Jennifer F Boyer on tue 4 dec 01
Hi All,
Leave it to fate: I'm having burner problems with pre Xmas
orders looming.
One of my Ransom Pilot burners is clogged in some way: It still
has flame coming out, but there is flame migrating over into the
thermocouple hole and leaving residue all over the thermocouple
and the area around. Mark Ward thinks the holes in the head are
corroded, since I got my burner system in 1978. I've reamed out
the main burner holes with a rat tail file, but not the
pilots...I've been firing with a big C-clamp shutting off that
Baso Valve. Mark suggests I try drilling out the holes in the
head with an electric drill. He thinks they might be plugged up
so there is back pressure in the burner head. I'd like the
pilots to burn cleaner anyway. I fire neutral, and the kiln has
gotten harder to fire evenly without pushing the damper in so
far that reduction occurs. I know: I should let it
reduce....long story, let's not go there ;-)
Question: has anyone had experience with this type of problem?
I'm going to do the drilling over the weekend, but Mark says
it's tricky. I'm considering leaving this project til AFTER my
last xmas firing, if it's TOO tricky......
Also, anyone else using Ramsom B-4's that are this old? Are
they still holding up okay?
Take Care
Jennifer, NOT in the mood for kiln problems at this particular
juncture..... .>:-(
--
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jennifer Boyer mailto:jboyer@adelphia.net
Thistle Hill Pottery
95 Powder Horn Glen Rd
Montpelier, VT 05602 USA
802-223-8926
http://www.thistlehillpottery.com/
Never pass on an email warning without checking out this site
for web hoaxes and junk:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Marcia Selsor on tue 4 dec 01
I had some huge Ransome burners on the old kilns at the U for 20 years. The pilots
did get clogged. You can do a fast unclogging with welding tip cleaners. They are
in an assembly like allan wrenches meaning there are a variety of sizes. This
worked for me in a fix.
I also use the welding cleaners to unclog syringe needles from glaze and slip
applications.
Good Luck,
Marcia Selsor in Montana
Jennifer F Boyer wrote:
> Hi All,
> Leave it to fate: I'm having burner problems with pre Xmas
> orders looming.
> One of my Ransom Pilot burners is clogged in some way: It still
> has flame coming out, but there is flame migrating over into the
> thermocouple hole and leaving residue all over the thermocouple
> and the area around. Mark Ward thinks the holes in the head are
> corroded, since I got my burner system in 1978. I've reamed out
> the main burner holes with a rat tail file, but not the
> pilots...I've been firing with a big C-clamp shutting off that
> Baso Valve. Mark suggests I try drilling out the holes in the
> head with an electric drill. He thinks they might be plugged up
> so there is back pressure in the burner head. I'd like the
> pilots to burn cleaner anyway. I fire neutral, and the kiln has
> gotten harder to fire evenly without pushing the damper in so
> far that reduction occurs. I know: I should let it
> reduce....long story, let's not go there ;-)
>
> Question: has anyone had experience with this type of problem?
> I'm going to do the drilling over the weekend, but Mark says
> it's tricky. I'm considering leaving this project til AFTER my
> last xmas firing, if it's TOO tricky......
>
> Also, anyone else using Ramsom B-4's that are this old? Are
> they still holding up okay?
>
> Take Care
> Jennifer, NOT in the mood for kiln problems at this particular
> juncture..... .>:-(
>
> --
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
> Jennifer Boyer mailto:jboyer@adelphia.net
> Thistle Hill Pottery
> 95 Powder Horn Glen Rd
> Montpelier, VT 05602 USA
> 802-223-8926
> http://www.thistlehillpottery.com/
>
> Never pass on an email warning without checking out this site
> for web hoaxes and junk:
> http://urbanlegends.about.com/
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
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vince pitelka on tue 4 dec 01
> I'm going to do the drilling over the weekend, but Mark says
> it's tricky. I'm considering leaving this project til AFTER my
> last xmas firing, if it's TOO tricky......
> Also, anyone else using Ramsom B-4's that are this old? Are
> they still holding up okay?
Jennifer -
I have done this several times, and it is not particularly difficult, as
long as you are properly set up. Cast iron flame retention tips always
corrode, except perhaps in the desert. The most important thing is to have
the burner or burner tip anchored in a vise during drilling, so that it
cannot shift at all. When you drill cast iron, you are essentially removing
a series of microscopic chips, whereas when you drill steel you remove a
continuous "curl." If a cast iron piece shifts even slightly during
drilling, the drill can bind, which will break the drill and could possible
break the cast iron piece. If you place the burner tip in a vise and hold
the drill very stable during drilling, this will not happen.
Don't clamp down too tight on the burner tip with the vise, because you
could break the cast iron from the pressure. Steel and maleable iron will
bend, but cast iron will not. As a safety measure, you could wrap a strip
of heavy cardboard or leather around the burner tip and then clamp it in the
vise.
If you don't have a vise, go buy one. Every studio potter should have a
good vise on a workbench in their studio or garage. It is a most useful
device, and you can get them for very reasonable prices from places like
Home Depot or Lowe's, or via mail from Harbor Freight. Get one where the
feed screw is hidden inside the sliding beam. When you look at them you
will understand.
Best wishes and good luck -
- 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/
John Baymore on wed 5 dec 01
Jennifer,
I've been firing with a big C-clamp shutting off that Baso Valve. =
For shame ....for shame . Remember ...familiarity breeds contempt =
. =
And all those young, impressionable potters out there .
He thinks they might be plugged up
so there is back pressure in the burner head. I'd like the
pilots to burn cleaner anyway. I fire neutral, and the kiln has
gotten harder to fire evenly without pushing the damper in so
far that reduction occurs. =
First of all... check for bug nests in the mixing tube and even in the
little holes in the nozzle. They happen often and many of them are
surprisingly resistant to the heat. Also mud wasps like those places
too...... but more often in the main burners though.
Take a good look at the holes in the pilot head from the outside "busines=
s
end". Do they look a bit smaller or rusty? Are some bigger than others?=
=
If not........ that may not be the exact problem. If they look
restricted...then you'll have to clean and or drill them.
A normal occurrance of repeated firing is the buildup of rust and scale o=
n
the interior of the mixing tubes and on the interior and exterior hot fac=
e
of the retention heads. The more exposed to weather and dampness the
system is... the more rust happens. Routine kiln maint. procedures call
for regular cleaning of this kind of stuff. Most potters don't do
this...so you are not alone . The roughness in the interior of the
mixing tube changes the flow characteristics through the tube....... and =
so
changes both the amount of air flow and the mixing. All can contribute t=
o
changes in the nature of the flame produced. Also, all the crap eventual=
ly
piles up and plugs things up. So it may be scale accumulating in the end=
of the quite narrow mixing tubes used on the Ransome pilot as well as som=
e
rust/corrosion of the small holes in the head. I have dealt with this
particular system a LOT over the years... and have seen this happen
frequently.
Yes...drilling the holes out is a bit tricky on that particular design
head. Easy to break drills off if nothing else! Don't try it without
having the head well secured. And use GOOD drill bits. Cheapies won't d=
o
in this application. It is possible to break the head....... but uncommo=
n.
Before you drill... try just a good "reaming" out of the loose stuff wit=
h
a rattail file and some dental picks and the like. Put back together an=
d
test. If you still need more..... then drill.
See if you can disassemble the pilot........ take the retention head off.=
=
If not... take the bell shaped flare on the other end off and see if you
can clean out the mixing tube from the inside. Hold it vertically, head
up, and give it a few sharp raps....and see if you can get the loose jun=
k
inside to fall out. Then clean it with a round wire brush.... get the ru=
st
and scale. Sometimes that is enough to improve performance. Reassemble a=
nd
test....then drill out if it is still necessary. To get the head off
you'll likely need a couple of good pipe wrenches to get the leverage. O=
r
a vice and a pipe wrench. And as always..... be careful of what OTHER
joints you disturb in the plumbing.... and do a soap test of most
everything on the manifold after you reassemble things. =
I know you are in VT where things are a little "loose" with relation to
building codes and the like........ but remember that in some
locations...... YOU can't touch the gas plumbing without becoming "illega=
l"
.
The main burners need cleaning periodically too . The longer you go
without disassembling the retention head off the mixing tube... the harde=
r
it is to do later . After a point... it is pretty much impossible.
I've got Ransome systems on kilns I built for clients that are that old a=
nd
are still running fine. The Ransome burners are real rugged workhorses. =
They may not have the best air entrainment figures for a venturi when
compared to things like Eclipse or North American ....but they certainly
are solidly built...and less expensive.
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop 2002 Dates TBA"
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