Terri Cunnyngham Posted April 25, 2023 Report Share Posted April 25, 2023 Picking up 2 old paragon kilns with rusted outer jackets for free. Insides look fairly clean, but outside jackets are pretty rusted. Does a jacket that has micro holes in it from rust change the way it fires? Like does it change the air flow so that you cannot control the temp? Can you replace the outer jacket? These look like they were stored in a barn or somewhere that they got wet. I already have 2 kilns from the '80s handed down to me so I have no experience with kilns that were not taken care of. Any cautions before I plug them in besides making sure the wiring looks good? Thanks in advance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted April 25, 2023 Report Share Posted April 25, 2023 Hi @Terri Cunnyngham, welcome to the forum! The jacket won't affect the firing, but if it's so rusted that it has holes in it then it's not structurally sound. You can order new bands from the manufacturer. With a new old kiln I would inspect the wiring for loose connections and areas that have overheated, and measure the resistance of the elements to see if they're still within specs. Replace any sketchy wires and corroded connectors. Elements that are 10% off should be replaced. Other than that, plug it in and see if the switches work. When wiring those up- to meet code, kilns must be on a breaker that is 25% greater than the amperage draw of the kiln, but not more than 50% greater. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Cunnyngham Posted April 25, 2023 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2023 Thanks so much. I wish I would have paid more attention while I was there picking up molds, but I didnt think I wanted them. Then someone said why not, they are free. You can always take them to the dump later. I pick them up on Friday. I am sure they were used low fire because they belonged to a ceramic person who did a lot of glass too, as opposed to someone firing clay. We will see how it all looks when I get them. I'll let you know. Thanks again for letting me know about checking the resistance of the elements, I would not have thought about that. It's easier than seeing if it fires off properly. I know how long it takes to fire low fire stuff but that is a much faster way than sitting around waiting. I may have bitten off more than I can chew Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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