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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips |
2012-03-20, 6:39pm
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Member
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Join Date: Nov 22, 2011
Posts: 45
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Can I modify an old enameling kiln for annealing?
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.
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2012-03-20, 6:54pm
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honorary bead lady
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Join Date: Jan 14, 2008
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Pictures?
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2012-03-20, 7:20pm
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Join Date: Nov 22, 2011
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Unfortunately, when I dug it out, I realized my memory had failed and the door opens down, not up. Here are two pics...
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2012-03-20, 7:45pm
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Curmudgeon Engineering
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Join Date: Feb 15, 2006
Location: Near Seattle, WA
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Turn it upside down.
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2012-03-20, 7:48pm
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Dazed and Confused
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Join Date: Jan 10, 2007
Location: Los Angeles, via London
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At risk of being laughed off LE - could you not use it upside down.....?
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Cats prefer plain crisps
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2012-03-20, 8:21pm
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Micromosaic and Lampwork
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Join Date: May 16, 2007
Location: San Diego, Ca.
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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... ; )
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2012-03-20, 8:42pm
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Alaska Boro
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Join Date: Dec 10, 2009
Location: Anchorage, Alaska
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Or perhaps relocate the hinges. Another possibility would be to add a guillotine style of door.
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2012-04-13, 10:42am
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Join Date: Nov 22, 2011
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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
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2012-04-13, 1:21pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Aug 31, 2006
Location: Knoxville, TN
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I would live in fear of touching a mandrel to one of the coils and frying myself.
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Kathy
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2012-04-13, 3:41pm
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Join Date: Nov 22, 2011
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Good point, Kathy, what about for a cheap batch annealer, or enameling? Just trying to keep it out of the landfill...
c
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2012-04-13, 8:56pm
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 08, 2010
Location: Bay Area, CA
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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
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2012-04-14, 9:59am
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Curmudgeon Engineering
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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.
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2012-04-15, 1:42am
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Fire Monkey
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Join Date: Jul 01, 2005
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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.
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2012-04-15, 5:20am
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Loving learning
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Join Date: Oct 11, 2010
Location: Florida
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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.
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2012-04-15, 10:19am
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Member
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Join Date: Nov 22, 2011
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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
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