Marcia Selsor on thu 11 jul 02
I think it is pretty normal. I have replaced a lot of elements over the decades
and never saw one fit perfectly. Sometimes you have to stretch them and sometimes
compress them. That goes for several
brands of kilns.
Best wishes,
marcia in Montana
waiting for the 108 degrees from Boise to come our way tomorrow.
SusanRaku@AOL.COM wrote:
> I recently bought an element for my oval kiln and put it in very carefully,
> placing it into the groves tightly and pushing it back as far as it would go.
> I pinned it at least every three inches so that it was snug in the corners.
> When I got to the end it was six to eight inches to long. The package
> it came in indicated that it was the correct element for my kiln model. The
> company I bought it from first said to return it and give them the
> measurement that I need. Then I called after sending it and got the owner of
> the company who said this extra length is normal and that I needed to work
> backwards after discovering the extra length, compressing the element until
> the extra length was absorbed. I have never had to reinstall an element
> before and am wondering if this is the norm.
>
> Susan
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
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SusanRaku@AOL.COM on thu 11 jul 02
I recently bought an element for my oval kiln and put it in very carefully,
placing it into the groves tightly and pushing it back as far as it would go.
I pinned it at least every three inches so that it was snug in the corners.
When I got to the end it was six to eight inches to long. The package
it came in indicated that it was the correct element for my kiln model. The
company I bought it from first said to return it and give them the
measurement that I need. Then I called after sending it and got the owner of
the company who said this extra length is normal and that I needed to work
backwards after discovering the extra length, compressing the element until
the extra length was absorbed. I have never had to reinstall an element
before and am wondering if this is the norm.
Susan
Earl Brunner on fri 12 jul 02
I've replaced the elements 5 times in a Skutt 1027, most of the time I
have had to play with the elements a bit by either stretching them so
they fit right or by compressing the coils so that they fit. The
easiest thing to do is lay the coil into the channel and work it around
until you see how and what you might have to do to adjust the coil to
fit and get al of that adjustment taken care of BEFORE pinning it.
After the first firing, if they move any, I then use a small propane
torch to heat the element up to red heat and them push it back into
place and anchor it with staples.
Interestingly, the last set I put in, fit perfectly, and have been fired
at least 20 times since the replacement and I didn't use a single
staple. There has been no movement and no sagging. I wish all of the
installations had been that good.
Earl Brunner
mailto:bruec@anv.net
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On
Behalf Of SusanRaku@AOL.COM
Sent: Thursday, July 11, 2002 5:11 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: kiln element installation question
I recently bought an element for my oval kiln and put it in very
carefully,
placing it into the groves tightly and pushing it back as far as it
would go.
I pinned it at least every three inches so that it was snug in the
corners.
When I got to the end it was six to eight inches to long. The
package
it came in indicated that it was the correct element for my kiln model.
The
company I bought it from first said to return it and give them the
measurement that I need. Then I called after sending it and got the
owner of
the company who said this extra length is normal and that I needed to
work
backwards after discovering the extra length, compressing the element
until
the extra length was absorbed. I have never had to reinstall an
element
before and am wondering if this is the norm.
Susan
________________________________________________________________________
______
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.
Arnold Howard on fri 12 jul 02
Was your new element pre-bent where it fits into the wallbrick
corners? A replacement element with pre-formed corner bends is
fairly easy to install. If you push the bends all the way back into
the corners, you should not have extra element length at the end of
installation.
Elements should not be pinned if possible. One way to avoid pinning
is to heat the kiln to at least 05 after installing a new element.
At higher temperatures, the elements will soften and conform to the
grooves. This prevents the elements from bulging out past the
groove recess later on.
If you do pin a new element, you should wait until after the
element is completely installed before inserting pins. That way, if
the element is too long or too short, you won't have to remove the
pins to reinstall the element.
It is important to keep a constant pressure against an element as
you install it. The pressure is a push with one hand while you
thread the element with the other hand. The pressure keeps the
element in the corners of the grooves. Without that pressure, the
new element will tend to spring out of the corners, causing element
bulging later on.
Replacing an element is not difficult. I replaced my first element
during a demonstration at a repair seminar. John Hohenshelt Sr. had
just purchased Paragon. At his first seminar, he told the group,
"And now Arnold will show you how to install an element." He didn't
know that I had never installed one before.
As students crowded around and peered into the kiln, I threaded the
new element into the grooves. I pushed the bends into the corners,
and the element was the exact length needed.
If I installed my first element successfully, other beginners can,
too. The important thing is to follow the instruction sheet that
comes with the element.
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, Inc.
--- SusanRaku@AOL.COM wrote:
> I recently bought an element for my oval kiln and put it in very
> carefully,
> placing it into the groves tightly and pushing it back as far as
> it would go.
> I pinned it at least every three inches so that it was snug in
> the corners.
> When I got to the end it was six to eight inches to long.
> The package
> it came in indicated that it was the correct element for my kiln
> model. The
> company I bought it from first said to return it and give them
> the
> measurement that I need. Then I called after sending it and got
> the owner of
> the company who said this extra length is normal and that I
> needed to work
> backwards after discovering the extra length, compressing the
> element until
> the extra length was absorbed. I have never had to reinstall an
> element
> before and am wondering if this is the norm.
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