Element broken at pigtail

[JohnnyK]

If you don't have the experience or knowledge to do the repair, contact a local welding shop to see if they can do it. Welding shops are not cheap and you WILL pay for them to experiment on you job...You might find it cheaper in the long run to just replace the elements. 

JohnnyK

[caracelles]

Lol, that's why I'm purchasing the bulk wire. And my welder is already looking at it. He loves a challenge and knows how many potters we have in the area. Thanks!

[caracelles]

1 hour ago, Mark C. said:

Sorry to hear about the deadbeats that stole your stuff-I have a loss recently at my pottery booth and its never a good feeling especially at holiday time.

No, it is a horrible feeling to have your things stolen. I am sorry you were treated that way as well!  I hope your holidays have gotten happier. There's still a few more days of Christmas, or so I hear. I could use a miracle!

[Mark C.]

 

(I have done copper solder with MAPP gas. I bet that would work with silver as well, but I'm thinking I need more unfired material to make that work. The pigtails themselves are much more flexible because they've never carried much of the Heat, but still we're talking about a small quantity.)

I use Mapp gas a lot (its in my hand torch now and it does not get hot enough to melt silver solder-You will ned acetylene (I have a small tank of it called a B tank) and a prestolite small hand torch on a long hose for it. Its very hot_ worked as a plumber once and its a tool for doing Quik hot repairs to larger copper pipes. I also used it in art school for all my silver solder work on jewerly-Its for brazzing which uses  borax paste, flux and silver solder(spendy).

As to a good places for Kanathol wire online are -Euclids  and Kuregers pottery supply. I have used Kurgers for high temp wire -not for winding elements but for high temp wire for ceramic buttons(I fire to cone 10-11)

Let us know how this turns out.

 

[Bill Kielb]

6 hours ago, caracelles said:

 thank you all, some very good information here! What I'm leaning toward doing is going ahead and purchasing a quantity of the Kanthal wire and making my own elements. Now I just need to know the gauge! And of course my wire strippers, my calipers, my gauges, were in the toolbox that was stolen! I can purchase the wire to replace all four top ring elements for the same price as a single element. Seems like a no- brainier!

Ok, I can’t help it and this is just my opinion based on experience. It seems you are attempting a solution that will not necessarily be permanent but will allow you to try this out. Welding would be very difficult and likely destroy the parent metal sufficiently to cause a bunch of misery. As everyone has mentioned replacement is best but in emergency temporary situations Especially with elements many folks will simply intertwind a splice for several inches. This may require a piece of an old  element with its tail still attached. This is not perfect and only temporary and if you are lucky gets one or two firings while you wait for your new elements. In the event that you do not have a piece of suitable element the existing with luck could be heated with a torch, (quite hot - glowing red as if you are putting them back in the grooves) carefully unwound and stretched to establish an element end again.

In either case, the  interwound section will fail quickly due to heat, resistance, you name it. It will in all likelihood take longer than any mechanical splice  you  devise though. As I said when in battle or emergency, this has been the type of temporary fix that is common with electric resistance wire. 

And of course if you use the torch and unwind it back straight approach your odds on succeeding are very low as well but maybe sufficient to allow you to try it once.

I think  everyone’s advice suggesting a new element is the best and safest.

 

best of luck!