hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 I was on my way to cone 6 this afternoon, test driving my ol' Paragon snf-24 that I have been slowly rebuilding. I made it all the way to 1800 degrees f with only a slight intermittent switch issue. I was writing down the temp change every 30 minutes or so, and it was looking really great. I think this kiln is going to finally make it to ^6, after rewiring, making and installing elements, cutting and grooving firebricks, etc. Guess I should have paid more attention to the porcelain terminal block that connects power to the kiln sitter, uh, maybe tightened those connectors a little more. The block appears to be alright, but a couple of connectors for the wires going to the pilot light, kiln sitter timer, and a couple switches are missing. It looks like they got vaporized. The full load that was in kiln will have to be refired. In the words of Roseanne Rosannadanna, " Just goes to show ya.....it's always something." hee hee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Bridge Pottery Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Heat and electricity is a tricky combination. What kind of connectors did you have that vapourised? That sounds very hot. Would you share the wiring circuit you went for? I would be interested to have a look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Heat and electricity is a tricky combination. What kind of connectors did you have that vapourised? That sounds very hot. Would you share the wiring circuit you went for? I would be interested to have a look. These were stainless steel crimp-on ring connectors that were attached to a porcelain block with a brass screw. I had added them to some other questionable hardware on the screw. A little corrosion and not being snug, which I thought they were, could have been the culprits. I will try to get a photo and post it. There is not much to show, as the connectors were pretty much destroyed by the arcing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Any corrosion and looseness will always end badly with that much amperage. Drawing those amps will alway reveal any flaws. Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Old sitters can be full of corrosion. I suggest taking it out, taking it apart and cleaning the contact plates (the parts that connect when you push the power button) with fine sandpaper or a wire brush. Just last week I had to clean one out where the plates were so corroded that one leg wouldn't power up. Also clean all the terminals. Wet all terminals and screws with WD-40 and use a wire brush. Get everything shiny! Make sure you're using large enough wires to the switches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Any corrosion and looseness will always end badly with that much amperage. Drawing those amps will alway reveal any flaws. Mark Well, the flaws were revealed, for sure, Mark. New elements don't mean anything if your connections are corroded or loose. Lesson learned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Old sitters can be full of corrosion. I suggest taking it out, taking it apart and cleaning the contact plates (the parts that connect when you push the power button) with fine sandpaper or a wire brush. Just last week I had to clean one out where the plates were so corroded that one leg wouldn't power up. Also clean all the terminals. Wet all terminals and screws with WD-40 and use a wire brush. Get everything shiny! Make sure you're using large enough wires to the switches. Oh, this old kiln is no stranger to corrosion, Neil. I just underestimated what under-torqued corroded fittings could do. Speaking of fittings, they should all be stainless. RIght? I'm guessing that the crimp-on ring connectors from auto parts place would not have the correct finish. Kind of hard to find serious fittings and ring connectors locally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Old sitters can be full of corrosion. I suggest taking it out, taking it apart and cleaning the contact plates (the parts that connect when you push the power button) with fine sandpaper or a wire brush. Just last week I had to clean one out where the plates were so corroded that one leg wouldn't power up. Also clean all the terminals. Wet all terminals and screws with WD-40 and use a wire brush. Get everything shiny! Make sure you're using large enough wires to the switches. Oh, this old kiln is no stranger to corrosion, Neil. I just underestimated what under-torqued corroded fittings could do. Speaking of fittings, they should all be stainless. RIght? I'm guessing that the crimp-on ring connectors from auto parts place would not have the correct finish. Kind of hard to find serious fittings and ring connectors locally. Use stainless for hardware like screws and washer and such, but I don't think you'll have a very easy time finding wire terminals that are stainless, nor do I think it's necessary. You'll get corrosion from the end of the wire anyway. I use high temp terminals, but I've seen many kilns with standard hardware store terminals and they seem to work fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Old sitters can be full of corrosion. I suggest taking it out, taking it apart and cleaning the contact plates (the parts that connect when you push the power button) with fine sandpaper or a wire brush. Just last week I had to clean one out where the plates were so corroded that one leg wouldn't power up. Also clean all the terminals. Wet all terminals and screws with WD-40 and use a wire brush. Get everything shiny! Make sure you're using large enough wires to the switches. Oh, this old kiln is no stranger to corrosion, Neil. I just underestimated what under-torqued corroded fittings could do. Speaking of fittings, they should all be stainless. RIght? I'm guessing that the crimp-on ring connectors from auto parts place would not have the correct finish. Kind of hard to find serious fittings and ring connectors locally. Use stainless for hardware like screws and washer and such, but I don't think you'll have a very easy time finding wire terminals that are stainless, nor do I think it's necessary. You'll get corrosion from the end of the wire anyway. I use high temp terminals, but I've seen many kilns with standard hardware store terminals and they seem to work fine. Well, that's encouraging. I should be able to repair my connections right away, then. Thanks Neil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayaldridge Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 One thing you might want to do is using wire with high-temp insulation (you may already be doing this; if so, never mind.) I once attempted to repair a kiln using wire from a hardware store (from switch to element terminal, and it didn't work so well. I was getting my kiln advice from Mr. Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 One thing you might want to do is using wire with high-temp insulation (you may already be doing this; if so, never mind.) I once attempted to repair a kiln using wire from a hardware store (from switch to element terminal, and it didn't work so well. I was getting my kiln advice from Mr. Richard Feder of Fort Lee, New Jersey. Thanks Ray, yeah I noticed that someone had made an earlier repair using "store bought" wire. I found some high temp stuff on line. But it is now good to know that connecting hardware, except that connecting elements, can be bought off the shelf. j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Feeder wires must be insulated, and the connectors should be high temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Feeder wires must be insulated, and the connectors should be high temp. Would you define "feeder wires" as it applies to kiln. Are these the wires that supply power to the elements via the switches and oem connectors? thanks, j Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 21, 2015 Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Yes, feeder wires connect to the elements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hershey8 Posted August 21, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 21, 2015 Yes, feeder wires connect to the elements. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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