A few years ago Emily's mom was clearing out excess stuff and found a kiln (used by her mother to glaze porcelain dishes) and I snapped it up. Simon gets very resentful if I use the kiln in the summer months, but with the cold weather that has set in (it's snowing right now!) I am free to fire up as much clay as I can stand. So I was very excited to run the kiln only to find that it never reached the required temperature, and the kiln ware looked very bad indeed. The culprit was a broken element (there are four). Since Emily is out of grandmas and new kilns costs over $2000, I was very dispirited--until Simon suggested I get online to look for a replacement kiln element. Since the kiln is certainly 40 years old at least, I was skeptical, but (unbelievably) I found a company that sells all sorts of kiln parts. The element I needed cost only $32. It arrived a few days ago and, with much trepidation, I set to work on it earlier today while Simon and Frederick went for a walk in Grand Blanc Commons. Here is the new element, right out of the bag:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm_r-CU-J4vc9-DJhZD-kNGPa148umX-tletWcxkf80-YPLw4Gzhi0Jxo3WY4xewii89qfAa-Atc8QJsToFzOlQUFuggWSaEkpgchqwd4OJVjFp91Vkh8tpUkUYpDy3FbayCJgjKIXmiCT/s320/kiln+1.jpg)
Step 1 is to remove the control panel. Eew--rather dusty, no?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip8cj_sH0kLUfRdDAdHrNV2usRcw12SuWOhnlAMzIbyIKNXWGP7pkN3Xmif5rfE99kpli4k5NQaH0edD7YwyZBfGb2pgFQDLb2wgyrdOu8z1PlqEHeuLVaEGQBzFKDbzXYk1XkzAfbatpn/s320/kiln+2.jpg)
Step 2 was to disconnect the element from the control panel (held in place by a ceramic tube and a screw holding it to the switch plate.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKfnwFhf3-5gWgHgCCGX2AVkoeqxmsdsRxSOfzcOVp61RZOXiNSuvEguedxODA-J3lmd8OJno3Wf6RVnV4SWAXJWklZdufYvNjsNb-l0Ke79ubLRyIgTk1dO6KeM7Rn4VZWZMbYIxa86Dp/s320/kiln+3.jpg)
Step 3 was to pull the element out of the kiln bricks--CAUTIOUSLY!!!--I was warned, as (apparently) the kiln bricks are fragile. I quickly realized that the bricks were likely to break because the work was fiddly and frustrating as hell. It didn't help that the element crumbled to bits every time I got a good grip on it. Here is the kiln, with new element in place, all vacuumed out and ready to go.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPuKbq7JBJCGlwCDIGocG-g_KcwYfYUy_VLRWxAikwpoY7a5cGXASQ15VcuD71ogbhNQY2I2eh-a4sbEPBzjBYuZOjyxOlHs7EIXJPyvCrAw6c_WstW4OdOOKbsxa1zt9AWved30mGbP_8/s320/kiln+4.jpg)
Now I just have to attach the new coil ends to the switch plate....
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDIxZnM97HXPwWxcjlfGZuHVjdnWKDZwKl3i4gZ9pHVh6U_nTIDhqGOEgA5OyGQ-sW6uFjvPmR7dTy92huiHMrPAzfKCakMhkZSZ8ILMcBj8u6_Cyuo5d9Vv_zwVZaecJCusim22UNIjML/s320/kiln+5.jpg)
...reattach the control panel cover...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHF1C1Gzm4cbGhzUiPh5S78AlUjsb40LjwSV4jaEGhPSKOfO_OuoK_r33b4qLvI3AAFqxljnnJcevMnM8fZzo8P34X5Z4CRnSZAOb-M6LT7gPAy-LCj_eWM1lksj1bAQmuXcW1hNwf45bq/s320/kiln+6.jpg)
...load up the kiln (with the monstrously hideous pots that weren't fired properly)....and Bob's your uncle!
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_TjhsEMl2u30Nx-SHucOQtYws6JizxnPMR5wELULs_sUozDpRxqzNY9lUEOeO19Nd2QwKfkeN-1HdPmUkEbVQTe_0g5UPYB9y_bCEOgrpljbuCDHmlwq2dvR2RJRih6EG71LjbbjU76M/s320/kiln+7.jpg)
I have started up the kiln, but it takes about 5 hours to get up to the required temps (about 2000F--hard to believe I'm responsible--gulp--for wiring it up!), then it takes about 12 hours to cool down enough before I can open the kiln to see if it worked. Here's hoping.
1 comment:
Brave triumph!
xM
Post a Comment