BEVERLY SCULPTR on thu 28 feb 02
Hi All, =
The coils in my kiln pop out and droop.... I push them back in ( gently a=
nd
use u shape wires to secure according to info iv read) And out they come=
again...and again... and again. . The need to reinsert the wires is break=
ing
up those areas of brick and pretty soon will be no place to
push wire. Im pretty sure Im not the only one with this problem ...any
advice on how to prevent this or at least prevent it from happening so mu=
ch
would be GREATLY appricated.
Thanks much in advance to all who come to my aid .
Beverly =
Earl Brunner on thu 28 feb 02
Get some straight pieces of the wire (it's got to be the right kind of wire), not
the staples, and push them in almost vertically in front of the coil.
BEVERLY SCULPTR wrote:
> Hi All,
> The coils in my kiln pop out and droop.... I push them back in ( gently and
> use u shape wires to secure according to info iv read) And out they come
> again...and again... and again. . The need to reinsert the wires is breaking
> up those areas of brick and pretty soon will be no place to
> push wire. Im pretty sure Im not the only one with this problem ...any
> advice on how to prevent this or at least prevent it from happening so much
> would be GREATLY appricated.
>
> Thanks much in advance to all who come to my aid .
>
> Beverly
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--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
mailto:bruec@anv.net
Arnold Howard on thu 28 feb 02
It is important to heat the elements before pushing them back into
the groove. You can do that with a propane torch, which costs about
$20 at building supply stores. Use long-nose pliers to squeeze the
coils together slightly while the element is hot. That should
shorten the bulging section of element, allowing it to go back into
the groove.
Then fire the kiln above cone 05. At higher temperatures, the
elements soften to the point where they will not support their own
weight. Thus, they conform to the shape of the element grooves.
Elements pop out of the grooves usually in the corners. When you
install a new element, it is important to push the element all the
way to the back of the corners.
I once asked the former plant manager at Paragon, who had worked
here since the early fifties, for pointers on element installation.
His main advice was to keep a steady pressure against the element
as you thread it into the grooves. If you let go of the element or
let up on the pressure, it will spring out of the corners.
He added that the bends in the pre-formed element must fit into the
corners. Occasionally stretching or compressing is necessary to get
the bends to fit into the corners. He suggested that if one section
of element is too long to reach the next corner, let that portion
bulge out of the groove. After the element is installed, go back
and compress the bulging portion of element with long-nose pliers.
Before firing the kiln, seat the element into the bottom of the
grooves using a plastic comb or wooden tongue depressor.
I hope this information helps with Beverly's element problem.
Arnold Howard
Paragon
--- BEVERLY SCULPTR wrote:
> Hi All,
> The coils in my kiln pop out and droop.... I push them back in (
> gently and
> use u shape wires to secure according to info iv read) And out
> they come
> again...and again... and again. . The need to reinsert the wires
> is breaking
> up those areas of brick and pretty soon will be no place to
> push wire. Im pretty sure Im not the only one with this problem
> ...any
> advice on how to prevent this or at least prevent it from
> happening so much
> would be GREATLY appricated.
>
> Thanks much in advance to all who come to my aid .
>
> Beverly
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Snail Scott on thu 28 feb 02
At 12:46 PM 2/28/02 AMERICA/FORT_W, you wrote:
>The coils in my kiln pop out and droop.... I push them back in ( gently and
>use u shape wires to secure according to info iv read) And out they come
>again...and again... and again...
Are the element channels in your bricks broken
out? If so, you need to insert the pins just
under the upper loops of the elements, so they
will hang suspended from the pins. Some people
like to bend the end of the element pin into a
little hook to further secure the elements.
If your element channels are in good shape, but
the elements just 'escape', you need to do the
opposite. Slide the element pins in just across
the lip of the groove, angled down to trap the
bottom coils of the element against the floor
of the groove.
When you insert the element pins, make sure
they go in at an angle, pointing DOWN into the
firebrick. I've got some really skanky firebrick,
but I've never had an element pin come out.
(Personally, I just use bits of kanthal wire,
not the two-pronged staples.)
Or did you mean that the elements themselves were
popping out and pulling the pins out with them?
If the info above is inapplicable
to your problem, please send more details!
-Snail
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