Kenneth J. Nowicki on mon 10 nov 03
Couldn't help but chuckle at Steve's comeback to Vince. :::grin:::
When my older brother and Dad were helping me build my big raku kiln and we
were nearly done with it... by brother stood back and said... "Ken, this is
gonna be one hell of a pizza oven!" He continues bust my chops about it.
One of these days I'll get around to getting some photos of it up online for
ya'll to see it. I'm really proud of it. It came out beautifully and fires
like a champ.
Simple counter-balance design. 20 cu ft. One single power burner I bought
from Harry Deddell, a 330,000 Btu/hr beast, baso safety valve, 4" of fiber
blanket all around under a sheet metal skin box, sits on a brick base made of hard &
soft firebricks, pyrometer is housed in a protective weatherproof heat
resistant box, boat winch/cable system for lowering & raising kiln... came out
sweet. Doesn't look "home made" either.
I couldn't have built it without the expertise of my Dad and brother at their
electric sign shop. Dad had been in the sheet metal business for years, and
was an expert with metalworking... owned his own electric sign company in San
Diego for 17 years. My brother, who worked with him side by side is equally
adept at metalwork, but is also a certified welding instructor. Boy was I a lucky
guy to have these two great talents to offer their help in my ceramic
pursuits. None of us had ever made a kiln before, but damn if we didn't do one hell
of a job on our first try.
Steve Branfman (our fellow Clayarter here) was just releasing his first book
"Raku: A Practical Approach" about the time I was beginning to build this
kiln. He had many great ideas in that book which helped me along, as well as other
sources. I called him a few times during the building process, asking more
questions, etc. Generous as always, he helped me find my answers and gave me
encouragement. When it was finally installed and it had been fired a few times, I
mailed him a few snapshots of the kiln. He told me later that he passed the
photos all around The Potters Shop and nobody could believe that this kiln was
"home made"... and commented on how professionally built it looked. I shared
those comments with my Dad and brother, as that was the biggest compliment we
could've received. Dad passed away from kidney cancer at just 63 yrs old a few
years ago... and I miss him greatly... but I know... when ever I fire that
kiln of mine... he'll be right there with me. :-)
All the best,
Ken
"On Long Island... trying to adjust to these very cold temps this week...
brrrr..."
Kenneth J. Nowicki
Port Washington, NY
RakuArtist@aol.com
.............................................................................
Vince & Steve wrote:
> > > What could be more productive than a hot tub
> > > heated with waste heat from a wood kiln?
> > How about a pizza oven?
> > Steve Harrison
> Hey! How about both!
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