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just a note on itc

updated mon 18 oct 04

 

mel jacobson on thu 14 oct 04


feriz delkic does not care what anyone
thinks of itc in pottery kilns. often we waste
his time. i have told him that i will answer as
many questions as i can.

he does massive industrial installations.
he is doing two right now in china, one in greece,
two in france. and, big industrial kilns are being made in mexico
all the time....itc on most of them.

the u.s. navy cannot build any furnace that is
`not` coated with itc. ships, whatever.
they all have it. military regulations.
feriz has buit dozens of itc coated kilns for the u.s. navy.
mostly in bremerton, wash.
nasa uses it on the space shuttle pad.
industrial kilns made from fibre last 10 times longer.
these are million dollar furnaces/kilns.
so, if you can ten times the life of an industrial kiln, they
cost a million to build...hmmm, the math, the math.

alcoa has it on all the furnaces that make aluminum.
saves them millions a year in cost of fuel.

for me, feriz, nils....we do not care if anyone uses it.
we do, works like a charm.
and, i have said on clayart about twenty times.
`it is not about a few cents in savings...it is about
making a kiln fire better.`
if you use itc on a kiln, shelves, posts, so you save a buck on a bisque firing
you are doing things for the wrong reasons.

the gas/electric kiln would never work without itc.

howard axner has it on all the kilns he sells. perhaps
the best electrics around. L&L is working right now with
a hybrid. most of you have seen ken's posts.
it will be a marvelous kiln. feriz is giving ken the itc.
it is a gift that i asked feriz to make. people working hard
to do something brand new.

alice delkic loved potters. she was the one that kept
things going for us.
feriz helps potters in her memory...that is a fact.

so, anyone gets to use it or not. it matters not a bit
to me, or anyone. i take nothing from feriz. no gifts...except
that he does let me give product away at times...to good folks
that are testing and making a difference. he helped us with
the salt kiln at the farm/i have made that clear in the article
in cm. it was not perfect, but it is a great kiln. we would do it
differently next time. dip the brick in itc. the entire brick.
but, we have many firings on that salt kiln, and it is still working
just fine.

the very best way to use itc is soaked fibre/laminated to
a softbrick kiln. that is the industrial method he uses.
he calls it veneering fibre....if it gets ripped/broken/bashed
into...remove the fibre tile/replace/back to work.

i do get tired of defending it. and, i don't have the time
or energy any longer. it works as advertised. nothing
else does.
mel







From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com

terry sullivan on sun 17 oct 04


Our dear Feriz. Like Mel San says, he doesn't make a buck from us
ceramists compared to his industrial uses.

Talking with him yesterday, I found a dispirited fellow. His loss of
Alice is so evident. He doesn't really want to keep on with the retail
sale of ITC for potters. Not because he doesn't love us, but because it
is really a very small part of his business and takes way to much of his
time. He told me he would love to sell off this part of the business so
maybe someone like Axner or Laguna might want to buy that from him.

He has a folder of unpaid bills for ceramists who ordered his itc
product but forgot to pay. He has no energy or will to pursue these
debts.

He has given so much of his time and expertise to us all. We need to
tell him how much he has done for us.

I have been going through all the records for the Nottingham Center for
the Arts this past month. A huge amount of paper work covering several
years.
We found a check made out to Feriz for ITC product back in 1999 that had
not been sent. God I was embarrassed. I called him and told him a new
check would be sent immediately. We talked for awhile, and that is when
I learned about his desire to sell off the ITC production sales company.
He wants to do industrial consulting work only.

But that is not the main point here. The point is that our friend
Feriz, who has given so much to us, is feeling so down.

Perhaps we all who know him from the many NCECA conferences and such;
could take the time to tell him how much we do appreciate his efforts to
help and educate us on itc and kiln dynamics and to send a word of
friendship. I think he could use this.

Yours, Terry Sullivan
Nottingham Center for the Arts
San Marcos, CA
www.nottinghamarts.org