Belinda Willis on wed 29 mar 06
A few months back someone posted about making the lid of an electric kiln
fit better by carefully sanding down the high spots. I was oh so carefully
in the process of doing that=85 almost had a perfect fit=85 when my dear swe=
et
husband happened by. He assured me he knew a way to make the top of the
kiln perfectly flat using a piece of lumber wrapped with sandpaper to form
a flat sanding surface. He was so insistent that it would work and I just
can=92t say no to him so I explained how very soft kiln brick is, begged him=
to be careful and with every fiber of my being yelling =93NOOOoooooo=94 I l=
et
him sand the top surface of my beloved kiln.
Well=85..you know what happened. Its impossible to convey to someone how
delicate fire brick is until they have ruined a brick or two=85..or one side=
of a kiln, as the case may be.
I=92m doing a glaze firing right now. The top thermocouple is registering
more than 80 degrees cooler than the middle and bottom. I even turned off
the kiln vent in an effort to even out the temperature and after nearly
three hours it=92s having no effect.
What=92s the best way to fix my treasured and much loved kiln???
Can I smear kiln repair cement on the top surface of the kiln body, cover
that with a layer of plastic wrap and then lower the top until the cement
sets? Seems to me that would result in a tight fit between the kiln and
the lid. Would repair cement be sturdy enough to withstand the wear and
tear of loading and unloading the kiln?
Or would it be better to get some kiln fiber and put a layer of that down
before closing the lid? How dangerous is it respiratory-wise to be moving
fiber around that much??
Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.
Belinda Willis
www.greatpottery.com
| |
|
