kiln! Neither the scres nor the wire are designed to
take inside kiln temperatures.
The tip of the probe is what takes the temperature.
Connie Waring wrote:
or do I just stick the procelain-covered part in through a peephole?
> it seems like this would not give a very accurate reading.
>
Do not do this!!!
> - I had thought to place it on a shelf between wares in the kiln, and then
> just feed the wires through the peep hole. is this the right way to do this?
>
> thanks for any advice and instruction on this,
>
> Connie
>
>
>
> ==============================================
> Connie Waring - Systems Specialist Americas Technology Center
> SGI, 11490 Westheimer, #100, Houston, TX 77077
> 281-493-8361 cwaring@sgi.com
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec/
bruec@anv.net
Marianne Lombardo on mon 12 nov 01
> I bought a pyrometer, but I need advice on how to use it.
> It has a 8" type K thermocouple. It's got a procelain covered fat ink-pen
All I did was choose a spot on the wall of the kiln in between elements and
drill a hole (from the outside, inwards) through the kiln wall. Right
through the metal and through the soft brick. The porcelain-covered rod
should just barely slid through the hole. On the inside of the kiln, about
1-1/4" shows. Just make sure that the drilled hole's metal edge rests on a
segment of the porcelain rod cover and not in-between two segments because
you wouldn't want the metal to touch the bare rod.
It doesn't require any other support. The part with the battery and readout
I screwed onto the wall of the room. Drilling the hole through the metal
was a bit difficult. Start with a smaller drill bit to make a dimple, then
a small hole, etc.
Marianne Lombardo
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
vince pitelka on mon 12 nov 01
> I bought a pyrometer, but I need advice on how to use it.
> It has a 8" type K thermocouple. It's got a procelain covered fat ink-pen
> shaped rod, that goes to a procelain square with brass looking screws on
it
> where the wires, which are covered in some kind of woven stuff attach.
> - Does the whole thing go inside the kiln (with just the wires sticking
> out)? or do I just stick the procelain-covered part in through a peephole?
> it seems like this would not give a very accurate reading.
Connie -
The tip of the thermocouple (the "fat ink-pen shaped rod") should extend
several inches inside the kiln. The terminal block and attachment wires
should be outside the kiln. The business end of the thermocouple is the
bimetalic contact at the very tip. That is where the temperature sensing
takes place. When heated, the bimetalic contact generates a very small
electrical current which increases as the kiln temperature increases. An
analog pyrometer dial just has a very small electromagnet which moves the
needle in proportion to the electrical current. A digital pyrometer readout
is like a microwave oven or a computer and it's inner workings involve
witchcraft and cannot be explained.
If you put the whole thermocouple in the kiln and feed the wires out through
the spyhole, the thing will read perfectly accurately for about ten minutes
until the wire insulation melts at around 400 degrees.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Rick Hugel on tue 13 nov 01
Connie,
I don't know what kind of kiln you have, or how big it is, but most
commercial kilns will have a small round hole located pretty much in the
center of the wall; other holes will be either round(they look like a
"Dunkin Donut"), or a square one which is used to observe the "cones" as
they bend at different temperatures. The small round hole in the center of
the wall is where the ceramic end of the probe is inserted(something like
giving the kiln an enema). As has been said, the ceramic end needs to be
placed so that it is a couple of four inches into the kiln. The probe
should fit fairly snuggly into the hole, but if it doesn't you can wrap a
bit of clay around it and with your thumb press it tightly around the probe
to prevent any air from entering. The clay will dry during firing and
later can be easily broken free of the probe. Leave the wires dangle
freely and keep the meter at least three feet from the kiln as heat will
affect its operation which is pretty much "witchcraft" no matter the kind
you use. Once more thing! When you are loading the kiln, check to be sure
that the probe will not come in contact with either a kiln shelf or one of
the pots inside. If it touches the shelf, the reading will be wrong. If
it touches a pot, you have got a mess. The probe needs an inch or two of
space around it to enable an accurately temperature reading. Meters and
probes are a bit delicate, to say nothing of being expensive, so when not
in use keep in a very safe place where there is little activity. And
making a sheath out of old newspapers to house the probe might not be a bad
idea either.
Hope you have great firings.
Rick
> > I bought a pyrometer, but I need advice on how to use it.
>> It has a 8" type K thermocouple. It's got a procelain covered fat ink-pen
>> shaped rod, that goes to a procelain square with brass looking screws on
>it
>> where the wires, which are covered in some kind of woven stuff attach.
>> - Does the whole thing go inside the kiln (with just the wires sticking
>> out)? or do I just stick the procelain-covered part in through a peephole?
>> it seems like this would not give a very accurate reading.
>
>Connie -
>The tip of the thermocouple (the "fat ink-pen shaped rod") should extend
>several inches inside the kiln. The terminal block and attachment wires
>should be outside the kiln. The business end of the thermocouple is the
>bimetalic contact at the very tip. That is where the temperature sensing
>takes place. When heated, the bimetalic contact generates a very small
>electrical current which increases as the kiln temperature increases. An
>analog pyrometer dial just has a very small electromagnet which moves the
>needle in proportion to the electrical current. A digital pyrometer readout
>is like a microwave oven or a computer and it's inner workings involve
>witchcraft and cannot be explained.
>
>If you put the whole thermocouple in the kiln and feed the wires out through
>the spyhole, the thing will read perfectly accurately for about ten minutes
>until the wire insulation melts at around 400 degrees.
>Best wishes -
>- Vince
>
>Vince Pitelka
>Appalachian Center for Crafts
>Tennessee Technological University
>1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
>Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
>615/597-5376
>Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
>615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
>http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.
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