Can I modify an old enameling kiln for annealing?

Cherylka · #1 2012-03-20, 6:39pm

It has a lift-up door, so I was thinking I could add fiber at the bottom for insulation and a rest to keep the door open a bit for mandrels, then just add a controller.

Am I being silly? I hate waste and this kiln is just sitting in a corner of my studio, unused. I have 3 large several ceramic kilns, a fusing kiln, a Lilly Olo siver clay kiln, and this baby.

Any advice, opinions, laughter, would be greatly appreciated.

houptdavid · #2 2012-03-20, 6:54pm

Pictures?

Cherylka · #3 2012-03-20, 7:20pm

Unfortunately, when I dug it out, I realized my memory had failed and the door opens down, not up. Here are two pics...

cheng076 · #4 2012-03-20, 7:45pm

Turn it upside down.

speedingpullet · #5 2012-03-20, 7:48pm

At risk of being laughed off LE - could you not use it upside down.....?

Torched Art · #6 2012-03-20, 8:21pm

You can build a different door with fiber. You can contact other kiln manufacturers to see if they can build a door for you too.

or turn it upside down... ; )

Alaska · #7 2012-03-20, 8:42pm

Or perhaps relocate the hinges. Another possibility would be to add a guillotine style of door.

Cherylka · #8 2012-04-13, 10:42am

Thanks for all of the creative ideas. I ended up buying a great used annealing kiln with a bead door and a lift up front door for combing as well. If anyone wants to try to adapt this little kiln for themselves, let me know.

Cheryl

echeveria · #9 2012-04-13, 1:21pm

I would live in fear of touching a mandrel to one of the coils and frying myself.

Cherylka · #10 2012-04-13, 3:41pm

Good point, Kathy, what about for a cheap batch annealer, or enameling? Just trying to keep it out of the landfill...

c

nikki2kats · #11 2012-04-13, 8:56pm

Morgan repurposed an old enameling kiln of ours by buying a bead door from one of the suppliers, hacking a hole in the kiln door and mounting the bead door over the hole. It has given good service for over a year. So yes completely possible to repurpose an enameling kiln for beads.

Nikki

cheng076 · #12 2012-04-14, 9:59am

Best to have the door open down. Be painful if you were putting a mandrel into the kiln and the door slipped from your grasp.

Holly · #13 2012-04-15, 1:42am

I use an old dental burnout kiln. My dad made me a digital controller and it works just fine. The elements are incased in the walls of the kiln so there's no possibility of contact with a mandrel. That would be my biggest concern. You can use it for batch annealling if nothing else.

Eileen · #14 2012-04-15, 5:20am

I'm curious about enameling, is that something you don't do anymore? There was a great bead in the newbie thread this week, and the artist has got my interest up in learning enameling now.

Cherylka · #15 2012-04-15, 10:19am

There is a difference between using enamel on a bead and something like copper enameling. If you use enamels on your beads, you use the same kiln to anneal them as you do without enamels.

For copper enameling, you can use a more simple kiln, without a controller. We did this as kids with our Mom and have had the kiln since then.

Hope this answers your question.

c