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kiln crack repair

updated fri 28 oct 11

 

mel jacobson on thu 27 oct 11


all kilns crack and move.
it is a part of the process.

kilns are not `living room` furniture that
must be washed, polished and made to look nice.
(that is a general statement, not directed at the current poster.)

the best repair is: take some loose K-wool/fiber.
soak it in a tiny bit of itc 100 and press into the crack.
in fact, just fiber works great. use a blade or screw driver.
any mortar repair will usually re/crack.
expansion etc.

if you use kiln repair mortar make sure to wet the
area with water...lots of water. soak it. slow dry
and then fire the kiln to like 022. get it to set.

in many cases a small crack will allow some
air in the kiln and it may fire better. (small
fissures and cracks being normal.)

almost all coatings come off in time. just a part
of the process. itc works like a dream, but i am
not going to go there...far too many folks think
it a hoax. it is not. nasa likes it a great deal.
but, of course some potter will say it is crap...
`experts you know.` i would never have an
electric kiln that was not coated itc 100 and the
coils coated in itc metal coat. (see archives.)

all of my gas kilns are coated with itc 100.
just makes sense. it may be the best hundred
bucks ever spent on a kiln.
mel
you would all laugh at my old electric kilns.
1960's. they look old, but they are race cars
under the hood. model A fords with a v8 289 under
the hood. (i loved that ford 289.)






from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html

Diane Walls on thu 27 oct 11


Thanks for some great information, Mel!

Diane

On Oct 27, 2011, at 10:56 AM, mel jacobson wrote:

> all kilns crack and move.
> it is a part of the process.
>
> kilns are not `living room` furniture that
> must be washed, polished and made to look nice.
> (that is a general statement, not directed at the current poster.)
>
> the best repair is: take some loose K-wool/fiber.
> soak it in a tiny bit of itc 100 and press into the crack.
> in fact, just fiber works great. use a blade or screw driver.
> any mortar repair will usually re/crack.
> expansion etc.
>
> if you use kiln repair mortar make sure to wet the
> area with water...lots of water. soak it. slow dry
> and then fire the kiln to like 022. get it to set.
>
> in many cases a small crack will allow some
> air in the kiln and it may fire better. (small
> fissures and cracks being normal.)
>
> almost all coatings come off in time. just a part
> of the process. itc works like a dream, but i am
> not going to go there...far too many folks think
> it a hoax. it is not. nasa likes it a great deal.
> but, of course some potter will say it is crap...
> `experts you know.` i would never have an
> electric kiln that was not coated itc 100 and the
> coils coated in itc metal coat. (see archives.)
>
> all of my gas kilns are coated with itc 100.
> just makes sense. it may be the best hundred
> bucks ever spent on a kiln.
> mel
> you would all laugh at my old electric kilns.
> 1960's. they look old, but they are race cars
> under the hood. model A fords with a v8 289 under
> the hood. (i loved that ford 289.)
>
>
>
>
>
>
> from: minnetonka, mn
> website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
> clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html