search  current discussion  categories  kilns & firing - bricks 

salting in a softbrick kiln?

updated thu 6 nov 03

 

Richard Aerni on wed 5 nov 03


Hello list,

A friend of mine has acquired a used Bailey kiln and is thinking about
using it for salt firing. It has a soft brick interior. She asked me if
it would be OK to do that, and if there is any kind of refractory coating
she can apply that can make it work.

My reply to her was that soft brick is not appropriate for salting. I also
mentioned ITC coatings and said I believe that either Neils Lou or Mel
Jacobson had experimented with it and that the experiments did not
indicated ITC to be a satisfactory coating for use with salt. Am I right
in this advice? Does anyone have any better advice, or a better coating,
to offer her?

Thanks in advance for all the replies I will get...

Richard Aerni
Bloomfield, NY

Vince Pitelka on wed 5 nov 03


> A friend of mine has acquired a used Bailey kiln and is thinking about
> using it for salt firing. It has a soft brick interior. She asked me if
> it would be OK to do that, and if there is any kind of refractory coating
> she can apply that can make it work.
> My reply to her was that soft brick is not appropriate for salting. I
also
> mentioned ITC coatings and said I believe that either Neils Lou or Mel
> Jacobson had experimented with it and that the experiments did not
> indicated ITC to be a satisfactory coating for use with salt. Am I right
> in this advice?

Richard -
ITC coatings do wonders in some kiln applications, but they do not protect
against salt. I do not know of any coating that allows salting in an IFB
kiln. Salting will result in serious sponging and spalling of the IFB
hotface.

We have an IFB soda kiln lined with ITC, and it holds up pretty well. We
use it quite heavily (30-40 firings per year) and we have to rebuild it
every five or six years.
Best wishes -
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Office - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 x111, FAX 615/597-6803
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/