David Martin Hershey on fri 22 sep 06
Hi Alyssa,
It kinda sounds to me like your kiln has a stuck relay.
(you know, the things that make the clicky sounds when you fire)
It happened to my Skutt 1027 with controller after about 150 firings.
A little freaky to see the temp climbing, with the kiln turned "off"...
Usually they fail in the open position, rather than closed.
If indeed that is the problem, the fix is very easy- a straight replacement.
It took me about an hour total, going very slowly & carefully.
My kiln has 3 relays. I replaced them all since I was in there, and kept
the good 2 as spares. It should be real obvious which one is bad- the
clear plastic housing will be all black and smokey looking.
If you buy the relays from a ceramic supplier, they should be about $25
each. I think you could probably get the same relays for much less from
an electric supply house.
I hope the fix is that easy.
Best, DMH
Beautiful Hermosa Beach CA USA
where the ocean
is my shrink
Alyssa Ettinger on fri 22 sep 06
carl,
not intentionally vague. it's my studio-mate's kiln, and we all use it. i'll
gladly forward to her your questions and perhaps we can get somewhere.
the estimate? $180 to walk in the door, $50 for every half hour there.
will get back to you.
alyssa
www.alyssaettinger.com
Alyssa Ettinger on fri 22 sep 06
Our Skutt has decided it likes to be on all the time. The only time it's not
on is when it's unplugged. If it actually hit cone 6, we'd likely leave it
this way and fire manually... but, not an option.
We have the name of one person who comes highly recommended, but the $$ is
rather outrageous--like more than the price of my shrink. But, I digress.
Anyone recommend anyone?
Alyssa, who needs her shrink.
www.alyssaettinger.com
Janine Roubik on fri 22 sep 06
Did you just try calling Skutt yet? Just ask for their kiln tech. He (Can't remember his name, but I always think I get the same guy) is real nice and has always been right on when I describe the current problem to him. The they tell you what part you need and how to put it in. I have an 181 which is a model the havn't made in about 30 years. But it still works!
Good luck!
Janine
Alyssa Ettinger wrote:
Our Skutt has decided it likes to be on all the time. The only time it's not
on is when it's unplugged. If it actually hit cone 6, we'd likely leave it
this way and fire manually... but, not an option.
We have the name of one person who comes highly recommended, but the $$ is
rather outrageous--like more than the price of my shrink. But, I digress.
Anyone recommend anyone?
Alyssa, who needs her shrink.
www.alyssaettinger.com
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Cindy Gatto on fri 22 sep 06
Hi Alyssa, We do kiln repairs and our prices are very fair. We also build
and rebuild kilns as well as all other studio equipment. Just to let you know
we also carry slip, plaster, chemicals etc. Give us a call we'll help you
out.
Cindy Gatto & Mark Petrin
The Mudpit
228 Manhattan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11206
718-218-9424
_www.mudpitnyc.com_ (http://www.mudpitnyc.com/)
mudpitnyc@aol.com
Alyssa Ettinger on fri 22 sep 06
from what i gathered from my studio-mate, the skutt people sent us to the
people at ceramic supply of NY/NJ, which is where we got the insane estimate
without even knowing what was wrong.
anyone else?
Janine Roubik on fri 22 sep 06
Really? Skutt-man usually just gives me a guestimate of what's wrong and what I need. Hmmm.. Maybe it's because mine is ancient and pretty bare-bones. If you have a computerized one, I could see there being way more parts and consoles and electric thingees than a person could guess on...
Oh well,
Good luck again!
Janine
Alyssa Ettinger wrote:
from what i gathered from my studio-mate, the skutt people sent us to the
people at ceramic supply of NY/NJ, which is where we got the insane estimate
without even knowing what was wrong.
anyone else?
______________________________________________________________________________
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.
Alyssa Ettinger on fri 22 sep 06
are you in an area where there isn't a kiln repair guy? just a guess. i'll
have my studio mate call again--do you remember his name?
Carl Finch on fri 22 sep 06
At 10:44 AM 9/22/2006, Alyssa Ettinger wrote:
>Our Skutt has decided it likes to be on all the time. The only time it's not
>on is when it's unplugged. If it actually hit cone 6, we'd likely leave it
>this way and fire manually... but, not an option.
>
>We have the name of one person who comes highly recommended, but the $$ is
>rather outrageous--like more than the price of my shrink. But, I digress.
>
>Anyone recommend anyone?
Your request is frustratingly vague, Alyssa!
What is the model of your kiln? (i.e., manually controlled or computer
controller--makes a big difference) Many people on Clayart learn to do
their own kiln repair and are generously coached by other more experienced
and knowledgable Clayarters.
Are all the elements staying hot or just one?
And what *was* that "outrageous" estimate? Many folks (OK, me included!)
are appalled that repair people expect to be paid for the long drive to
your house, stocking likely needed parts, etc. Others have had similar
repair needs and when writing of them to Clayart have found out
that--surprise!--such prices were quite comparable to those charged elsewhere.
>Alyssa, who needs her shrink.
My favorite "shrink" cartoon was titled "Brief Therapy." It shows the
therapist leaning forward out of his chair, slapping his client across the
face, and shouting, "Snap out of it!"
--Carl
in Medford, Oregon
Cindy Gatto on sat 23 sep 06
I read the prices that Ceramic Supply of NY/NJ are charging for repairs To
the NYC area WE REPAIR STUFF! call us we are much more reasonable
Cindy Gatto & Mark Petrin
The Mudpit
228 Manhattan Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11206
718-218-9424
_www.mudpitnyc.com_ (http://www.mudpitnyc.com/)
mudpitnyc@aol.com
Arnold Howard on mon 25 sep 06
From: "David Martin Hershey"
> It kinda sounds to me like your kiln has a stuck relay.
> (you know, the things that make the clicky sounds when you
> fire)
>
> It happened to my Skutt 1027 with controller after about
> 150 firings.
> A little freaky to see the temp climbing, with the kiln
> turned "off"...
> Usually they fail in the open position, rather than
> closed.
A stuck relay was my first thought, too.
Skutt changed brands of relays not long ago. I believe they
are using the P&B relay. You should order the type they
recommend.
By the way, you can test a relay with a 12-volt lantern
battery with the kiln unplugged. A faster method is to use
an ammeter. However, that necessitates turning on the kiln
with the switch box open.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
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