kiln

[Jessen]

]Im trying to make a old kiln to a new one I have turned it up side down and waiting for a pyrometer to come in the mail. Do i need to get brick wash and how fast to a kneeling processes is safe?

[aglassworkorange]

do you have pics? not sure if kiln wash will help. if its chipped and thrashed you might need refractory cement.

[GlassConnoisseur]

I took an old torched 50's-60's dental kiln and repainted it and put a bead door on it. Worked out sweet. Brick wash? No.. just blow it out with an air hose and it should be good. Be careful, i'm sure those old kiln bricks are fragile. Otherwise i'd figure out your bead door situation and maybe slap a coat of heat resistant paint on it. Also make sure it's safe electrical wise before you fire it up, if you don't know much about that stuff i'd seek an electrician.
Here's a link to a similar topic and pics of my kiln.
http://www.talkglass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41233

[Julian]

Kiln wash is evil and to be avoided. It's just an endless source of fine dust that gets on all of your pieces - I'd much rather be wiping off brick dust.

If the floor is real janky, you can put ceramic tiles or graphite paper in as a liner. Most tiles crack eventually, but are a good surface. The graphite paper burns away over time, but is super smooth in the meantime.

You might wish to search for annealing schedules. There have been many posted here over time.

For typical blown work, soak at 1050-1100 for at least half an hour, ideally an hour, and them ramp down to 950 over an hour, then ramp down to 600-700 over an hour or two. The segment from annealing (1050) to the strain point (950) is important. Often I let it sit at 950 for 10-30 minutes to make sure all the work has cooled to the strain point, then continue ramping down.

This varies with what you're making. Thicker work like marbles or pieces with attachments and variations in wall thickness need to be soaked for longer, and ramped down more slowly.

[NUBBLET]

you could try kiln shelf to redo floor, mines been fired umpteen times and no cracking yet.

[Jessen]

i bought a pyro meter and a thermal coupler is this what i need to wire this? Or am i looking in the wrong direction

[Julian]

That will let you read the temperature. Does it have a controller? Like even an infinite switch (dial)?

[Jessen]

no
:wes:

[Jessen]

O:twitch:k this is what i have and cant sem to find a infunat switch that is 110v and is DC or AC can some one please help >>>>>>I don't know why its no showing the thermal cupler and the pyrometer

[Jessen]

pics

[J proper]

It has to be AC power unless for some crazy strange reason it runs on battery then it would be DC power. Mountain glass sells an infinite switch for $25 but you can get a digi controller for almost that if you know what your doing but it doesn't seem like you know a lot about electrical so do some research and figure out if you want analog or digital control. The pryrometer is strictly for reading temps not controlling them.