Mike Martino on tue 27 apr 04
Hello All,
I'm currently in the middle of building a small (0.3m) gas kiln. It's a
'Going and coming' style kiln, in that the burner ports and the stack are in
the front. The fire shoots in the bottom front, travels to the back and
rises, then moves back toward the front where it exit through the flue (at
about 2/3 the height of the kiln), and goes up the chimney. There is a
passive damper in the front as well.
Anyway.... The original design called for a 5cm fiber 'lid' to cover the
top. I figured that would only last a limited number of firings, and I
didn't want exposed fiber in the design. A friend of mine mentioned an IFB
lid held together with stainless steel rods and angle iron, and lined on the
inside face with fiber. I'm still considering this.
My question is: can I build an angle iron encapsulated arch that will act as
a removable lid for the kiln? Would the expansion and contraction cause the
arch to come free from its angle iron frame in ugly ways? My idea was to
rabbet the lid bricks that would be in contact with the walls, so as to
ensure a tight fit when the lid is lowered.
To anyone who may have experience with this: am I barking up the wrong tree
here, or should I give it a shot?
Mike
in Taku, Japan
logan johnson on wed 28 apr 04
Mike,
I built a small downdraft gas kiln for my wife Logan with a removable top. It is a front loader with a door and the top above the door can be removed and bricks added if she has the need for a taller kiln for large pieces. I used 1 1/2" angle to create a frame at the bottom of the top section and reliefed the bricks for the support. The top bolts to the bottom at the four corners. If you want a sketch email me off of clayart and I will send you a simple drawing. I used regular arch bricks in the top. It did take a lot of cutting and fitting bricks. I have yet to remove the top and add in a segment for a tall firing but I see no problem with doing it.
Note: Metal expansion on a small kiln should not be a problem.
Dennis (Logan's husband)
My question is: can I build an angle iron encapsulated arch that will act as
a removable lid for the kiln? Would the expansion and contraction cause the
arch to come free from its angle iron frame in ugly ways? My idea was to
rabbet the lid bricks that would be in contact with the walls, so as to
ensure a tight fit when the lid is lowered.
To anyone who may have experience with this: am I barking up the wrong tree
here, or should I give it a shot?
Mike
in Taku, Japan
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