What do people use inside their kiln for garaging?
Just curious. I have a glass fiber blanket that came with the kiln, but if I garage a moria half-way through the imploding process, the fibers from the blanket stick to the moria and cause a blemish. Is there a pad that won't do that? Do I need to use anything at all?
Thanks. |
I don't use anything but if the piece touches it still can pick up dust and stuff, I just pick clean the spot off, which you can't do for some sculptures. Some people use a stainless steel rod rest and position it so your piece is suspended above the kiln floor, just be careful opening up the kiln door things like to fall out for me. I have also heard of a cloth that is designed to clean the dust off of hot pieces but I don't have any experience with that.
|
The stainless steel rod rest is a great idea...but I'm not sure if I'd be able to close the door if I raised it up too much.
The inside of the door has a pad on it. This pad doesn't burn. I wonder if it could be used inside of the kiln? Not even sure if I could find it, as I don't have a clue what it is. I'm just tired of cleaning a piece that has been garaged. |
You can safely use nothing in the kiln. If you get kiln dust, you can wipe it off with a kevlar glove. To prevent/remove the kiln dust in the future though, when the kiln is 100% room temperature just wipe it with a moist cloth. Good luck....
|
I sweep out my kiln atleast once a week if I'm just working off mandrel stuff. If I use bead release, I sweep it before starting it up the next time. I put nothing in it at all other than the piece I am garaging.
|
You can use nothing, but I use two pieces of unglazed chair rail ceramic trim tile. I rest the rod on that. They look kind of like this. This is upright like it would go on a wall. Mine are lying down. I tried something with a sharp edge, but these didn't have the edge which would make the bead higher in the kiln and it might touch the roof.
I don't make dozens of beads a day, though. http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-1285359...7_2165_2653259 |
I took a class in which they had placed a kiln shelf cut to size in the bottom of a chili pepper. worked great.
|
Excellent ideas...thanks everyone!
I especially like he naked kiln idea...I can wipe it out daily with a damp cloth before I fire it up! |
Kevan,
I really like the chair rail idea! How hot can you fire that puppy to? Sometimes I strike colors at 1175...would that be able to take that kind of heat? |
I use a pad of carbon fiber cloth made by these folks
http://www.northernheat.ca/index.html Best product I have ever found for this kind of thing. They are pricy but I have had one for almost 3 years of heavy use in the hotshop. Throws zero airborn fiber, unlike frax, and takes the heat no problem. |
Quote:
|
That looks excellent Larry. Thanks for posting it, and thanks for asking Rickster.
I have been using small steel trays I got at Arrow Springs. They are easy to wipe off before I turn the kiln on but that shelf liner looks much better. |
Bend a clear rod into an M shape and weld another rod perpendicular to the end of one side. You've got a quick rod rest and it's elevated off the kiln floor.
|
If you are getting blemishes from the kiln floor, you are putting the piece in too hot.
If it's just a maria, you don't even need to garage it at all. Just set it on your rod rest and leave it until you are ready to use it again. If it's a large piece that does need to be garaged, just put it right on the bottom of the kiln. Make sure it's cool enough (all the glow has gone away) before putting it in. If there is any dust or anything left on it when you get it back out, just wipe it off. I have a piece of one of those yellow kevlar sleeves that I use for that purpose. |
I use fiber blanket on the floor of my kiln, but it's mostly to keep marbles from rolling out when I open the door.
Cosmo's right, make sure it's not too hot when you put it in and it won't tack to the fiber; I've done that too many times. If I'm doing beads and want to keep them elevated, I use a piece of 12mm clear glass I put half round "marbles" onto each end to make a rod rest. |
folded piece of paper towel works fine to wipe of the kiln dust and like Cosmo said let it cool till all the glow is gone before you out it in the kiln. :)
AcidFly |
I'm so glad this thread came up, thank you for starting it.
I was wondering what people use to stop marbles wandering around the kiln? Monique https://bodaciousglassbeads.wordpress.com |
Quote:
|
When I am making marbles or pendants, I have a stainless steel tray filled with salt that I place in the kiln. This keeps the marbles from rolling around or out of the kiln. Other wise I just lay my pieces on the kiln floor and just give them a quick wipe with a towel when I pull them out of the kiln to remove any dust or fiber.
|
Years ago I took a rod of 1/2" clear and bent it into a square with 4 sides each about 5"
long. Put it on the floor of your kiln, or on a shelf in your kiln. Marbles won't roll out! Or, just put a little shim under each front leg of your kiln so that it tilts back just a little. Marbles won't roll uphill. I'm curious, though, as to the distribution of heat within the kiln - how even is it? If the side of the kiln where the thermocouple pops in is 1050, is the left rear bottom corner of the kiln also 1050? Or 1020? etc. |
Quote:
|
The smoothest thing to use is graphite kiln liner. Only problem is, it breaks down slightly above boro annealing temp...
Here's an old thread about it: http://www.lampworketc.com/forums/sh...ad.php?t=51780 |
Wow! I never expected such a response! Thanks everyone!
|
Quote:
|
Quote:
|
Update.
Thank you to LarryC for turning me on to: http://www.northernheat.ca/index.html I ordered the shelf liner and have been using it for over a week now. EXCELLENT results! No marks at all, and the shelf liner seems very durable despite the fact it looked a little fragile when it arrived. It was easy to cut to size, and I can't tell you how great it is not to have to clean off anything after being garaged for a bit. Thanks again, Larry! |
Update:
Each of the liners last only for about 8 firings, then disintegrate to carbon ash. Way too expensive for my budget! I'll try a 'naked' kiln next, with a rod inside to allow me to rest my moria against it if I need to garage it. When the liner is new, it works great! |
That sucks, Rickster.... Thanks for updating us on those........ What temperature are you generally at in the Kiln? I'm usually at 1050(f) for the day and then annealing goes to 1115(f) max for 15 minutes................, curious if you work hotter?
|
Hmmm. Not sure which liner product you are using. I get crack off pads from them that I use in the hotshop. Had one for almost 3 years and I have been using bits of it to line my kiln. Its had zero degradation so far over months at 1050 top end. The outer shell is a fine woven black cloth.
|
We use coarse salt in the bottoms of all the kilns in the studio. It stops marbles from rolling into each other, and in general keeps things separated and in their own little nests. We've been doing this for over 6 years now, and have found no disadvantages.
-Ed- |
All times are GMT -7. The time now is 12:39pm. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.5
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.