Snail Scott on mon 8 dec 03
At 06:11 PM 12/8/03 -0500, you wrote:
>...WHY do I have my kiln sitting on this stupid metal stand, other than it
came with the kiln? Is there a reason? I would really prefer to allow it to
sit on my basement concrete floor...
If your basement floor is damp, even a little,
the heat from the kiln will be trapped against
it under the floor - you can crack your concrete
this way.
That said, I did shorten my own kiln by removing
the legs from an old stand and using a brick under
each corner. I've still got an air gap and it
stays adequately cool for concrete, but I don't
have to balance on the rim to reach inside. (I
unstack the whole thing to load really big work,
but it takes two people, so I often don't bother
for little stuff.) I attribute the collapse of my
kiln floor last year (at least in part) to the
years of leaning on the rim. Even a few inches
of height reduction was a huge improvement.
-Snail
Marianne Lombardo on mon 8 dec 03
Talk about slow... slow thinking, that is. My faithful poor old kiln =
has been my buddy for 20+ years. Today I was looking at it, thinking =
about how to install new elements, etc. (yes Arnold, thank-you I intend =
to call Evenheat tomorrow about that). Anyway, I suddenly though, WHY do =
I have my kiln sitting on this stupid metal stand, other than it came =
with the kiln? Is there a reason? I would really prefer to allow it to =
sit on my basement concrete floor. For one thing, it will lower it so I =
can reach inside much better. For another, I'd feel a little bit happier =
about the crack in the floor that I have no idea if it goes all the way =
through.
Marianne Lombardo
Omemee, Ontario, Canada
Gordon Ward on mon 8 dec 03
Hello Marianne,
Most people need an electric kiln to be somewhat raised to
comfortably place work into the bottom. The area under the floor is
also a good place to put the exit for a downdaft vent system. That said,
I would wonder about the increased temperature at the interface
between the brick and floor. Since the floor of the kiln would be
insulated by the concrete, the floor of the kiln will become much hotter.
To be safe I would ask the manufacturer of your kiln what they think,
and what kind of temperatures might develop between the concrete
and brick. They might suggest putting down another layer of brick or
insblock.
Good luck,
Gordon
Michael Wendt on mon 8 dec 03
Marianne,
Concrete heated too hot can explode due to steam pressure. If you want to
lower the kiln safely, make a stand of bricks and sheet metal. Place the
bricks close to the edge and under the places you put the kiln posts.
The bricks allow air to circulate under the kiln like before and the sheet
metal acts like a heat shield. See below:
_____________
[ ] Lid
[ ]
[ ] Kiln
[____________] Base
[___]_____[___] Brick with sheet metal under it
[ ] [ ] Brick
Floor below stays cool with a much lower kiln height
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, ID 83501
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Eleanor on tue 9 dec 03
Marianne,
Half of a wooden pallet makes a nice stepstool. Different pallets are
constructed differently; sometimes a quarter of a pallet will do the
trick. It can be stored on end or under the kiln. I'm 5'2" -- this
works for my Skutt 1027.
A child's stepstool? They're taller but with less space for your
feet. A misstep and you and/or your pots are....
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
Snowed in for two days.
Arnold Howard on tue 9 dec 03
UL requires that the kiln be placed on the stand. They perform their safety
tests with the kiln on the stand. It allows air circulation under the kiln.
I don't know how placing the kiln on a concrete floor would affect the
heating characteristics of a kiln, though.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P.
arnoldhoward@att.net
From: "Marianne Lombardo"
WHY do I have my kiln sitting on this stupid metal stand, other than it came
with the kiln? Is there a reason? I would really prefer to allow it to sit
on my basement concrete floor. For one thing, it will lower it so I can
reach inside much better. For another, I'd feel a little bit happier about
the crack in the floor that I have no idea if it goes all the way through.
Marianne Lombardo
Sam or Mary Yancy on tue 9 dec 03
Mighe try this. What I did was to make a square of 2"X2" angle iron to fit the legs, welded then together in a square, then added casters (roller wheels) at the four legs corners and added a piece of sheetmetal inside the angle iron square.Then put the kiln on it. Result a moveable kiln - more space and I use this sheet metal shelf for pieces not bisk fired yet to ensure all moisture is out of them. Of course you could add some insulating bricks or insulating material to reflect the radiant heat upwards also. Works for me and saves space. Whre the kiln is in us, it is moved away from the walls, when not in use, it is moved to the wall so there is more space. I would be carfull get the manauactures ok before removing the legs - they would not be there unless needed methinks. P.S. High heat and cement do not mix. I ws burning/cuting some metal on my cement floorsome years ago and the cement "popped" and a piece came off - did no damage encept to the floor. I have not repaired it as
a reminder to myself. Sam In Daly City.
>...WHY do I have my kiln sitting on this stupid metal stand, other than it
came with the kiln? Is there a reason? I would really prefer to allow it to
sit on my basement concrete floor...
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Lisa Skeen on tue 9 dec 03
Concrete block and pavers is definitely the way to go for steps beside a kiln. I'm 5/6, but my kiln is tall because it's got a vent under. I have to have 1 layer of block (4 total) to stand on. You can kick 'em out of the way if you need to between loadings.
L
L. P. Skeen http://www.living-tree.net
Living Tree Pottery
Summerfield, NC
> -------- Original Message --------
> Subject: Why Does My Kiln Need to be on a Stand?
> From: "Eleanor"
> Date: Tue, December 09, 2003 6:50 am
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>
> Marianne,
>
> Half of a wooden pallet makes a nice stepstool. Different pallets are
> constructed differently; sometimes a quarter of a pallet will do the
> trick. It can be stored on end or under the kiln. I'm 5'2" -- this
> works for my Skutt 1027.
>
> A child's stepstool? They're taller but with less space for your
> feet. A misstep and you and/or your pots are....
>
> Eleanor Kohler
> Centerport, NY
> Snowed in for two days.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
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