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
Complex and deep surface


less than I thought I did.

Comments

Annied01 said…
Beautiful results, worth the angst!!
bptakoma said…
So amazing -- did you cool all the way down between each attempt?
There is always the option to bypass the tech, and use prybars and clamps.
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