Paul on mon 23 dec 02
Hello,
Are there any specific guidlines for taking care of a kiln arch, in terms of
tightening the angle iron framework? I had heard from one person to
occasionally tighten it when the kiln is at top temperature but i have not
tried it yet. Thanks,
Paul B
Paul Herman on mon 23 dec 02
Paul,
I've never tightened up the framework during firing. A few times over
the years I've snugged up the bolts a little if they seemed loose, when
the kiln is cold. One of the beauties of arches is that they swell
upward (provided you have an adequate iron framework) when the bricks
heat up and expand. Over 200 firings in the gas kiln and it still looks
strong.
Good firings,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
423-725 Scott Road
Doyle, California 96109 US
potter@psln.com
----------
>From: Paul
> Hello,
> Are there any specific guidlines for taking care of a kiln arch, in terms of
> tightening the angle iron framework? I had heard from one person to
> occasionally tighten it when the kiln is at top temperature but i have not
> tried it yet. Thanks,
> Paul B
Marcia Selsor on tue 24 dec 02
I always used some car valve spring with big washers on the threaded
rods of the arch frame. Still need to tighten on occasion. The spring
allow for that movement that happens when the bricks are hot.
Marcia Selsor in Montana
>
>>Hello,
>>Are there any specific guidlines for taking care of a kiln arch, in terms of
>>tightening the angle iron framework? I had heard from one person to
>>occasionally tighten it when the kiln is at top temperature but i have not
>>tried it yet. Thanks,
>>Paul B
>
--
Tuscany in 2003
http://home.attbi.com/~m.selsor/Tuscany2003.html
Vince Pitelka on thu 26 dec 02
For a sprung-arch kiln, the best arch support is provided by a very sturdy
welded steel frame with no adjustment mechanism. A properly designed well
buttressed arch will not need any adjustments over time. When an arch
expands, the bricks lift every so slightly, so there is no reason to
accommodate outwards movement. If you use truck springs or some other
design to accommodate outward movement in the arch, then your walls are
flexing slightly every time you fire, and over time the bricks in the walls
will move around A LOT, and the arch will break down more quickly.
The best design will minimize movement of bricks in the walls, and that
requires a very sturdy welded steel frame. With such a frame, if you build
with hard bricks, leave an 1/8" gap ever few bricks to accommodate
expansion. If you build with IFBs (soft brick), don't leave any expansion
joints at all. They take care of themselves with no problems.
The most economical IFB design uses standard (or homemade) arch bricks and
straights for the inside layer of the arch, with a 4" layer of homemade
castable insulation over the arch. There are a variety of good recipes
which have been discussed on Clayart, and you can find them in the archives.
The important thing is to lay down a layer of aluminum foil over the IFB
arch before applying your layer of insulating castable. That prevents the
layer of castable from bonding itself to the upper surface of the arch. For
best performance and maximum life, you want them to be able to move
separately.
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://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
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