Crusty Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 I picked up a old 1980s J.W. Good kiln made here in Indiana.. not alot of info out there on these kilns as their out of buisness now.. size is 23 X 22 .. took me 2 hrs to grind off all the Kiln wash .. its actually in decent shape considering its age... But, the top needs new hi temp mortar between the bricks. is there a brand you trust more than others or are they all pretty much the same? maybe a recipe that will work? im also thinking of putting in a layer of 2600 F blanket on the inside. the kiln has alot of factory holes in it and it is a section style .. im thinking the blanket will help keep unwanted air out and help protect the brick .. so my question here is - do i need to use a rigidizer on it or can i just use some of the joint mortar mix to hold it in place ? Bill Kielb sent me a pretty good design to follow , Thanks Bill.. the design calls for 2'' of open floor space for the downdraft into the flue opening.. im going to add a layer of soft brick to the bottom to give me that 2'' without losing it.. so the kiln will actually be 21 wide since im adding the blanket and 24 tall... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Id put the fiber on the outside! Not sure how much gas firing with a fiber kiln you've done, I mean the stuff is a modern miracle, no doubt... But it's also a real son of a gun. Brush your arm against it while you're loading? Enjoy the itches for the next hour! Oh, you brushed it ever so slightly and it came apart a bit? Time to pin it down again or suffer the wrath! Nothing is quite as disturbing as pulling bits of insulating fiber out of a glazed pot. Ugh. As you can likely tell, I fired in a fully fiber kiln for a year, and while I learned a lot and it was an adventure, I was secretly plotting a real kiln in the meantime. Fiber is cool and all (heh), but I keep it as far away from me and my pots as possible now. Bricks are much better, if you want to seal gaps in the brick junction, use a nice refractory cement, any pottery supply will have buckets for an unreasonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Crusty said: I picked up a old 1980s J.W. Good kiln made here in Indiana.. not alot of info out there on these kilns as their out of buisness now.. size is 23 X 22 .. took me 2 hrs to grind off all the Kiln wash .. its actually in decent shape considering its age... But, the top needs new hi temp mortar between the bricks. is there a brand you trust more than others or are they all pretty much the same? maybe a recipe that will work? im also thinking of putting in a layer of 2600 F blanket on the inside. the kiln has alot of factory holes in it and it is a section style .. im thinking the blanket will help keep unwanted air out and help protect the brick .. so my question here is - do i need to use a rigidizer on it or can i just use some of the joint mortar mix to hold it in place ? Bill Kielb sent me a pretty good design to follow , Thanks Bill.. the design calls for 2'' of open floor space for the downdraft into the flue opening.. im going to add a layer of soft brick to the bottom to give me that 2'' without losing it.. so the kiln will actually be 21 wide since im adding the blanket and 24 tall... I hope that works out, I think it was from this forum so you could always try and message him. As far as patching, AP green patch (421) has been pretty popular for many potters for years. I have used it for crack fill and sealing up various holes and it has worked for me. I like Liam’s idea of insulation outside more than in but if you are wrapping over the metal I believe this will overheat the metal and maybe hasten it’s corrosion. Your method of operation will likely be the best way to keep the kiln pressurized and keep the air out so section breaks, minor holes not as much of a problem as you might think. Ap green patch 421 below, available in many ceramic supply shops. Oh to add if you buy a tub, mix in any liquid that comes with it, do not pour off. When you are done, thoroughly seal the container else it will cure rock hard on you. I know folks who set plastic on the top of the patch in the container and then put the cover on and thoroughly seal using a rubber mallet just to make sure so when they get back to using it, it will still be workable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Posted January 24, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Liambesaw ,, I thought the rigidizer took care of the loose fibre problem? with this kiln, it can be modified any way but I'm thinking inside as I'm not totally sure on the brick.. I'm assuming its K23 but I really do not know for sure.. it was a 37 amp 8700 .. I know they used alot of different brick types in those kilns.. Bill, thanks I'll check that out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted January 24, 2020 Report Share Posted January 24, 2020 Electric kilns are typically built with K23 bricks. They'll hold up fairly well at cone 10, though. I agree that putting fiber on the inside will be a mess. If you put it on the outside, like Bill said it will mess up the metal. And you can't put it under the metal because it will compress and lose its effectiveness. If you add it to the inside you'll be losing space in the kiln, which is already an issue with this type of kiln. I'd just go without it and make sure everything else is done properly. If you're looking at re-mortaring bricks where existing mortar has already been used, you'll need to totally clean off the old stuff in order for the new mortar to adhere. If you're looking at mortaring a crack that goes all the way across a lid, it's not likely to hold very well. The staggered joints of the bricks are what really give a lid its strength. A long mortar line from one side to the to the other has very little strength. If the floor is in better condition, consider swapping it with the lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusty Posted January 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted January 26, 2020 makes sense and less work. saves me a little money , I like that.. I'll just set it up and throw a flame in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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