Michelle Marino on tue 11 jul 06
I have my eye on a used electric kiln to buy (Evenheat 4320 ) but am not sure if its worth it. There are a lot of "issues" with it. This will be my first kiln and I would love some advice.
It looks like there has been a large amount of slip that has spilled on the bottom of the kiln and was left to dry - then it was fired. It looks like I may be able to get it off - but have never dealt with trying to get anything off the kiln itself - just the shelves. WIll this drastically affect the funcitoning of the kiln? Or will I be ruining the kiln if I try to get the slip/bisque off?
Also - there are no legs/stand for the kiln to sit on. The person I am buying it from says that they bought it used (and never used it) and that the stand didn't come with the kiln. Can I make a stand out of cinder blocks or of some other material? I am wondering if I call Evenheat if they will have a replacement stand to purchase...
O.k - and this is a *very* newbie question here. She says that the kiln is a single phase kiln. The kilns I have used (at school) have been kilns that switch (manually or automatically) to low, medium and high. Does single phase mean that it only has one level and will not switch between low, medium and high - or is this something totally different?
Thanks for all the advice you can provide! I have been wanting to get my own little kiln for years - but don't want to get in over my head.
:)Michelle
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Arnold Howard on tue 11 jul 06
From: "Michelle Marino"
> It looks like there has been a large amount of slip that
> has spilled on the bottom of the kiln and was left to
> dry - then it was fired. >
> Also - there are no legs/stand for the kiln to sit on. >
> O.k - and this is a *very* newbie question here. She says
> that the kiln is a single phase kiln.
Buying a used kiln is an excellent way to start a studio on
a limited budget.
The slip in the bottom of the kiln may indicate that the
kiln overfired. Can you see any damage to the kiln walls?
Use a small dental mirror to look at the elements in the
grooves. Have the element coils collapsed? Did the slip
embed into the bottom of the walls? If so, did it ruin the
bottom element?
The slip should be dug out of the brick bottom before the
kiln is fired again. How deep has it embedded into the
firebricks? You can find out by removing some of the slip
with a screwdriver. You can probably save the brick bottom
by filling the damaged areas with a mixture of grog
(powdered firebrick) and kiln cement. Add just enough cement
to hold the grog together.
A kiln stand is $30 - $40. I recommend using the stand,
because UL tested the kiln with the stand designed for that
kiln.
Single phase is the standard voltage found in most
buildings. I wouldn't be concerned with that. But you should
find out if the voltage matches your building: 208 or 240?
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Snail Scott on tue 11 jul 06
At 05:14 AM 7/11/2006 -0700, you wrote:
>...It looks like there has been a large amount of slip that has spilled on
the bottom of the kiln and was left to dry - then it was fired...
If it doesn't melt, then ignore it.
>...the stand didn't come with the kiln...
Stands aren't pricey, and they can be found
used, since kilns may die but stands go on
forever. ;)
>...She says that the kiln is a single phase kiln. The kilns I have used
(at school) have been kilns that switch (manually or automatically) to low,
medium and high...
The same amount of power may be delivered to an
appliance as single phase or three phase. It has
nothing to do with how the machine works. Though
the inside wiring is different for each, the way
that it works for you is the same. It's got
nothing to do with the switches and settings;
that's all the same for both types of power. All
the familiar controls will be the same. Only the
innards are different, and not in a way that
makes any visible difference to the user.
Single phase is the way all domestic appliances
get their power. Three phase is for industrial
equipment, as it allows more efficient power
delivery for heavy equipment. You only want a
three-phase kiln if you are setting up in an
existing factory space that has three-phase
power. Houses don't have three-phase power.
If this kiln is going to a house or light-
commercial building, single phase is the only
kind of kiln you want, as anything else would
require expert rewiring to work.
-Snail
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