Randy McCall on tue 14 feb 06
Is the a way to estimate the number of fire bricks you need when building a
kiln? I looked in the archives and did not see anything. I know there are
a lot of variables such as single wall, double wall, roof type, etc. But is
there a general rule of thumb that might be used?
Randy
Pottery Web Site
members.tripod.com/~McCallJ/index.html
South Carolina
Craig Clark on tue 14 feb 06
Randy, first I suggest that you get yourself a copy of "The Kiln
Book." It is well worth the money and arguably one of the best books
written by one of the most knowlegable individuals on the subject of
kiln building for potters.
As far as a rule of thumb goes I don't know of any other than first
deciding what type of kiln you are going to build, how large it is going
to be, and then doing a quick calculation on the number of bricks for
the walls, arch, door, floor, bagwalls, and flue. You will need to know
the basic design to make a materials estimate.There are several
variables to consider.
Hope this helps
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 St.
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org
Randy McCall wrote:
>Is the a way to estimate the number of fire bricks you need when building a
>kiln? I looked in the archives and did not see anything. I know there are
>a lot of variables such as single wall, double wall, roof type, etc. But is
>there a general rule of thumb that might be used?
>
>
>Randy
>
>Pottery Web Site
>members.tripod.com/~McCallJ/index.html
>South Carolina
>
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Vince Pitelka on tue 14 feb 06
> Is the a way to estimate the number of fire bricks you need when building
> a
> kiln? I looked in the archives and did not see anything. I know there
> are
> a lot of variables such as single wall, double wall, roof type, etc. But
> is
> there a general rule of thumb that might be used?
Randy -
Assuming that this is a vertical-wall brick kiln (and not a catenary arch),
once you decide on the kind and dimensions of kiln you want to build, it is
easy to estimate the number of bricks based on volume in the walls and
floor. A standard brick is 9"x4.5"x2.5" and the volume is 101.25 cubic
inches. The kiln design should always be based on brick increments. In
other words, the wall height will always be a multiple of 2.5" (the height
of a brick), and the width and depth of the kiln will always be a multiple
of 4.5" (the width of a brick, or length of a half-brick). The kiln design
should also be based on the desired kiln-shelf size.
To figure the number of the bricks, imagine the kiln divided into modular
sections - two door jambs, two side walls, one back wall, and one floor
section. Figure the measurement in inches for each section, and multiply
height times length times width to get the volume in cubic inches of each.
When you divide the kiln into sections, be sure that you do not duplicate
the corners - in other words, if you think of the side wall sections as
extending all the way to the outside back corner of the kiln, then the back
wall section would just be the inside width - the part between the side
walls. Also, make sure that the wall section measurement starts at the
floor level, and the floor section measurement is the full outside width and
depth of the kiln.
Add all the volumes together and divide by 101.25 for a close estimation of
the number of bricks needed. Then of course you'll need to figure the
number of IFB and hardbrick, assuming this is a gas kiln. For the floor you
want two layers of IFB layed flat (2.5" thickness) and then a layer of
high-duty hardbrick laid flat as a durable hotface floor to support the kiln
set. You also want hardbrick lining the burner ports and flue, and if there
is a bagwall it should be hardbrick.
Assuming a sprung arch kiln, the number of arch bricks and straight bricks
needed for the arch can be easily figured from the charts in Olson's "The
Kiln Book" or in an APGreen Pocket Refractory Handbook. You only need one
4.5" thickness of IFB for the arch, because an additional stiffening and
insulating layer is easily provided by a cheap homemade castable mix.
Good luck -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
Randy McCall on tue 14 feb 06
Thanks Vince,,,,,,,,,,,,,
Randy
Pottery Web Site
members.tripod.com/~McCallJ/index.html
South Carolina
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