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Full Shelves or Half Shelves in Electric Kilns


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I was thinking about getting some advancer shelves and was wondering if you all prefer full shelves or half shelves for your electric kilns? Say for a typical size like 23"x27" or something like that. I was thinking about doing a full shelf for the bottom and then all half shelves, but then lining up posts would be a little trickier (I could put 6 posts under the bottom full shelf I guess) and I couldn't do very many platters since I don't want to span the two half shelves. But all full shelves really doesn't seem too flexible...

Edited by HenryBurlingame
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I have one purchased set of half shelves,  eventually your full shelves  break in half.   I use them as half shelves,  I always end with steadier stack when I use full shelves.   Two half shelves cost more than one full shelf.  Denice

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4 hours ago, neilestrick said:

I prefer half shelves. More flexibility, easier loading, and half shelves tend to last longer. Posting gets awkward when using both full and half, because you end up having to use 4 posts on a  full shelf and they don't always sit evenly, which puts a lot of stress on them.

Do you sit platters across half shelves with success, asking as I get older and older and full shelves heavier and heavier..

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Thanks for the advice all. I think I am going to go with a few full and the rest half and just see how it goes and what I end up liking. Looks like advancer shelves that will fit my kiln are on backorder until august/september, so I am going to have to get something else. I was on the fence about them anyway since apparently I would still have to kiln wash since I use porcelain. 

So I am trying to decide between corelite or high alumina shelves... anyone have any recommendations in that area? I would not be firing to cone ten very often but I think I might be doing 7 or 8 with some frequency.

Thanks again!

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I bought Corelite shelves for my new kiln,  I have only 16 firings on them so I can't review them yet.   I was a little disappointed when I got them I thought they would be a lot lighter than my old standard shelves.  I guess at my age I should be happy with a little less weight.    Denice

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Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, neilestrick said:

I prefer Corelite. They're about the same price and last longer.

I was leaning this way myself, looks like I’ll just go ahead and order some corelite ones! Thanks!

Need to try and find some pottery supply stores here in the pacific NW that I can get all this kind of stuff from now….

Edited by HenryBurlingame
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I have a full shelf on the bottom, but use half shelves after that.  I fire a lot of plates and platters, I have had no problems spanning the half shelves.  I appreciate the flexibility with the half shelves.  As well as being able to easily heft them into the kiln.

I use kiln washed cookies for my porcelain.

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1 hour ago, HenryBurlingame said:

Need to try and find some pottery supply stores here in the pacific NW that I can get all this kind of stuff from now….

Tacoma Clay Art Center carries Corelite shelves. You probably already know this but if you order anything from Seattle Pottery Supply I would strongly suggest asking for the current price, not prices shown on their website.

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I like a full shelve on bottom in an electric supported at all stilt point off floor . With advancers  you have two options one is kilnshelve.com the other is Bailey ceramics which are the same as advancers but usually  alot cheaper. I have over 50 advancers in my gas kilns (selling 24 extra of these now on potters web) these are all 12x 24. I started testing Bailey Germany made advancers (not called that) years ago ands they are the exact same shelve only the corners are more rounded. I bought last fall 20 14x 28 from Bailey (about 7k) and have fired them  in 13 glaze fires to cone 11 and as the others are super flat -thin and pay for themselves in space right away. Consider them the same as any advancer. The deal with any of these shelves is the shipping pack up charges as that can add 30% to cost. Bailey came out way cheaper on that as well.

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Henry I am not sure the Corelites will break in half like the standard shelves,  They have a grid pattern on the underside.  Is there anyone who owns a kiln near you or a  pottery class,   you could help someone load and fire.   I have a degree in  ceramics but I will take a evening pottery class when they have  a  teacher I want to learn from.   They are always happy to have help loading,  firing and unloading.   Denice

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18 hours ago, neilestrick said:

Yes, you just have to make sure they're sitting evenly. A waster slab across the joint is also helpful.

How are you stilting the full bottom ahelf given the half shelves will need different positioning?

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7 minutes ago, Babs said:

How are you stilting the full bottom ahelf given the half shelves will need different positioning?

You have to use 4 posts under the full shelf so they line up with the half shelf posts. This is the problem. With 4 posts there's a good chance the shelf will rock, leaving one post not making contact and putting a lot of stress on the shelf there, resulting in cracking or warping. I really don't understand using a full shelf on the bottom and the rest half, but it's the way many people think it should be done. There's no benefit to having a full shelf on the bottom.

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24 minutes ago, neilestrick said:

You have to use 4 posts under the full shelf so they line up with the half shelf posts. This is the problem. With 4 posts there's a good chance the shelf will rock, leaving one post not making contact and putting a lot of stress on the shelf there, resulting in cracking or warping. I really don't understand using a full shelf on the bottom and the rest half, but it's the way many people think it should be done. There's no benefit to having a full shelf on the bottom.

Isn't that what the L&L book says???

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34 minutes ago, neilestrick said:

You have to use 4 posts under the full shelf so they line up with the half shelf posts. This is the problem. With 4 posts there's a good chance the shelf will rock, leaving one post not making contact and putting a lot of stress on the shelf there, resulting in cracking or warping. I really don't understand using a full shelf on the bottom and the rest half, but it's the way many people think it should be done. There's no benefit to having a full shelf on the bottom.

Or prhaps you would put stilts at the points where the half shelves stilts are to sit above this level but may cause more problems later...

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The posts must align vertically all the way from the top of the kiln to the floor. The shelf may warp or crack if a post is sitting on the shelf but is not supported in the same spot below the shelf. You can usually get away with it if there's only one shelf above, or if you're putting in a quarter shelf, but I would not expect a shelf at the very bottom to carry the weight of multiple shelves above it without a post aligning underneath. You can't tripod the full shelf and then have 4 posts sitting on top of it, because only 1 post would align and the unsupported areas would carry most of the weight.

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Posted (edited)

Sounds like it would be best to put the half shelves at the bottom (so six posts down there), and the full shelves at the top if it is level or you didn’t  stagger the half shelves (which is why I assume more people put the full shelves at the bottom). Would be easy to align 3 posts of the full shelf so they are directly over 3 of the 6 posts underneath.

Edited by HenryBurlingame
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2 hours ago, oldlady said:

bailey named his shelves thermal lite.  i am looking into them right now.

They are great shelves same as advancers in every way only cheaper

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I use 1/2 shelves in the bottom, sharing posts at the center positions. I have never had a downdraft blower before, and find that my glazes are brighter. That said, I wonder about the circulation using 1/2 shelves, better or doesn't matter? In the years before with the old kiln, shelf stilts almost never matched up vertically, and I probably broke all ot the rules at home concerning kiln loading, but got very tight loads with lots of pots. Had to take off top section ro reach the bottom and then put it back on to finish loading. Loved that old L&L, but baby sitting with a full load was rough on the sleep patterns! Now I load and forget, paying attention to the ap on the phone!

 

best,

Pres

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I invested in advanced shelves a few years ago and can’t imagine going back. 
 

I ended up getting a mix of a few fulls and halves. I tend to like this as things that are all the same height I use full shelves and then can use half’s when things get weird. That said, if I could do it all over again it’s probably best to just get them all cut in half because why not? Guess it also depends on what you are firing. With the advancers I don’t even think about post placement much. I get them close vertically but beyond that unless I’m mistaken they can’t warp. It’s pretty remarkable how much more work I’ve been able to fire over the 100s of firings so they certainly have paid for themselves and the some. Pretty much ever firing I do I end up with space for one row of spoon rests/plates, whatever, that I never would have been able to fit until I switched to them.

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