gary navarre on sun 10 jan 10
Hay Folks,=3D0A=3D0A Processing pallet lumber seems to me a lot more work t=
han =3D
it is worth unless ... well, no unless'es or excuses from this purist. We f=
=3D
ired Ed's Olson at WMU with a couple semi-truck loads of the stuff, pallets=
=3D
are mostly air, and got pounds of nails out of the choked out fireboxes w=
=3D
hen they raked coals because the fuel couldn't get enough air... take a bre=
=3D
ath Gary... because a lot of the flat milled slats set with their smooth su=
=3D
rfaces touching keeping air away from the core of the fuel pile. The grate =
=3D
bars didn't help because they clogged up with the 4x4x4 spacer chunks. Roun=
=3D
dish, sorta straight, tapering 3' (36") sticks cut from a real limb in a ho=
=3D
bbed Bourry box will let air into the fuel pile better than 3" dowels or 2"=
=3D
x3" milled strips and still pack tight enough to hold a long lasting charge=
=3D
of BTU's. I've dismantled pallets and packing crates and I'd much rather t=
=3D
rim trees or pick up logging slash, or limbs I could find around town, than=
=3D
pull
nailed boards apart when it comes to stoop labor. I hate slinging pallets!=
=3D
!! And I see no reason to be so altruistic as to take someone else's crap j=
=3D
ust to look like I'm doing them an environmental favor. Hows about the peop=
=3D
le at the pallet storage use the wood in their home heaters. Chipper it, I =
=3D
hate chippers, use it as bio-fuel in the power plant or make wood alcohol a=
=3D
nd sell it on the black market in Russia as Vodka. Just imagine how a brew =
=3D
of South American rain forest pallets from China would taste. =3D0A=3D0A So=
me f=3D
olks get slab trimmings and I have a cord and a half I gratefully processed=
=3D
but after I cut it up to length I still have a bunch of bigger pieces to s=
=3D
plit. Since I don't have a wood splitter yet I use a maul or axe and a sled=
=3D
ge hammer with the handle cut in short...=3D0A=3D0Ahttp://public.fotki.com/=
Gind=3D
aUP/ca/gf/ssw/splittingslabwood3.html=3D0A=3D0A Depending on how the grain =
goes=3D
I might not get three pieces the same length for the Bourry box so shorter=
=3D
than 32" can be used for the pignose fire before switching the fire to the=
=3D
hobs. However, I intend to mix round limbs with the milled on one or two s=
=3D
ides slabs to keep air flowing around each stick. Getting a limb and cuttin=
=3D
g to length is more efficient because it doesn't need further splitting, ju=
=3D
st cut, sort, stack...=3D0A=3D0Ahttp://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/gf/cshsp=
s/cu=3D
ttingfueltofit7.html=3D0A=3D0A Most of my kiln fuel making involved no spl=
itti=3D
ng. One thing of interest was Red Pine tends to worm up under the bark in l=
=3D
ess than a year unless it is dried and kept dry. Oddly enough Balsam bark t=
=3D
ends to stay on the medium thick to thinner sticks better than I expected. =
=3D
White Pine kept the bark pretty good too as I recall. What will be new for =
=3D
me is using Maple, Iron Wood, and Poplar. Should be interesting to see how =
=3D
that works out if I ever get around to firing the monster. =3D0A =3D0AGar=
y Na=3D
varre=3D0ANavarre Pottery=3D0ANavarre Enterprises=3D0ANorway, Michigan, USA=
=3D0Ahtt=3D
p://www.youtube.com/GindaUP=3D0Ahttp://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/=3D0A=3D0A=
=3D0A--- =3D
On Sun, 1/10/10, Paul Herman wrote:=3D0A=3D0A>=
Fro=3D
m: Paul Herman =3D0A> Subject: Re: [Clayart] I =
wo=3D
od if I could=3DE2=3D80=3D8F=3D0A> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG=3D0A> Date:=
Sunday, J=3D
anuary 10, 2010, 9:37 AM=3D0A> Hi Claudia,=3D0A> =3D0A> We carefully avoid =
nails =3D
in our stoking wood, because iron=3D0A> as you know=3D0A> is a colorant. Th=
ough=3D
brown pots are great, according to=3D0A> most of our=3D0A> crew, added iro=
n wi=3D
ll make them too dark, and too brown.=3D0A> =3D0A> I also tend to frown on =
iron=3D
or steel grates, for the same=3D0A> reason.=3D0A> =3D0A> best wishes,=3D0A=
> =3D0A> P=3D
aul Herman=3D0A> =3D0A> Great Basin Pottery=3D0A> Doyle, California US=3D0A=
> www.gr=3D
eatbasinpottery.com/=3D0A> =3D0A> =3D0A> =3D0A> =3D0A> On Jan 9, 2010, at 6=
:39 PM, Cl=3D
audia MacPhee wrote:=3D0A> =3D0A> >=3DC2=3DA0=3DC2=3DA0=3DC2=3DA0I am lucky=
to live about 5=3D
miles from=3D0A> a huge abandoned slab pile.=3D0A> > There are hundreds of=
cor=3D
ds of pine and white spruce=3D0A> slabs. Also=3D0A> > some edge trimmings p=
erfe=3D
ct for sidestoke wood.About=3D0A> 50 cords worth.=3D0A> > I also have acces=
s to=3D
lots of pallets as it costs too=3D0A> much to ship=3D0A> > them back South=
. My=3D
question-do you guys burn them=3D0A> with the nails?=3D0A> > Maybe a dumb =
ques=3D
tion, but I have kept them out of my=3D0A> kiln because I=3D0A> > wasn't su=
re a=3D
bout all that melting iron.=3D0A> >=3D0A> >=3DC2=3DA0 Claudia MacPhee Tagis=
h, Yukon=3D
=3D0A> > www.paintedbyfire.blogspot.com=3D0A> >=3D0A> >=3D0A> _____________=
________=3D
____________________________________________=3D0A> =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
jonathan byler on sun 10 jan 10
I have never seen a fire get hot enough to melt iron without forced
air blowing in. the bottom of the firebox ought not to get up to the
kind of temperatures where iron or steel melts. if it does you may
also be looking at brick failure. the only issue I could see is that
the nails may get caught in your air grate if you have air coming from
beneath the coals. or if you have a boury box type kiln, perhaps with
the flames directed on them you could have some issues with the iron
from the nails tearing up the bricks on the floor.
lotta work pulling nails out of pallets. they aren't made to come out
- ever.
On Jan 9, 2010, at 8:39 PM, Claudia MacPhee wrote:
> I am lucky to live about 5 miles from a huge abandoned slab pile.
> There are hundreds of cords of pine and white spruce slabs. Also
> some edge trimmings perfect for sidestoke wood.About 50 cords worth.
> I also have access to lots of pallets as it costs too much to ship
> them back South. My question-do you guys burn them with the nails?
> Maybe a dumb question, but I have kept them out of my kiln because I
> wasn't sure about all that melting iron.
>
> Claudia MacPhee Tagish, Yukon
> www.paintedbyfire.blogspot.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
Craig Edwards on sun 10 jan 10
Hello: Claudia: You Absolutely have a very nice situation with wood. In my
experience nails do not melt... but they can lay in your firebox and and ea=
t
through the brick.
In the 80's I had a bourry box kiln and fired with free wood from a pallet
recycling plant. The nails would collect on the floor and could be scraped
out after the fire. Now that I fire a anagama the wood is not only the heat
source but also the glaze for many of the pots. Much more care is taken wit=
h
the variety and storage of the wood, because it is also my glaze... no
nails.
With the bourry box the wood does not come in contact with the pots, so
nailing a pot is not a problem, in an anagama some of the pots are in direc=
t
contact with the embers, so the possiblity of having a nail stuck on the
side of a pot is a real possiblity, a real heart breaker.
A personal preference is burning slab and trimmings as opposed to lumber...
but it all depends on your situation. You are fortunate to have a choice.
The best wood is what is available.
What sort of kiln do you have?
--
Make Good Pots
~Craig
New London MN
http://woodfiredpottery.blogspot.com/
2010/1/9 Claudia MacPhee
> I am lucky to live about 5 miles from a huge abandoned slab pile. There
> are hundreds of cords of pine and white spruce slabs. Also some edge
> trimmings perfect for sidestoke wood.About 50 cords worth. I also have
> access to lots of pallets as it costs too much to ship them back South. M=
y
> question-do you guys burn them with the nails? Maybe a dumb question, but=
I
> have kept them out of my kiln because I wasn't sure about all that meltin=
g
> iron.
>
> Claudia MacPhee Tagish, Yukon
> www.paintedbyfire.blogspot.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
>
Paul Herman on sun 10 jan 10
Hi Claudia,
We carefully avoid nails in our stoking wood, because iron as you know
is a colorant. Though brown pots are great, according to most of our
crew, added iron will make them too dark, and too brown.
I also tend to frown on iron or steel grates, for the same reason.
best wishes,
Paul Herman
Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/
On Jan 9, 2010, at 6:39 PM, Claudia MacPhee wrote:
> I am lucky to live about 5 miles from a huge abandoned slab pile.
> There are hundreds of cords of pine and white spruce slabs. Also
> some edge trimmings perfect for sidestoke wood.About 50 cords worth.
> I also have access to lots of pallets as it costs too much to ship
> them back South. My question-do you guys burn them with the nails?
> Maybe a dumb question, but I have kept them out of my kiln because I
> wasn't sure about all that melting iron.
>
> Claudia MacPhee Tagish, Yukon
> www.paintedbyfire.blogspot.com
>
> _________________________________________________________________
jonathan byler on mon 11 jan 10
hate to be picky, but a reduction atmosphere can't make an oxide from
iron. the problem, I think is that there is always a degree of
oxidation to a woodfiring, especially in the firebox where the air is
coming in. I can see how in many designs, the firebox floor would get
very hot, hotter than if there were a grate with air coming from
beneath (which would serve to cool the grate somewhat just like the
secondary air, and the gas flowing through the burners keeps the
burner tips from glowing in a gas kiln).
I have never seen reference to these early cupolas, but I guess they
had a tall stack to get a good natural draught?
On Jan 11, 2010, at 5:04 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> Jon Byler wrote:
> I have never seen a fire get hot enough to melt iron without forced
> air blowing in. the bottom of the firebox ought not to get up to the
> kind of temperatures where iron or steel melts. if it does you may
> also be looking at brick failure.
>
> Hi John -
> The early clay cupolas used only natural draft, and did a fine job of
> melting iron. The coalbed in a wood kiln can easily reach a
> temperature
> that will melt iron, but more importantly here, the reduction
> atmosphere
> convert the iron to black iron oxide, a very powerful flux, and
> that's what
> eats through the bricks. Have you ever placed a piece of iron in a
> cone-10
> pot? It can eat right through the pot and into the kiln shelf, and
> that's
> in the firing chamber. The coalbed of a wood kiln is far hotter
> than that.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
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