Ben Eberle

Yep - you need a new motherboard. VERY easy to replace...I just did mine last year... Mark is right: Just triple check your model...and make the order. With your box already apart, the repair should take less than 30min.

Soda firing for over 20yrs now....and I have to agree with Neil on this one: Like many of the "bendable" kiln rules out there....just because you CAN soda fire in a fiber kiln.....doesn't mean you SHOULD. Anyone who has used kiln coatings in a combusting kiln will chime in and say that the upkeep is brutal...and, even with your best efforts, you will get flaking. You're better off going with an IFB and a VERY thin high alumina wash. Bruce Denhert did that on Peter Valley's IFB soda kiln with over 50 firings on it...and it looks new. You simply have hit the chamber with a stiff bristled brush after each firing to gently remove and loose coating. If it looks good. Don't touch it. If it looks like it's compromised, apply a VERY light and thin coat - skim milk consistency. But Neil is right: There is a reason you have never seen a fiber soda kiln....and only VERY few soft brick soda kilns...

Samantha - That's a good deal on an older Skutt. For the old, manual, KS kilns, there's just not that much that can be wrong with it. Kilns are simply very large toaster ovens. The only issues for manually switched kilns are: Corrosion, element age, and brick decay/breakage. A visual inspection will tell you everything you need to know about the brick and the elements. If the elements are VERY greyed....bulging...sagging...gnarled looking, then you are rolling the dice on those. They're pretty easy to replace, and will run you about 350.00 for a new set...which will last at LEAST 100 firings...and likely a lot more. Corrosion: This can only be seen if you open up the middle box. You want to see what the main terminal looks like where the power cord comes in. You also want to look at all the element leads and the connections back to each switch. Lastly...and especially if you're seeing rust on many of the internals, I would also pull one of the switches and look at its terminals. They can go bad and arc......ask me how I know!...lol. But! They're cheap (about 35.00) and wicked easy to replace. At 450.00 that's a rock solid deal on a good looking kiln. I wouldn't worry too much about the chipped brick. As long as huge chunks aren't missing from the sidewalls...and the lid and floor are solid, go for it. Lastly....if you're patient, you can look around and find a wall mounted controller. THAT is my favorite rig for electric kilns....why? You get the reliability of a cone...but the convenience of a controller!

Hey David - love this premise...but you will 100% freeze the tank. Also....these are fiber raku kilns or IFB? If they're IFB, you have no chance at firing those off on a single 100lb tank. Fiber...maaaaybe. 100lb tanks weigh around 160lbs full and can be lifted easily with two people into a pickup. I'd just get two of them and tee them together. I'd also forget the double regulator setup and simply go off an adjustable high pressure regulator. Put a gas cock at the back of each burner so you can fire one, two or all three on that regulator. There is literally zero need for two regulators. Done that setup a million times...on raku kilns and high fire gas reduction kilns. Marc Ward would tell you the same. Just re-read your reply to Bill up top: You're burning HALF of the gas in 40min.....yep. There is zero chance you won't freeze up. It's not about the volume of liquid gas in the tank...it's about the RATE of evaporation. 10gal in 40 min is a heroic about of consumption on a 100lb tank.... Get two tanks!

Your issue isn't the regulator nor orifices: It's the 3/8 size line and/or whatever the hole is on the female coupler that screws the whole mess onto the tank. That hole...if it is indeed for a BBQ grill....is TINY. Just drill it out. I've done it....more than once. Works great. If you're getting 5-8PSI with the adjustable regulator...then you're FINE. I use that rig on my twin Ransome B4 on a 1/2" hose to get my wood-soda hybrid kiln back to cone 10 sometimes when my wood isn't good enough...or I run out. My kiln is bigger than yours and I have NO problem getting 500k BTU out of those B4's at 4.5-5psi. My regulator will run well past 7 or 8....which is overkill for me. Yeah - you're fine....but there simply isn't enough gas getting to the burners. Go look at that female tank nut upstream from the regulator. I'll bet you a teapot that the hole in the brass inlet is barely bigger than needle. The wall is thin....just carefully drill it out. As long as you have a high pressure regulator (it sounds like you do), then you're all set.

Sadkiln - I feel your emotional distress! Your first kiln is like a first child. So precious. And..you're right - that one you got is in A++ condition, which is really hard to find on the used market. But fear not....I looked at that pic: You didn't damage the brick badly AT ALL. Most electric kilns have 3" walls. That edge on the element trough chips off all the time...and ESPECIALLY when the kiln has to be moved. Agree with folks above: As long as you didn't get any cement on the element coil, you're totally fine. You could even have gone without the repair, frankly...and just perhaps pinned the element a little more in those two spots. Sleep well tonight. The kiln is just fine. Good luck!

Bill took the words right out of my mouth: Don't go with lid mounted elements. Period. Full stop. Best reason why? Can anyone here name me an commercially available ceramic kiln that has that feature? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?? The answer is nope....and for good reason. Love the idea of swapping the lid with the floor....that is a good idea, but you're still going to have heat distribution issues unless you get another element in the wall. I'm really with Neil: I'd sell that kiln....and just get a kiln designed for ceramic use. Depending on size....oh, man...you should be able to find what you need for 3-500.00 pretty easily. Heck - see if you can find an old Paragon doll kiln and pop that Sentry on it. It's designed to run two element circuits, so you'll be set.

Hey Sean - Yeah, we need a little more info here. Gas kiln or electric? If it's electric, you're in luck: 12" from any combustible surface has been the manufacturer's spec for a long time. That for any kiln looking to go to cone 6 or 10. I have two in my 1850's New England home...in a small auxiliary room with a window for venting. I even taken wall temp readings while the kiln is up at temp...and the walls are never more than 80-90 degrees, max. The bigger issue, I believe, that often gets overlooked is the FLOOR. I can't tell you how many old kilns I've moved from firing rooms where there's just a piece of cement board underneath....and...oh - what's that??! A BLACK semi-charred halo underneath. Now - was the house ready to go up in flames? Nope....but...good grief, pretty scary. I always consult with folks to at least put a layer of soft brick under the kiln ON TOP of the cement board. Game over with that setup. Sounds like you're trying to install a gas kiln, though....give us more specs and hopefully we can help ya out, man.