glazenerd Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 It is easy to procrastinate, for me anyway. About six months ago, a small glob of crystalline glaze missed the catcher and landed on the kiln floor. I always fire cone six, so it never became a problem. A week ago I decided to test a cone 11 porcelain body and fired up to 2345F. That little 1/2" glob melted through the bottom of the kiln, creating an exhaust port for 2345F heat to come out. (Think rocket booster at NASA.) So here is the photographic evidence and a cautionary tale about kiln safety and upkeep. Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Welcome to my world in temperature Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 hope everything else is OK and get a shelf under that stuff!! that is exactly why!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick White Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Peek-a-boo, I see youuuu... Yup, we had a glaze disaster on the bottom shelf in one of the school kilns, where the lava flow went down between the half shelves and dripped onto the soft brick. It didn't eat a hole all the way through like yours, but a substantial melt hole. We brought the base of the kiln up into the studio and repaired it during class time as an object lesson to the students about why we are so picky about cone numbers (the zero is meaningful, really, trust me, 06 is not 6...), clay bodies, and glaze application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiselleNo5 Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 W O W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JBaymore Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Now you can add a gas burner under there and do reduction crystalline glazes. Glad nothing caught on fire outside the kiln. best, .................john Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Oops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Bummer, dude. With most glazes that won't happen to that degree, because they don't flow like crystalline glazes. A typical cone 6 glaze fired up to cone 10 probably won't flow more than a crystalline fired to the correct temperature. One problem I have seen is in studios (schools mostly) that do both low fire and cone 6. If they blow up a low fire pot and the shards get on the elements, and they don't vacuum it out well, those shards will melt in the next cone 6 firing and make a mess on the elements. I had one customer that kept blowing up low fire work and never vacuumed out the bottom element. All those shards caused hot spots that eventually melted the shards, even though he never fired above low fire temps. Eventually the bottom element was just a big tube of glass fused into the bricks. Patch up that hole and fire on! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 I did that in a brand new kiln firing a crystalline glaze load in 1973. I made some castable to fill the hole. That glaze is caustic!!! Hope you didn't get "lift off" Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Miller Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Always good to double check the charge on your fire extinguisher, just in case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Ouch, that's not fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted August 29, 2017 Report Share Posted August 29, 2017 Spectacular. I have a gob on my kiln floor which I haven't excavated.....dropped from above missing walls and elements. Should I shouldn't I? Marcia what are you calling castable just in case. Neil I'm believing your advice from months ago and so far everything fine. I will never, what's that word?, fire higher than c 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugaboo Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Oh wow nerd! I'm printing that out and hanging it on the wall over the art centers studio glaze Kiln. Cautionary tale indeed. T Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Spectacular. I have a gob on my kiln floor which I haven't excavated.....dropped from above missing walls and elements. Should I shouldn't I? Marcia what are you calling castable just in case. Neil I'm believing your advice from months ago and so far everything fine. I will never, what's that word?, fire higher than c 6 That was in 1973 . Maybe is was Mizoram. Can't really remember. Could have been Sairset.Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Thanks Marcia, I'll investigate. Glaze drip was Liquorice, toy ? Glaze meant to be applied thick and I did😠Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Nerd, was one of the glaze ingredients Xenomorph blood? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyler Miller Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Babs, look for Mizzou. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted August 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Benz: Microscopic fire ants; ate a hole through 3/4" plywood. Hungry boogers they are. Although, I did find traces of gremlin like activity. We now know how powerful of a flux zinc really is: it melts wood! Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 the last picture should be first. just had a disastrous firing for the first time in many years. knew better, the bottom of the pot that blew was too thick. the pot was there to see if i could successfully add a slab to a thrown bottom. that worked but the whole thing blew up and affected 17 pots all over the kiln. added to that, i had just sprayed the glaze and it was probably a little wet. cannot explain the pink one but it is better to have 2 go bad in the same firing than have two bad firings. after vacuuming the kiln, i have set up a new glaze firing today. hope it works better than this one did. edit to add, the small square was my nerd clay slab piece. sorry tom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted August 30, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Oldlady: Apparently this is the month for kiln "episodes." Got all the repairs done on The Delta Rocket (my kiln nickname now) and now the controller shot craps..alas. Decided to hold off all firings until September, perhaps then something will not melt or explode. Sorry for your loss, not a good month so far. *** have two molybdenum glazes sitting in there waiting to be fired to 2345F. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 That is a impressive hole, this a bad kiln month, I had to rewire my big Skutt several weeks ago. Denice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 kiln matainence -this is a reminder on keeping up with it. also firing to other temps than you are used to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
preeta Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 also firing to other temps than you are used to. is this for personal education or is it for the longevity for the kiln. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted August 30, 2017 Report Share Posted August 30, 2017 Babs, look for Mizzou. Thanks Tyler. Glaze should have read " Liquorice" Ron ROY. B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted August 31, 2017 Author Report Share Posted August 31, 2017 Well my new controller arrives today. I was thinking if I drilled out the 1/2" hole the glaze made in the bottom of the kiln; then strapped a couple of 100lb propane tanks to the side: I might be able to land it on the moon. "The Glaze Orbiter", I like it!!!!! Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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