Shit Happens!
Just when
ya think you know a lot about firing kilns it turns out ya know Jack S*#T, Diddely Squat and Bugger
All. The kiln devil brings you to your knees and has you beg for mercy. Please
let me be a Wal Mart greeter! This being a potter is too dang hard.
I have just
had a couple of weeks from hell with my computer operated gas kiln. It’s a
beauty and I love it but all things have a built obsolescence. The motor on the
damper has a estimated life expectancy of 10 years. I bought this kiln from a
friend who had it for over a decade. The motor died. So the new motor arrived from California and
lucky for me there is a young guy in town that is an industrial electrician
with experience with controllers. Motor
installed and firing under way. When it was supposed to go into reduction at
1600 the damper opens as far as it can and the gas drops to zero and woof off
goes the kiln. Another phone call. The cam on the motor needs to be adjusted to
the controller . Oh this is scary engineering stuff. I have confidence in my young electrician. Fire it up again. This time it shuts down at
1680.. Another electrician visit, another adjustment and fire again. This time
it stalls at 600F and inches up to 700F in 3 hours. Call Rob the genius electrician
he arrives and figures because of the adjustments we made he needs to reprogram
it to “run” program. Firing continues and it is successful.
Now, I’ve
been firing carbon trap shino for almost 20 years and I figured I would have
lost it because it had oxidized at 1600 3 times. Well I just opened a lovely
firing of beautiful carbon trapping. When I was younger I knew almost
everything. Now I readily admit I know a lot
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| Complex and deep surface |
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