Bill Kielb

What cone is your glaze? The clay is basically cone 5 red clay so the glaze needs to be cone 5 for them to mature together. If you bisque this clay itt will be a fragile sintered bisque which most likely would not work well with a cone 05 glaze. So what cone does the glaze mature at?

Terracotta COLORED stoneware mature fires to cone 5. So I would glaze fire it to cone 5. I also would bisque to 04/05 but I think you. Have glazed it already. So maybe once fire to cone 5 using a slow / medium bisque schedule. Of course assuming you used a cone 5 glaze and not a lowfire cone 05 product. If you glazed with a cone 05 product and have not bisqued, I really don’t have a good idea other than remove the glaze someway and bisque fire to 05, then glaze with a cone 5 product. It is not functional and fragility may not be an issue, so trying one of them to cone 05 bisque schedule might get an acceptable result.p for now.

Might help, my experience as an old guy - oil burners are pretty old technology so lots of reading if you just Google oil burners. Some decent plain English reading here IMO https://inspectapedia.com/heat/Oil-Burner-Nozzle-Selection-Guide.php#FiringRate. Picking a correct pressure important, used to be no less than 100 psi which has grown to 140 psi for finer droplet size, better aeration. 140000 btu per gallon is how I learned it (no2) and nozzle dispersion critical to cover the firebox without impingement. Anyway, pressure, size, cone angle all contribute significantly and mostly really good filtration to avoid clogged nozzles.

Pictures definitely key here as I have seen circular failures and delaminating especially in bowls where the interiors were overworked in the green stage. Pictures and a little about any special throwing, trimming, ribbing, burnishing etc…. could help narrow this down.

If no need to be double sided - conventional masking tape? There are a variety of adhesives, fine line, etc, to choose from and they are available in different widths.

New elements for 240 v service and a bit of wiring change will get you there appropriately. Find the wiring diagram for your kiln in the single phase model and build / rebuild accordingly. If a transformer is in the kiln for controller power, chęć / change the primary jumper to match 240v. For breaker / wire size check the manufactures 240v model requirements.

Any hood is great, higher inlet better than low is good but really if you get it in the room, the room is small and to keep the odor from exiting the room, near the kiln much better than you are doing now. Keep in mind, the kiln vent is capturing many, just not all.

I would suggest running a quick test fire to let’s say a few hundred degrees. So 1 segment program, go as fast as you can (9999) to let’s say 500 degrees. All the relays will turn on and stay on till near 500 degrees. Ought to take minutes to achieve and you should see all the elements glowing. You don’t fire enough to intuitively know if what you are hearing is normal or not, so a quick test at least should show everything is working - or not. Do this without stuff in the kiln, especially wet stuff!

@MochiFriend Just to add a drawing for clarity

Make sure you pick the right model and control. The picture shows three different applications. You likely want the 6” round with the outdoor louvers. Airlift air shutter series

This will work, mounting the fan on the board to directly discharge, then run the duct in the crawl or wherever. With the fan mounted at the window all the rest of will be negative pressure, so no worries of small leaks. This is traditionally how we treat exhaust duct in general to guarantee no exhaust leaks out of the duct.

You might be interested in AC infinity. I have had them installed in several kiln rooms and model dependent they come with a temperature controller which varies the speed as required. Very quiet fans for the most part at what I think are reasonable cost. Google Ac Infinity.

Just a quick mention Neil makes a good point and without looking closer 8” combined is likely fine. Just a caution, while not the best it would be most correct to install backdraft dampers when combining exhausts so when one fan is not in operation the other will not have a short circuit path. Actually just best to run them out independently as designed. 200 cfm in 6” round is over 1000 fpm which is significant. This is not worth calculating really and to do so is a bit complicated and requires actual airflows. Separate discharges most goof proof solution.

@GestaltArtworks Yes, I am saying that and have found other colors in other brands to be difficult to melt over as well. It looks like black in that picture as well. Our common finding, especially prevalent over heavily applied colors, the color and brands varied. Since we have brush artists who want to layer colors and paint wysiwyg, meaning our final solution was to create a clear glaze with a bit more boron to melt over heavy applications of underglaze. And yes, we noted painting washes with the same color did not appear to affect the glaze to the same magnitude of heavily painted areas. The picture below is one we posted on Glazy for Marcia’s matte which is a matte glaze with a bit more boron to avoid these issues. Oops! need to add: The sugar bowl below thrown by me, decorated by Marcia and spray glazed by me was created under Madison pottery. It is a good example of some solid color combinations that were difficult to cover with clear glaze but essential to the artist to paint them as such.

I have measured these in operation, with all the small diameters and restrictions they do not flow more than 20 cfm. It’s rated 140 cfm in free air. Configured as downdraft it does not exhaust nearly that much. Old video here but measured from two kilns was less than 20cfm. https://youtu.be/etpa2Pc9Hug?feature=shared

No, if your kiln is outside then it’s already ventilated with outdoor air, so just open the door to the shed. We just want to suck more air out of the kiln room than we put into the adjacent rooms to do this correctly. The small kiln vent likely will not be enough to do this and again if it sucks too much air through the kiln, your kiln may not have enough power to fire so drilling more or larger holes has a downside. If your going to blow some air in, use your smallest fan on the lowest setting at the farthest window in hopes of being slightly less than the kiln vent while getting some dilution air into the office.

It really likely is not. We only think in terms of pressure.. To approximate that box fan is probably 150 cfm. The kiln exhaust is 10 cfm. You will be pressurizing all rooms to 140 cfm. Your kiln room will not really be negative and will become pressurized and remix with the office air. So the additional fan will dilute the office and kiln room which is helpful but also encourage leakage to all other rooms adjacent. More exhaust in the kiln room than supplied is how we make this negative. Ducting through the crawl space could be a neat solution.

Yes, box fans likely will cause an issue. The kiln vent is way too small to suck all that air out. a through wall fan close to the kiln more ideal. Just make sure there is always suction in the kiln room to be most effective. The only way to make something negative, you exhaust it outdoors. Intermediate fans likely will hurt more than help for the smell.

The fans blowing in have a chance of pressurizing everything so I am trying to get you to an exhaust solution which we know will work. The kiln vent is such a small exhaust. I would feel better with a bath fan in the kiln room and the office window opened slightly as an easy test.

The potential setup on the right is better, directing airflow often pressurizes things so often not effective or drives the smell into other spaces. Next time open you office window just a bit and run your clothes dryer no other fans. It’s about 200 cfm so that may give you a good idea how successful that sized fan will be. None of this will remove all the heat from the kiln, that takes quite a bit more exhaust and usually a hood over the kiln. If you think of it in terms of pressure rather than directing a stream of air you are much more likely to come to a best solution. So suction in the kiln room, air has to enter from all other locations.

The counter flow vents can vent some of the fumes, even let’s say many fumes but they will not get them all. It cannot have enough power or airflow to offset the buoyancy of warm air. If it did, your kiln would not have enough power to make temperature because of all the air necessary being exhausted from the kiln would be a giant heating load. Sort of like firing with the lid wide open. So here counterflow vents are a reasonable compromise solution. Wax that burns off in the temperature range you describe is particularly noticeable but other fumes obviously are emitted, even those that most cannot smell. If we put a Pm2.5 particle detector (popular these days) in the vicinity you likely would see an immediate rise in particles detected when running your kiln. I mention this because the new IAQ indoor standards have made these air monitors accessible and relatively affordable these days. It does allow potters (with better accuracy than the smell test) an easy way to verify with greater confidence their system appears to be performing as expected. Without getting into a giant discussion of best practice, exhausting the kiln room and keeping it slightly negative (lower pressure) with respect to all adjoining spaces is a proven technique. From bathrooms to clean rooms, even surgical suites. This means an exhaust fan where some of the makeup air MUST come from the other spaces is important. We only want air leaking into the kiln room from other spaces. If you open a window in the kiln room and it supplies ALL the air to the exhaust the kiln room will not be negative (lower pressure) with respect to the other rooms and exfiltration (or kiln odors leaking into other spaces) may still prove troublesome. These are fairly simple designs for folks that have done it; however well meaning or not, I have seen lots of well intentioned but less than ideal advice on this. My thought is best to describe how it ought to work and you will be able to keep that fundamental in mind as folks suggest things. It needs to work just like a bathroom fan, only air is allowed to leak in from the other spaces. Simple really. Your kiln vent could exhaust some of this air, but realistically the amount of actual exhaust is on the order of 10 cubic feet per minute. New bath fans will be 50 - 100 cubic feet per minute for some perspective. If you have a dryer that exhausts (non heat pump) then that machine will exhaust approximately 200 cubic feet per minute. You could test your next firing with it running to see if that will be sufficient exhaust to keep the room exhausted. If so, the addition of that sized fan might be a simple solution.

Good question! Split designation is really simple - Split usually means an air handling unit (generally a furnace that includes the blower for airflow) which delivers conditioned air through ductwork and contains a source for heating and separate source for cooling. Often the heating part is built into the air handler and the cooling is added to it using an outdoor unit and refrigerant lines to an exchanger mounted inline with the furnace. This allows the common ductwork and blower to heat or cool the space. Split can be the other way as well so it could be a designated cooling unit with blower and a separate duct heater is added. The heating and cooling are split between two units but share the blower and ductwork so “Split system” is nothing special. For larger spaces, generally a unitary piece of equipment or rooftop unit provides heating, cooling and airflow to overhead ductwork. This saves interior space because the equipment is on the roof and the ductwork is mounted overhead and not using valuable floor or wall space. Both systems use airflow which will spread dust……. But both can be designed with a high merv (efficiency) filter, so they can actually improve air quality and catch very small particles of dust. Without airflow, there is virtually no other easy way to do this, except separate air filters / air purifiers. Mini splits are basically non ducted solutions with independent wall, floor or cassette units, their own small blower and a minimal filter not typically capable of real significant filtration so to speak so they can spread fine particles about. If the mini split has a heat pump outdoor unit it can provide heating and cooling. So mini splits are at a disadvantage with respect to helping clean the air significantly, but they don’t require ductwork. Ok which one is best - proper insulation and air sealing first …… the knowledge of what size space and which is operationally most expensive, heating or cooling. In the Midwest of the US -:Heating costs more so high R values (minimizing energy loss) and good air sealing are the focus. In the southern US cooling is more important and while R value is still great, radiant barriers become extremely useful to reduce energy gains. So after all that, it’s not overly complicated but first identify the size of the space and then the prevalent climate. Insulate best according to climate and install heating / cooling based on size, number of people, climate, budget etc…. Airflow can actually be a good thing and a rooftop unit is a great place to get fresh outdoor air - essential for a commercial space where folks gather and free cooling during periods when the outdoor air temp is cool. It’s hard to give you the best answer other than find a local design professional that can help direct you if possible, even for insulation. Split, unitary, mini split are generally over used for public consumption and really have common sense origins but often sound more exotic than they are. Energy professionals try and fit the need in the best way practical and adhere to local fresh air requirements in new construction.

Something that might help - The bare end of The flat cable usually has plated ends so cutting is often not a solution. If it’s a ribbon to pin adapter found in many pc’s then carefully cutting and reinstalling the ribbon is a thing. The real reason for posting here is most ribbon cable connectors have a way to lock them in place such as a tab to lift or surrounded by a ring which gets depressed or lifted to lock the cable and contacts firmly in place. Sometimes folks just insert and leave it at that without locking in place which usually leeds to inconsistent connection.. Just mentioning in case there is a way to lock this in place after cleaning the cable end and the connector contacts with decent contact cleaner. I have on limited occasion very gently burnished these with 1000 grit sandpaper (old corroded equipment) both socket and end and then cleaned any residue with contact cleaner with success. NO STATIC DISCHARGE ALLOWED when doing this! Usually just easier to buy a new cable.

The bottom is just a slab, identical to the top, but no hinge. I don’t see a bottom slab in the picture. Skutt promo here https://youtu.be/1NxxvDyIjqw?feature=shared with decent visuals. I don’t see a stand either.

You can use the Glazy calculator for free, it also shows Stull, not a bad place to learn actually many tutorials and online help.