john elder on sun 28 nov 04
Hello everyone,
I am building a small soda/salt. The interior stacking space is 28x36x48.
I was thinking of casting the key arch, the burner ports and perhaps a U
type of bottom to the fire boxes. If soda is going to be sprayed does it
require numerous ports or can it be effectively sprayed over the burner
ports to achieve the desired effect? IE. not a real dry side! Do burritos
work, as well? Soda ash dissolved in hot water and mixed with saw dust and
then burritoed....has anyone soda fired with this method?.... any ideas or
suggestions would be appreciated.
thanks,
John Elder
Hank Murrow on sun 28 nov 04
On Nov 28, 2004, at 2:55 PM, john elder wrote:
>
> I am building a small soda/salt. The interior stacking space is
> 28x36x48.
> I was thinking of casting the key arch, the burner ports and perhaps a
> U
> type of bottom to the fire boxes. If soda is going to be sprayed does
> it
> require numerous ports or can it be effectively sprayed over the burner
> ports to achieve the desired effect? IE. not a real dry side! Do
> burritos
> work, as well? Soda ash dissolved in hot water and mixed with saw dust
> and
> then burritoed....has anyone soda fired with this method?.... any
> ideas or
> suggestions would be appreciated.
Dear John;
A trough cast in the bottom of the firebox areas is a great idea. If
the salt/soda melts and turns liquid, the trough/pan will hold it until
it vaporizes, and prevent it from seeping into the joints in the
brickwork. I have taken apart salt kilns that had lots of hardened salt
in those joints, and the salt had spread the joints apart over time. I
use A.P.Green's Greencast 94 or 99 for this job, but any very high
Alumina castable would work. Pryor-Gigge's Phlo-Cast 30S may be an
excellent candidate, and you could re-inforce either product with
Fiber-Con stainless steel wires. I always cast the burner ports in the
kilns I build, as it helps considerably to present a precision shape
for the burner to work into, thus realizing the full potential of the
burner, as well as controlling secondary air.
Others can respond more cogently to your questions about the
introduction of the salt/soda. My feeling, however, is that even
deposition on the ware is helped by the brine method...................
think Sodium Sauna!
Cheers, Hank in Eugene
www.murrow.biz/hank
Louis Katz on mon 29 nov 04
Hi John,
I much prefer the spray it in dissolved in water method over all
others. I have blown in soda ash, put it in packets with sawdust, mixed
it with salt, put in in with angle iron etc. Spraying it in seems the
least hard on the kiln, all the other techniques leave piles of the
melted soda ash on the floor or elsewhere. I prefer having lots of
places to spray it in although I often use just the ports behind my
"nonexistant bagwall". I find using just these gives me the most
directional effects. I have a cold spot in the front and get lovely
pinks there if I spray the pot for about 1 minute directly with soda. I
often load a piece with a spot I want "hammered" up against a spy on my
back wall and then spray it for about a minute as well. If I have a
particularly tight stack I spray some soda up over the top of the ware.
You don't need much of a hole to spray through but don't turn you r
kiln into Swiss Cheese either. I am sure someone will disagree. If you
have a baso valve don't spray your thermocouple! I would suggest
goggles for protection from the warn soda ash solution.
Louis
On Nov 28, 2004, at 4:55 PM, john elder wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> I am building a small soda/salt. The interior stacking space is
> 28x36x48.
> I was thinking of casting the key arch, the burner ports and perhaps a
> U
> type of bottom to the fire boxes. If soda is going to be sprayed does
> it
> require numerous ports or can it be effectively sprayed over the burner
> ports to achieve the desired effect? IE. not a real dry side! Do
> burritos
> work, as well? Soda ash dissolved in hot water and mixed with saw dust
> and
> then burritoed....has anyone soda fired with this method?.... any
> ideas or
> suggestions would be appreciated.
> thanks,
> John Elder
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
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> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
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>
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> melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
http://falcon.tamucc.edu/~lkatz/LK/index.htm
Marcia Selsor on mon 29 nov 04
I think you need several ports, on the sides and above the burners, I
haven't used the burrito method. I prefer the soda dissolved in boiling
hot water and spraying with an orchard sprayer...about five to 10 times
over an hour or two.
Also, why would you cast a key and not the entire arch?
Marcia Selsor
On Nov 28, 2004, at 3:55 PM, john elder wrote:
> Hello everyone,
> I am building a small soda/salt. The interior stacking space is
> 28x36x48.
> I was thinking of casting the key arch, the burner ports and perhaps a
> U
> type of bottom to the fire boxes. If soda is going to be sprayed does
> it
> require numerous ports or can it be effectively sprayed over the burner
> ports to achieve the desired effect? IE. not a real dry side! Do
> burritos
> work, as well? Soda ash dissolved in hot water and mixed with saw dust
> and
> then burritoed....has anyone soda fired with this method?.... any
> ideas or
> suggestions would be appreciated.
> thanks,
> John Elder
Joyce Burkeholder on mon 29 nov 04
Hi John
I have found that spraying soda into the kiln to be the best method. I think
it helps to distribute the soda more evenly throughout the setting than
using soaked sawdust. On my 35 cu.ft kiln I have 4 ports at the corners,
over the burner ports for introducing the soda.
I used A.P. Green Mizzou castable for the burner trough areas and after 50
firings it seems to be holding up well. I am firing to ^6-7.
Dan Hill
Hill Pottery
Wilno, Ontario, Canada -----
Ivor and Olive Lewis on tue 30 nov 04
Dear John,
The idea of using a trough which will collect molten salt (NaCl)or
soda is an idea that has not been thought through by its inventors.
Molten Sodium carbonate has a solvent action on silicate substances.
It is the compound used to digest silicate minerals so that they
become water soluble and amenable to wet extraction for analysis.
Molten Sodium chloride undergoes double decomposition in a
solid-liquid reaction with Potash felspar, discharging Potassium
Chloride. It also reacts with Alumino silicates to discharge Aluminium
Chloride and Silicon tetrachloride.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
S. Australia.
john elder on tue 30 nov 04
Thanks for your information Marcia. Why only the key? Because the bricks I
am using are seconds and the dimensions work out a little off. I felt that
what ever the span of the arch I could always finishes it of by casting the
key.
>From: Marcia Selsor
>Reply-To: Clayart
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Re: suggestions for soda kiln
>Date: Mon, 29 Nov 2004 04:53:16 -0700
>
>I think you need several ports, on the sides and above the burners, I
>haven't used the burrito method. I prefer the soda dissolved in boiling
>hot water and spraying with an orchard sprayer...about five to 10 times
>over an hour or two.
>Also, why would you cast a key and not the entire arch?
>Marcia Selsor
>On Nov 28, 2004, at 3:55 PM, john elder wrote:
>
>>Hello everyone,
>>I am building a small soda/salt. The interior stacking space is
>>28x36x48.
>>I was thinking of casting the key arch, the burner ports and perhaps a
>>U
>>type of bottom to the fire boxes. If soda is going to be sprayed does
>>it
>>require numerous ports or can it be effectively sprayed over the burner
>>ports to achieve the desired effect? IE. not a real dry side! Do
>>burritos
>>work, as well? Soda ash dissolved in hot water and mixed with saw dust
>>and
>>then burritoed....has anyone soda fired with this method?.... any
>>ideas or
>>suggestions would be appreciated.
>>thanks,
>>John Elder
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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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