Dannon Rhudy on wed 2 oct 02
----- Original Message -----
> I'm planning to build a gas kiln .... line it with fibre.
..Secondly, I would like to soda/salt fire it and am wondering how
> many firings I'll get .......>
My experience using fiber for salt/soda has been that if you DO NOT
use ITC (perhaps there are other good coatings/dunno) then it will
not last. Period. If you DO use ITC, it will last for a good number
of firings but it will degrade and eventually fail. How soon? Don't know.
Depends on how much salt, how much soda, etc. In the installation
that I used, the fiber was actually SOAKED in ITC and then applied
to a brick wall in squares. The door and roof of the kiln, also fiber,
were just sprayed with ITC. The wall with fiber has had to be repaired a
couple
of times. The door and roof seem ok, but they are extremely thick
and reinforced inside (about 10-12 inches thick, I believe). The kiln
has been fired a multitude of times.
I have not noticed any positive effect on hard brick.
This kiln is at Mel's farm in Wisconsin, and has seen heavy use.
We use it for bisque firing periodically, and I have not seen any
unfortunate effect on the bisqueware.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
don hunt on wed 2 oct 02
Hi Eric,
If you want to see a fiber itc downdraft, I'm in Harbison Canyon, contact me off
list.
Don Hunt
Eric Suchman wrote:
> I'm planning to build a gas kiln either from a burned out electric or
> from expanded metal and fibre. The base will be hard brick because that is
> what I have. In the case of the expanded metal design I intend to form it
> into a catenary arch shape and line it with fibre. I'm guessing 2 inches of
> 6# and 1inch of 8# rated to above ^10. The arch will be 3-4 feet long and
> about 3.5-4 feet high. I'm planning to do a down-draught. Two M750 burners
> with propane to fire it up. ^10 glaze.
> Now, I'm wondering a couple of things...Any comments on the design for 1
> thing....Secondly, I would like to soda/salt fire it and am wondering how
> many firings I'll get out of the blanket and will an ITC coating be of much
> help. Will the used IFB from a burned out electric hold up any better and
> can using ITC on it help? (I'm leaning towards the fibre design.)
> Lastly, after soda firing and/or salt firing can I still bisque fire in
> it?
> Thanks in advance,
> Eric in Oceanside
>
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Eric Suchman on wed 2 oct 02
I'm planning to build a gas kiln either from a burned out electric or
from expanded metal and fibre. The base will be hard brick because that is
what I have. In the case of the expanded metal design I intend to form it
into a catenary arch shape and line it with fibre. I'm guessing 2 inches of
6# and 1inch of 8# rated to above ^10. The arch will be 3-4 feet long and
about 3.5-4 feet high. I'm planning to do a down-draught. Two M750 burners
with propane to fire it up. ^10 glaze.
Now, I'm wondering a couple of things...Any comments on the design for 1
thing....Secondly, I would like to soda/salt fire it and am wondering how
many firings I'll get out of the blanket and will an ITC coating be of much
help. Will the used IFB from a burned out electric hold up any better and
can using ITC on it help? (I'm leaning towards the fibre design.)
Lastly, after soda firing and/or salt firing can I still bisque fire in
it?
Thanks in advance,
Eric in Oceanside
vince pitelka on thu 3 oct 02
> I'm planning to build a gas kiln .... line it with fibre.
> ..Secondly, I would like to soda/salt fire it and am wondering how
> many firings I'll get .......>
I have not seen any proof that fiber is a viable kiln insulation for salt
and soda, with ITC or any other coating. It still breaks down and needs
replacement. When you compress the fiber and saturate it with ITC as some
people recommend, you seriously compromise its insulating value, and thus
you have eliminated the entire point of using fiber insulation. On the
other hand, IFB coated with ITC seems to hold up well in soda and okay in
salt as long as you never fire over cone 10. It will still deteriorate much
faster than a good old hardbrick salt kiln.
I am all in favor of conserving fossil fuels, but aside from that, the
firing costs for a hardbrick salt kiln are a very small percentage of the
value of the wares within, especially when you consider the time and money
involved in rebuilding a softbrick salt kiln. This needs some careful
consideration.
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/
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