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fw: re: kiln cracks

updated thu 30 sep 04

 

Mark Potter on mon 27 sep 04


life has cracks, paintings have cracks, the universe has cracks - New
Haven has a crack - (River Street) - the earth's crust has cracks - that
old hickory tree up on the hill has cracks - My face has cracks - The
best marriages are ones that crack but stay together - In fact, one the
most beautiful lines anywhere comes from cracks - they are wholly
innovative solutions to very real opposing forces that exist. The thing
breaks where it does expressing truth - the opposite of a flying
buttress or a blade of grass, showing where things divide split up, an
accurate expression of stress -=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of val
Sent: Monday, September 27, 2004 9:14 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: kiln cracks

Okay Mel thanks!...Your dry sense of humour (I refuse to think you are
being sarcastic, LOL) cracks me up!!! (a little play on words)...God it
has so many cracks in it but I will just keep using it...thanks
again...you made my life easier...
Have a good day
Val


they all crack.
they do it, it is natural.
bricks crack, the companies that make them
will tell you are lucky if they don't crack.

one of the most common silly complaints
that come across the desks of kiln manufacturers
is:

`i have a crack in the floor of my kiln, will it kill me?`

`no, just fire the gd kiln and forget about it.`

it is like a tiny scratch in your new car. does it still
run? yes, of course. it is cosmetic. but, most don't
have a clue about the difference. they don't understand
how kilns work, what they are made of, forces, energy of
heat, expansion and contraction.

`MY GOD, THERE IS A CRACK IN MY KILN...CALL SKUTT
NOW. GET ME A NEW KILN. NOW. OH, GOD, WILL THE
CAT DIE? DAN RATHER DID THIS, I KNOW., OH GOD, OH GOD.
THIS IS WORSE THAN TOM SAWYER.`

relax.

a few thoughts on cracks, kilns, shelves.
they crack and often it means nothing.
if you drill a hole at the end of the crack...it will
stop running. same for a kiln shelf. drill a hole
in the shelf, at the end of the crack. you can use that
shelf for another 50 years. just remember to stack your shelves with
three posts. keep one post under the crack for your own peace of mind.

( industry uses shelves with many holes in them..they come
that way...perfect heat distribution in the kiln...no heat dams. more
firings are ruined because of stacking than firing.)

if you fill a crack with mortar, as i said yesterday...it will just fall
out, get bigger. if you want a cosmetic cure...just fill with fiber and
itc 100. the crack is gone. even overhead. i itc fill the cracks in
shelves. never think of them again...can't see the crack.

in fact, your kiln will fire much better with cracks.
much better... cuzz you will get to work and stop being
a baby about your kiln. it is not walnut, hand made furniture. it is a
tool, and tools get dirty and crack. what is more beautiful than a
hammer handle that has been used for 80 years? it sure ain't brittany
spears. that is total ugly. get on with your work. mel


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Ivor and Olive Lewis on tue 28 sep 04


Dear Mark Potter,
Tell me please, how do I observe a crack in the Universe. Would I
recognise one by the strings that hold the edges together.?
Best regards,Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
S. Australia.