primalmommy on fri 26 nov 04
Two questions for the clayart group-brain, more oracle mystical than the
Ouija board and magic 8-ball combined...
If anybody has retrofitted a kiln with a computer controller and has a
happy song to sing about it, could you please sing it in my direction?
Is there a better-than-the-rest place to buy one, a cautionary tale,
something more timely or specific than the conversations in the
archives? Many thanks in advance... off list or on... I have a nice kiln
but am looking to experiment further with slow cooling, and my current
low tech method* leaves much to be desired...
(*Put a nursery monitor next to the kiln, carry the receiver all day or
go to bed and read with it on the nightstand, listen for the "pop" of
the kiln sitter shutting off, and then head out to restart the kiln on a
timer. My kiln vent fan gets louder all the time and more annoying to
listen to on the monitor...)
Last, and weirdest request: Do any of you multi-media craftspeople know
where one might find a chain mail glove of the sort wood carvers use to
protect their hands from sharp blades? I need one (or do they come in
pairs?) in a size that would fit a nine year old's hands... he wants to
carve and has his cub scout whittling chip, but we do not wish to return
to the emergency room for another round of stitches -- (the last visit
cost $700! What do folks do without health insurance? It's bad enough
just paying the deductible.) He also wishes to learn to knap arrowheads
and I have found him a teacher.. but need to find him some protection
for his hands first.
Anybody know of a source? Off list is fine, since this one is OT...
primalmommy @ mail2ohio.com
Thanks, all... Kelly in Ohio... where I spent the morning making venison
sausage links with my meat grinder/extruder and sheep casings.. not sure
whether to be disgusted or turned on by the whole process. Then spent
the afternoon with hubby framing walls for the addition. It's almost
worth getting wet, tired and cold when you can come in to a nice fire in
the woodstove.
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Marcia Selsor on sat 27 nov 04
Dear Kelly,
Yesterday I installed a retro fit Bartlett controller onto my oval
crucible kiln. I will let you know how it fires. It looks like it may
be tricky to downfire because the directions say to install a higher
cone...use the timer, etc. I will have to delve deeper into the manual
for downfiring. I was planning on using it for slow bisques of slabs.
Meanwhile, chain mail gloves can be found for meat packers/butchers. We
had a big plant here but they folded more than a decade ago. I doubt if
the gloaves come in children's sizes though.
Check some industrial supplies online.
I was the first, second and only child to use our GS troop insurance. I
am very accident prone.
Good luck to your boy.
Marcis Selsor
Randy O'Brien on sat 27 nov 04
Hi Kelly,
I purchased a Skutt controller from Bennett's 2 1/2 years ago for around
$500. It's something I should have done years ago. I like the add-on
controller so much that when I bought another kiln last year, I opted to pay
extra to get it with the controller as a separate unit. I'm fairly hard on
my kilns and wanted to be able to replace the kiln in the future and still
use the old controller.
My first controller died in mid-firing a few months after the two year
warranty had expired. Since it was separate, I was able to switch
controllers and continue with the firing. I didn't lose the use of the kiln
while the controller was being repaired. It was also much easier to have
repaired since it was separate from the kiln. It cost about $100. I got
about 200 firings from it, so I wasn't too upset. The faulty controller
always made a strange noise that it didn't make after the repair and the
other controller doesn't make, so I'm hoping I won't have to repair them
every 2 years. All in all though I am very happy with them and would do it
all again the same way.
Randy
Tucson, AZ
http://www.dakotacom.net/~rdobrien
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sat 27 nov 04
Hi Kelly,
As for the Chain Mail Glove...
These are associated with Fencing, so I would imagine any
outfit as supplies Foils and screen masks and so on should
have them.
Also associated with 'meat' cutters, so suppliers of
Butcher's accoutremon should have them also.
Too, re-enactors of sundry 'Renaissance Faires' meilus are
known to wear them as components of their costumes
sometimes.
Maybe a better project ( easier then you may think! - and
much 'safer' maybe, and certainly less expensive ) would be
to have the Child make such a 'glove' instead..?
For which...
One (merely?) takes some Iron or Steel or other Wire, and
wraps it tight about some slender rod whose diameter is what
one seeks for the 'links' to posess. Then, with a
Steel-Cutting Chisel and Hammer, or, some simple nippers,
cuts through each turn to make the individual circles or
tight "C"s. Then, fitting them together, linking them
together, one closes them snug with some Pliers,
and...arrives at such sheet-Mail or formed Mail as may be
according to their plan.
I have never heard of Wood Carvers wearing Chain Mail
Gloves, and I would think that it can not be a good idea for
several reasons.
Gloves for both hands? Or only for one hand? Only for the
hand as is not holding the Chisel, Knive or other
cutting-tool, or? ( I will guess this is the one.)
Wood Carving meaning 'Chip Carving'? With a small Knife?
Wood Carving meaning a use of Chisels pushed and guided by
one's Hand only?
Or driven by a Mallet?
How is the Work being held? In a Vice? Glued to a Board?
Held in the free-hand?
Regardless...if there are concerns about cuts occuring,
maybe the prospective Carver should simply not be attempting
to Carve things yet, or at least untill they have more
co-ordination or patience?
Are they also learning to name and care for and sharpen and
grind and hone the Wood Carving Tools? Which maybe would be
the most wholesome pre-requisite? Or just being handed them
'cold'?
This does not sound good to me....
Anyway...what kind of 'Carving' is it they wish to do? - in
which cutting themselves would be so probable?
Sounds like the Cart is being placed before the Horse...
I can tell you this, if the Child were guided to Grind,
hone, learn the names of ,and care for the Chisels, the
chances of them then cutting themselves with them...fall off
to about "zero"...
Best wishes,
Phil
chilly, with a first morning's cup of hot Tea...in...
el ve
----- Original Message -----
From: "primalmommy"
> Two questions for the clayart group-brain, more oracle
mystical than the
> Ouija board and magic 8-ball combined...
> Last, and weirdest request: Do any of you multi-media
craftspeople know
> where one might find a chain mail glove of the sort wood
carvers use to
> protect their hands from sharp blades? I need one (or do
they come in
> pairs?) in a size that would fit a nine year old's
hands... he wants to
> carve and has his cub scout whittling chip, but we do not
wish to return
> to the emergency room for another round of stitches --
(the last visit
> cost $700! What do folks do without health insurance? It's
bad enough
> just paying the deductible.) He also wishes to learn to
knap arrowheads
> and I have found him a teacher.. but need to find him some
protection
> for his hands first.
>
> Anybody know of a source? Off list is fine, since this one
is OT...
> primalmommy @ mail2ohio.com
lela martens on sat 27 nov 04
>>
>Last, and weirdest request: Do any of you multi-media craftspeople know
>where one might find a chain mail glove of the sort wood carvers use to
>protect their hands from sharp blades? I need one (or do they come in
>pairs?) in a size that would fit a nine year old's hands... he wants to
>carve and has his cub scout whittling chip, but we do not wish to return
>to the emergency room for another round of stitches -- (the last visit
>cost $700!>
>
>Hi Kelly,
Our Lee Valley woodworking tool catalogue has Kevlar gloves in small size.
Says Kevlar was originally developed for use in bulletproof vests. Hard to
abrade and cut resistant. # 67K80.01. Their website will show if you punch
in that # on quick shopping. There is also high-friction guard tape.
For flint-knapping, the usual is to hold a piece of leather in the palm to
increase grip. Companies specific to carving may have more.
This sort of thing goes on at our house as well as the emergency room
visits. Husband needed to get tendons re-attached in hand when leather
slipped in knapping excersise, and 5 stiches to thigh when chisel slipped,
among others. I have to stay away from sharpey type things. The thumb
through the commercial meat slicer was enough.
Good Luck, Lela
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
Ken Russell on sun 28 nov 04
I've converted a Skutt 1227 to a KM 1227. It was a piece of cake, but
then I had a lot of phone help from Perry at Skutt. At the time, the
cost was around $500.00. A couple of extra screw holes and a sleeve for
the hole for the old kiln sitter, wiring the leads to the plug in wires
for the confuser, and a couple of controller mounting screws and
heppita-hang, it's computer controlled. There's probably cheaper and
better ways now, what with the new beefier elements, relays, and cheaper
computers, but surely the manufacturer of your kiln will be willing to help.
Cindy on sun 28 nov 04
Hi, Kelly
I've never heard of wood carvers using a chain mail glove, but if it can be
had, I expect you can find it at www.leevalley.com . They have tools I've
never heard of--lots of hand tools--and great customer service.
That said, maybe a heavy duty woman's leather work glove would work as well
for him. Also some safety instruction, which I'm sure you have given him.
Best wishes,
Cindy in SD
Jeremy McLeod on sun 28 nov 04
Chain mail gloves? If you're patient enough you could make you own, or...
a Google to "puncture proof glove" came up with lots of listings such as this...
http://www.tasco-safety.com/workgloves/workgloves05.html
Don'tcha luv Google?
Jeremy McLeod
Steve Mills on mon 29 nov 04
I'm not sure that this would totally answer your question, but I have a
9 ramp controller with optional soak on each ramp allied to a Kiln with
a Kiln Sitter, because I like leaving the controller to do all the hard
work, but always prefer to have a cone control the finish. My normal
approach is to set the controller to a higher finish temperature than
the cone. I your situation I would put in a higher cone as a guard, and
program the downward ramp to do the fancy stuff. So I would want a
controller with LOTS of options (but I still want my Sitter!).
For the second question I'm afraid I'm in favour of the Pavlovian
Response.
I have 2 Sons and 1 Daughter all of them avid tool users, and as a
result of experience safe sharp tool users (all in their 30s!). The
biggest rule in our house has always been; DON'T interrupt someone using
potentially dangerous equipment, and that, on certain occasions, can
include such things as vacuum cleaners!
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , primalmommy writes
>Two questions for the clayart group-brain, more oracle mystical than the
>Ouija board and magic 8-ball combined...
>
>If anybody has retrofitted a kiln with a computer controller and has a
>happy song to sing about it, could you please sing it in my direction?
>Is there a better-than-the-rest place to buy one, a cautionary tale,
>something more timely or specific than the conversations in the
>archives? Many thanks in advance... off list or on... I have a nice kiln
>but am looking to experiment further with slow cooling, and my current
>low tech method* leaves much to be desired...
>
>(*Put a nursery monitor next to the kiln, carry the receiver all day or
>go to bed and read with it on the nightstand, listen for the "pop" of
>the kiln sitter shutting off, and then head out to restart the kiln on a
>timer. My kiln vent fan gets louder all the time and more annoying to
>listen to on the monitor...)
>
>Last, and weirdest request: Do any of you multi-media craftspeople know
>where one might find a chain mail glove of the sort wood carvers use to
>protect their hands from sharp blades? I need one (or do they come in
>pairs?) in a size that would fit a nine year old's hands... he wants to
>carve and has his cub scout whittling chip, but we do not wish to return
>to the emergency room for another round of stitches -- (the last visit
>cost $700! What do folks do without health insurance? It's bad enough
>just paying the deductible.) He also wishes to learn to knap arrowheads
>and I have found him a teacher.. but need to find him some protection
>for his hands first.
>
>Anybody know of a source? Off list is fine, since this one is OT...
>primalmommy @ mail2ohio.com
>
>Thanks, all... Kelly in Ohio... where I spent the morning making venison
>sausage links with my meat grinder/extruder and sheep casings.. not sure
>whether to be disgusted or turned on by the whole process. Then spent
>the afternoon with hubby framing walls for the addition. It's almost
>worth getting wet, tired and cold when you can come in to a nice fire in
>the woodstove.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>ize:13.5px">_____________________________________________________________=
>__
>t-size:13.5px">Get the FREE email that has everyone talking at >"http://www.mail2world.com" target=3D"new">http://www.mail2world.com<=
>/font>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Arnold Howard on mon 29 nov 04
An unusual noise coming from a digital kiln usually means that a relay is
about to fail. Sometimes the relay makes a chattering noise when the
electromagnet is no longer strong enough to pull the electrical contacts
firmly together.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
arnoldhoward@att.net / www.paragonweb.com
From: "Randy O'Brien"
> My first controller died in mid-firing a few months after the two year
> warranty had expired. Since it was separate, I was able to switch
> controllers and continue with the firing. I didn't lose the use of the
> kiln
> while the controller was being repaired. It was also much easier to have
> repaired since it was separate from the kiln. It cost about $100. I got
> about 200 firings from it, so I wasn't too upset. The faulty controller
> always made a strange noise that it didn't make after the repair and the
> other controller doesn't make, so I'm hoping I won't have to repair them
> every 2 years.
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