Skutt Vintage KS-1027 Kiln Lid firebricks cracked all the through

[H20]

What can I buy to fix firebricks that have cracked all the way through. Skutt thinks my kiln is 40+ years old.

[Hulk]

Hi H!

Your 1027 may be older than mine - it's over thirty, for sure! My lid has some flaking and a few worn spots that will shed bits, hence I'm very careful opening and shutting (since getting a few crumbs stuck in glaze, hmm).

As you've no doubt found, Skutt can get you wall bricks ok, perhaps not prohibitively expensive, however, the lid and floor are one piece; looks like that lid (w/o hardware), is well over two hundred bucks (new). If your floor is in excellent shape, it may be possible to shift them, however, very likely your floor is not a lid candidate... From there, keeping a lookout for a parts kiln, else making your 1027 a parts kiln for a 1027 you find that's in better shape?

Isn't the lid all one piece - stenciled to look like bricks?

[Mark C.]

New bricks  from skutt cost about $15 each. Are you thinking about removing these cracked in 1/2 ones and cementing them and then reinstalling them?

To fix a brick in two pieces you need to free up both ends.

Any thinned down brick cement will work-you need to wet the bricks 1st. cement and hold  a few minutes then let dry.

You can buy 5 gallons from Hightemp on eBay -the stuff goes by Super #32. I keep a bucket on hand for kin work (not electric but gas brick kilns.

You can buy smaller amouts of cement from Axner in Florida or Laguna in LA (same owners)

they sell lots off ceramic materials-not a hobbyist supplier more industrial in nature. I go these every decade or so myself

https://www.ebay.com/usr/hightempinc?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754

[neilestrick]

Trying to replace specific broken bricks in a slab is not a good idea. First, you'd have to get the old bricks out without breaking any other bricks. Then you'd have to clean off any old mortar from the bricks, which would be just about impossible. And even then the old bricks won't take mortar very well and the joints would likely fail fairly quickly. You've got 4 options to fix this:

1. If the floor is in good condition, swap it with the lid. Put a piece of sheet metal on top of the kiln stand to support the cracked slab.

2. Build your own lid with bricks and mortar. It's messy, and probably not much cheaper than buying a new lid. If you don't have experience with mortaring bricks, it's not likely to last nearly as long as a factory lid.

3. Order a new lid for $235. It'll have to ship freight, so figure an additional $100-$150 just for shipping. This would be the better option in terms of it lasting a long time, compared to making your own. Skutt may or may not be able to get you one quickly, as lead times for kilns are really long right now.

4. Find a used kiln that's really cheap and use the slab from it. It can be any brand, as long as it's the same diameter.

[Mark C.]

 I bought a new lid once on a trip thru Portland -saved me the frieght.

I just sold that kiln along with that new lid as a spare.

[Julie P]

On 10/18/2020 at 4:30 PM, neilestrick said:

Trying to replace specific broken bricks in a slab is not a good idea. First, you'd have to get the old bricks out without breaking any other bricks. Then you'd have to clean off any old mortar from the bricks, which would be just about impossible. And even then the old bricks won't take mortar very well and the joints would likely fail fairly quickly. You've got 4 options to fix this:

1. If the floor is in good condition, swap it with the lid. Put a piece of sheet metal on top of the kiln stand to support the cracked slab.

2. Build your own lid with bricks and mortar. It's messy, and probably not much cheaper than buying a new lid. If you don't have experience with mortaring bricks, it's not likely to last nearly as long as a factory lid.

3. Order a new lid for $235. It'll have to ship freight, so figure an additional $100-$150 just for shipping. This would be the better option in terms of it lasting a long time, compared to making your own. Skutt may or may not be able to get you one quickly, as lead times for kilns are really long right now.

4. Find a used kiln that's really cheap and use the slab from it. It can be any brand, as long as it's the same diameter.

I had been searching for advice on how to replace the bricks in my old (UK) Cromartie kiln lid as to get it replaced by the factory is going to cost me around $400 (USD) with shipping.  It is in a very bad state and I have to place a kiln shelf over my glaze ware when firing to protect it from falling bits. Having read your advice I think the best thing is to bite the bullet and just pay the factory to do the job - probably cheaper in the long run even though it hurts.

Someone suggested that I turn the slab over, ie undo the band and put the damaged side on top. To do this I would probably first cover the exposed side with ceramic fibre to keep it together. Do you think that would work or be worth the effort? Or would it all just fall apart anyway?

Thank you very much

[neilestrick]

@Julie PIf the top side is in good condition, then flipping it is definitely an option. However if the bricks are cracked all the way through and  structurally unsound, then I would just replace the whole lid.

5 hours ago, Julie P said:

To do this I would probably first cover the exposed side with ceramic fibre to keep it together.

I'm not sure what you mean here. Fiber has no strength, and won't hold anything together. Plus it's not something you want to be handling a lot as the fibers are dangerous to breathe.

Usually when I see kilns that need a new lid because it's starting to disintegrate, the rest of the kiln isn't in great condition either. Take a look at your kiln and see if it's really worth the cost of replacing the lid. Maybe it's time for a new kiln?

[Julie P]

Thanks Neil. The rest of the kiln is OK, but I am researching a new kiln and have posted a topic asking for views on 2 downdraft venting systems. This old kiln will do very well for bisque firing so I'm going to keep it going and get the lid properly refurbished. Thank you for your help, always good to have an expert view. Julie