mel jacobson on tue 23 may 06
be a bit cautious about wrapping kilns with kaowool.
some of our fine experts have been very clear that
often a wrapped metal kiln can be damaged. trapped heat
against the metal skin. and for sure, be careful of the control box.
it must have moving air around it.
i have found that some kaowool on the floor of the kiln
and on the lid may be the best way to approach this.
on a few occasions i have put a blanket on top of
an electric kiln to slow the cooling.
perhaps michael or hank,arnold, can add to this.
vince is gone right now.
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3
Arnold Howard on tue 23 may 06
From: "mel jacobson"
> be a bit cautious about wrapping kilns with kaowool.
> some of our fine experts have been very clear that
> often a wrapped metal kiln can be damaged. trapped heat
> against the metal skin. and for sure, be careful of the
> control box.
> it must have moving air around it.
Wrapping the insulation around the outside of the steel case
can cause the steel to warp. It would be better to remove
the case, wrap the firing chamber with insulation, and then
reinstall the case on the outside of the insulation. But
then the steel won't fit the kiln properly. So it may be
more complicated than it sounds.
How strong is the demand for a more heavily insulated
top-loading kiln? And how much extra insulation would you
want?
One of the problems with a heavily insulated top-loading
kiln is that it would probably not be sectional. Does that
matter?
Basically, kiln manufacturers will make whatever you want.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Hank Murrow on tue 23 may 06
On May 23, 2006, at 3:20 PM, mel jacobson wrote:
> be a bit cautious about wrapping kilns with kaowool.
Amen...........says Hank.
>
> some of our fine experts have been very clear that
> often a wrapped metal kiln can be damaged. trapped heat
> against the metal skin. and for sure, be careful of the control box.
> it must have moving air around it.
That is sage observation and advice. This is best done when the kiln is
built. Perhaps the coming fuel crisis(I say it's here already) will
prompt the Mfgs to design better insulated kilns. Let them know what
you want and that you'll pay for it. They think we won't pay for it at
present. Get ahead of the curve, folks.
An alternative would be to commission some manufacturer to make one
this way for you. I suggested that to Linda.
L & L did some custom work for one of our members......... but I cannot
remember who.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
Marcia Selsor on tue 23 may 06
I use a blanket of kaowool when doing ^6 glazes in electric. Linda
Blossom gave a good description
years back about wrapping her electric kiln by removing the metal
jacket . and then putting the layer
between the metal jacket and the bricks. That would be the most
effective way to do it.
Marcia in Montana moving to Texas!!
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
Snail Scott on wed 24 may 06
At 04:03 PM 5/23/2006 -0700, you wrote:
>On May 23, 2006, at 3:20 PM, mel jacobson wrote:
>
>> be a bit cautious about wrapping kilns with kaowool.
Johathan Kirkendall posted some very nice pictures
of his re-wrapped kiln a few years back. He basically
took off the steel jacket, put on 1" refractory
fiberboard, then put the jacket back on (re-bent
to fit), with an extension added to accomodate the
increased circumference.
I find that just adding 1" board to the top and a
second floor layer (the former top of my old 'beater'),
my firings have distinctly improved, especially the
tendency of the bottom to run a little cool.
The biggest advantage to extra insulation, in my
mind, is the longer cooling cycle, which will promote
matter mattes without actively firing down. (No, I
haven't modified my own kiln walls, but if I ever had
a need to do major work anyway, I might just seize
the oportunity. In the meantime, I just fire down.)
-Snail
Eleanora Eden on wed 24 may 06
I work at cone 04-06 so probably the lower heat is the difference, but I
have my L&L 236 wrapped without damage to the casing.
For quite afew years we had our kiln wrapped with a blanket of kaowool,
then tin foil, then chickenwire to hold it all together. The control box was
screwed back on with longer screws.
Finally we took that apart to do a better job and the metal casing was
totally undamaged. We re-wrapped the kiln with new kaowool and cemented
the whole thing together with heat-resistant masonry. So I have a little silo.
We also put a little fan at the top of the control box pointing down
so that there
is extra cooling for the control panel.
Please understand that this kiln will not be moved far if it is moved at all,
resale is not an issue, and I'm not sure I care at this point what happens to
the sheet metal. But I do know that after some years of firing when
we unwrapped
it there was no damage at all.
I do know what would be happening to my electric bill if I had not done this
work. I also use two kiln lids and use a kaowool gasket between lip and lid.
It seems to me that 1/2" of kaowool between bricks and metal would be a
big selling point in new kiln manufacture in this ever-more expensive
energy environment.
Eleanora
--
Bellows Falls Vermont
www.eleanoraeden.com
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