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oops.....platter too big for kiln....

updated sun 28 nov 04

 

claybair on wed 24 nov 04


So... in my exuberance, zeal and zest
to make some large platters
I made 2 that are too large for my
23" w 7 cu ft kiln.
One is oval and the other rectangular.
My solution was to angle the kiln shelf
with one shorter kiln post and doing the same
with 9x13" shelf to support the bottom of the
of the platter. One is in the bisque firing now.
My hope is that it will shrink enough to fit on
a flat shelf for the glaze firing.
Fingers double crossed hoping this works and
we don't lose power.
It's been rainy and very windy power flashed
a few times... enough to give me a errorP
on my controller but it's still firing. I do love my L&L...
takes insults to wiring but keeps on firing!

Gayle Bair - after dropping daughter off at work this morning
I came home to find the top of my neighbor's alder laying across our
driveway.
Never a dull moment!
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

Deeclay@AOL.COM on thu 25 nov 04


Hi Gayle
Happened to me too. I was able to bisque at an angle but it didn't shrink
enough for the glaze firing. Had to take it to a friend for that. Actually
won 2nd place in a show. Who knew?
Good luck. Maybe you will have 2 extra things to be Thankful for this day.
Glad the tree missed your house.
Diane in Sunny (rainy today) Miami

Cat Jarosz on thu 25 nov 04


Gayle for the oval platter if you have some kayo wool place it on the
bottom and on the side of the kiln... gently place the foot of the platter on
the wool and then lean it up against the wall with the wool being used as a
spacer to keep it away from the elements and wall.. do not cover up the
elements... I have done this successfully with some 29" oval platters for the
past 2 yrs . even multiples by putting that kayo wool between them...
yeah gotta hold tongue in right position and wear right colored underwear but
I broke maybe 1 or 2 out of 20 or so... thru the yrs...

About shrinkage.. I will keep fingers xed that its enough Gayle but I
find a neligible amount of shrinkage from bone dry to bisque in Phenix clay a
white ^ 10 stoneware from highwater,. hope your only needing a smidgen..

ps the new kiln woes are being taken care of.. L and L has great
customer service and tech support. I gotta pack up the control box and they will
have fed x or ups pick it up at their penny and will replace all the relay
switches with some bigger ones that wont fry out and will hopefully repair
the kiln sitter timer if it needs help.. it was acting wacky yesterday when I
started the kiln back up ( wouldnt press in for many pushes ) This was not
operator error or anything mismatched it was plain bad components.
x fingers that the overfired bisque glaze fires ok... no way to tell if
the glaze is just right when it gets soo wacky ... taking over 3 hrs to dry
glazes on some of the pots.. I just might have plenty of 2nds for folks to
bargain over LOL

Happy thanksgiving to all... I have lots to be thankful for and Clay art
is a HUGE blessing ... Better go clean the house cause family is a coming
and 3 rowdy grand babies woo hoo spin on head... LOL.. wonder if the
old macy thanksgiving parade is on still??? think I will flip thru the
satelite dish and see if its anywhere on ..

Cat Jarosz in WINDY NC mountains .... time to wake up the master chef
and put Him to work in the kitchen...

Steve Mills on thu 25 nov 04


Gayle,

We run a firing service for customers who don't have their own kilns or
have done work that is too big for their own. Our biggest kilns are
standard 4 cube jobs; 18 wide 27 deep.
We get some interesting challenges, so we've become pretty adept at
firing really long flat pieces and other strange shapes to stoneware.
Not long ago we fired a set of crosses 30 inches long, one at a time, on
a long shelf, at an angle from top to bottom of the kiln to cone 9. At
the bottom they rested on a small square of 26 grade brick. They all
came out 100 percent.
Great fun to do (and see what you could fit in under the angled shelf!).

Steve
Bath
UK


In message , claybair writes
>So... in my exuberance, zeal and zest
>to make some large platters
>I made 2 that are too large for my
>23" w 7 cu ft kiln.
>One is oval and the other rectangular.
>My solution was to angle the kiln shelf
>with one shorter kiln post and doing the same
>with 9x13" shelf to support the bottom of the
>of the platter. One is in the bisque firing now.
>My hope is that it will shrink enough to fit on
>a flat shelf for the glaze firing.
>Fingers double crossed hoping this works and
>we don't lose power.
>It's been rainy and very windy power flashed
>a few times... enough to give me a errorP
>on my controller but it's still firing. I do love my L&L...
>takes insults to wiring but keeps on firing!
>
>Gayle Bair - after dropping daughter off at work this morning
>I came home to find the top of my neighbor's alder laying across our
>driveway.
>Never a dull moment!
>Bainbridge Island, WA
>http://claybair.com

--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK

claybair on thu 25 nov 04


Hey Cat & Papa Mel,

I'm glad to hear your kiln woes will be over soon.
Probably too late now but I meant to suggest you heat those
over bisque fired pots before you glaze them.
I use a propane torch but you could use a hair dryer.
I do that with pots needing another glaze firing.

I must have had my tongue in right position not to mention
wearing the right colored underwear!
The platter came out fine and shrunk enough that
it will now fit the shelf! B-Mix shrinks 14% and does so
throughout the drying and firing process.
Thanks for the tips.

Mel, I'm throwing bigger thanks to you but this particular
platter was not thrown it was molded from a slab.

Gayle Bair...... no Mel, we didn't use paper plates for Thanksgiving
dinner.... actually used my plates and one of my large platters.
Looked pretty damn good if I have to say so myself!
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Cat Jarosz

Gayle for the oval platter if you have some kayo wool place it on the
bottom and on the side of the kiln... gently place the foot of the platter
on
the wool and then lean it up against the wall with the wool being used as a
spacer to keep it away from the elements and wall.. do not cover up the
elements... I have done this successfully with some 29" oval platters
for the
past 2 yrs . even multiples by putting that kayo wool between them...
yeah gotta hold tongue in right position and wear right colored underwear
but
I broke maybe 1 or 2 out of 20 or so... thru the yrs...

About shrinkage.. I will keep fingers xed that its enough Gayle but I
find a neligible amount of shrinkage from bone dry to bisque in Phenix clay
a
white ^ 10 stoneware from highwater,. hope your only needing a smidgen..

ps the new kiln woes are being taken care of.. L and L has great
customer service and tech support. I gotta pack up the control box and
they will
have fed x or ups pick it up at their penny and will replace all the
relay
switches with some bigger ones that wont fry out and will hopefully repair
the kiln sitter timer if it needs help.. it was acting wacky yesterday
when I
started the kiln back up ( wouldnt press in for many pushes ) This was
not
operator error or anything mismatched it was plain bad components.
x fingers that the overfired bisque glaze fires ok... no way to tell if
the glaze is just right when it gets soo wacky ... taking over 3 hrs to
dry
glazes on some of the pots.. I just might have plenty of 2nds for folks
to
bargain over LOL

Happy thanksgiving to all... I have lots to be thankful for and Clay
art
is a HUGE blessing ... Better go clean the house cause family is a
coming
and 3 rowdy grand babies woo hoo spin on head... LOL.. wonder if the
old macy thanksgiving parade is on still??? think I will flip thru the
satelite dish and see if its anywhere on ..

Cat Jarosz in WINDY NC mountains .... time to wake up the master chef
and put Him to work in the kitchen...

claybair on fri 26 nov 04


Louis,
Awwww, how sad.... but amusing!
He should have kept it in the basement.
Was that the moment that you realized that it was possible
for a parent to make a mistake, be wrong and be human?
Your story made me think of William Randolph Hurst's castle.
He had huge sculptures brought into an area and had the rooms
build around them. He had quite the collection!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Louis Katz
Subject: Re: Oops.....Platter too big for kiln....


My father once built a harpsichord to big to get up from the basement.
A huge beast with two manuals three ranks I think. Had to put a whole
in the wall to get it around a corner.
After we got it upstairs the soundboard cracked and we had to take it
back down. It got salvaged for parts.

Louis

claybair on fri 26 nov 04


Steve,
Dang... you mean to tell me
I am not the first brilliant mind to
think of that solution..... Dang, dang, dang!
Foiled again.....

Gayle Bair - well, at least it was the first time
I thought of it... does that count?
Bainbridge Island, WA
http://claybair.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Mills


Gayle,

We run a firing service for customers who don't have their own kilns or
have done work that is too big for their own. Our biggest kilns are
standard 4 cube jobs; 18 wide 27 deep.
We get some interesting challenges, so we've become pretty adept at
firing really long flat pieces and other strange shapes to stoneware.
Not long ago we fired a set of crosses 30 inches long, one at a time, on
a long shelf, at an angle from top to bottom of the kiln to cone 9. At
the bottom they rested on a small square of 26 grade brick. They all
came out 100 percent.
Great fun to do (and see what you could fit in under the angled shelf!).

Steve
Bath
UK
snip>

pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on fri 26 nov 04


Hi Gayle,



I was imagining if I had thrown a Platter which was wider
than the width of my Kiln, what would I do? I mean, if it
was say only some three or four or five inches wider at
most.

One possibility, if I intended to do it a few more times or
many more times, would be to scoop out from opposeing
bricks, enough room for the edges of the Platter be set in
horizontal. And then, with some Castable, to build up the
outside of the Kiln in those two places where I had thinned
the opposeing bricks.

If done neatly, I see no reason why it could not be a
tasteful, durable and easy-enough solution.


Good luck with them big Platters...!


Phil
el ve

Louis Katz on fri 26 nov 04


My father once built a harpsichord to big to get up from the basement.
A huge beast with two manuals three ranks I think. Had to put a whole
in the wall to get it around a corner.
After we got it upstairs the soundboard cracked and we had to take it
back down. It got salvaged for parts.

Louis
On Nov 26, 2004, at 12:11 PM, pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET wrote:

> Hi Gayle,
>
>
>
> I was imagining if I had thrown a Platter which was wider
> than the width of my Kiln, what would I do? I mean, if it
> was say only some three or four or five inches wider at
> most.
>
> One possibility, if I intended to do it a few more times or
> many more times, would be to scoop out from opposeing
> bricks, enough room for the edges of the Platter be set in
> horizontal. And then, with some Castable, to build up the
> outside of the Kiln in those two places where I had thinned
> the opposeing bricks.
>
> If done neatly, I see no reason why it could not be a
> tasteful, durable and easy-enough solution.
>
>
> Good luck with them big Platters...!
>
>
> Phil
> el ve
>
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