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Dave Earley

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Posts posted by Dave Earley

  1. Ttwo years ago I rebuilt a 4ft x 4 ft catenary arch kiln that I had saved in a pile of bricks for several decades.  While rebuilding it i found I was short 4 #3 arch bricks.  I bought a bag of refractory cement, rated at 3000 degrees F, made a form using an available brick and cast them.  I have also recently made some bricks using wild clay from my back yard.  

  2. This summer I got two used furnace oil burners and added a second nozzle to each one.  After preheating to near 900 Fahrenheit with propane weed burners, I turned on the oil burners. I was using waste motor oil with a little diesel added to thin the mix.  At around 1700 F I noticed oil leaking under the kiln and shut it down.  the oil was too heavy to be atomized and was spraying in a stream.  I am now researching rocket burners for economical wood firing.

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  3. I solved this problem by buying a different switch from Euclid's and the kiln works.  Now I have a different problem.  I asked the Ceramic Shop in PA where I purchased the first switch for a return/refund.  They are giving me the run around, asking for troubleshooting details, did I check with a kiln technician, send them a picture of the damaged part.  The switch is open on one leg in the high setting.  I even said I would accept a credit.  Are they trying to stiff me?  I have answered all their questions and am waiting.

  4. As the picture of the new switch shows, the two tabs  in the middle are connected and i wired one end of each pair to those tabs.  Using a slip of paper on each coil on the high setting only one coil is heating.  I rechecked the wire connectors but still not working.  Thanks for the diagram that is what I was looking for.

  5. I have a Blue diamond kiln sitter kiln that has new elements. I replaced one 3 heat switch that read open on high setting.  I hope i wired the new switch correctly but it did not have a terminal for the neutral wire so I connected that to the chassis ground,  the kiln stalled at 1940 F.  I initially did a test with paper on the elements which led me to replace the upper switch.  The kiln is rated 230 volts so I don't think it has 208 v elements.  I haven't found any element to switch diagrams or repair guides.  I talked to the RobertShaw  company switch  tech who said the switch i bought from the Ceramic Shop was originally used for south American air conditioners.  He had no information on wiring.image.png.fa4786b4aca0fe419d999eae96eb62a4.png  The Ceramic Shop was no help either.  they said to call Euclids

  6. I just had a minor flood last week in my garage, ( blocked drain) and my Brent wheel would not stop.  I took the bottom plate off the pedal and saw some moisture.  I blew it dry and tried to adjust it and it wouldn't stop spinning.  Spent hours on line searching for answers, saw high prices. My wheel is a Brent CK (a kit I think) and is at least 50 years old although not used for 3 decades so I was getting resigned to spending $600 to fix it.  I tried adjusting the pedal one more time and it works now. Phew.  It is a great wheel.

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  7. ScreenShot2023-04-06at1_46_31PM.png.15e4353dfea1f381290c88401cd6180f.pngThe waste oil suction nozzles I used were not up to providing enough heat.  On to phase 2.  I am purchasing used oil furnace burners as I had success 45 years ago using them.  I just need to modify the nozzles to push more oil into the kiln.

    Here is one modified burner, dual nozzle, maximum flow 3.5 gal/hr.  that should do it according to Olsen's The Kiln Book, p172.

  8. I am also using g "Building Pottery Equipment" by roger Harvey and Sylvia and John Kolb,  Watson-Guptill 1975   Today I started build the arch form. after completing the build  I threw a lot of pots, loaded the kiln and have since been struggling with fuel and burner issues.  first time I preheated with propane weed burners, then switched to fabricated waste oil nozzles.  Kiln stalled at 1150 F.  Now I'm building a propane power burner system after acquiring a larger propane tank. Not giving up!

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  9. Hi, I have most of the bricks, fiber insulation, kiln furniture, etc. from the kiln's previous incarnation.  The arch and floor and partial chimney are hard brick with some soft brick and fiber for insulation.  I will buy more fiber and maybe some vermiculite for added insulation.  I see a piece of corrugated culvert pipe in the woods behind my house could be chimney material. I have a friend with an auto repair business who can supply drain oil. I also need a system to transport the oil.  I am using ideas from Dennis Park's " A Potters Guide to Raw Glazing and Oil Firing." Also Fred Olsen's "The Kiln Book." The original kiln was built in 1978 and then built again in 1982.

    David Earley

     

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