Search found 34 matches

by suds
Sat Nov 29, 2014 11:54 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: T-Fal Forms
Replies: 5
Views: 7761

Re: T-Fal Forms

Marty wrote:http://www.t-falusa.com/Consumer+servic ... 59FBCB4%7D

I didn't bother to find out what the metal is.

Don't.
Heh. It's aluminum.
by suds
Thu Nov 27, 2014 11:53 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: T-Fal Forms
Replies: 5
Views: 7761

Re: T-Fal Forms

The teflon will burn off in the kiln and the byproducts of decomposition are probably pretty nasty. I would be very hesitant to put T-fal in a kiln for fear of contamination or element damage and I sure as hell wouldn't do it unless the kiln was outdoors or extremely well ventilated tot he outside w...
by suds
Thu Nov 20, 2014 2:18 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Thermocouple
Replies: 17
Views: 17787

Re: Thermocouple

Bert Weiss wrote:With half the power, getting up to temperature is impossible. Glad you solved the problem. Of course, what happened makes perfect sense...
With 1/2 the voltage, the element only draws 1/4 of the wattage it normally would. No wonder it was struggling!
by suds
Tue Nov 18, 2014 2:17 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Coldworking a drop ring vase - help!
Replies: 5
Views: 7991

Re: Coldworking a drop ring vase - help!

Get a bar of soap (I prefer Ivory, because it washes out well and doesn't have a lot of lotions/oils that might leave a residue), and rub it over the piece to stop up the crevices. Make sure they're completely stopped up and the soap has packed in. Then do your coldworking. The soap prevents swarf/...
by suds
Tue Nov 11, 2014 2:54 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Kiln Relays
Replies: 51
Views: 68908

Re: Kiln Relays

Bump to solicit feedback: Next project will be to build a separate box for a heat sink and solid state relays to mount away from the kiln on a wall. Anyone have plans, pictures or diagrams of their solution for this? I assume that all 18 wires to the relays (6 wires each) would run from the wall bo...
by suds
Mon Nov 10, 2014 3:04 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(
Replies: 31
Views: 39606

Re: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(

It is ludicrous that this type of measure needs to be taken! Are these kiln manufacturers located in Detroit? They have a well known design issue and do nothing to mitigate it! This is one of my criteria for buying a kiln in the future; I will not buy a kiln where the manufacturer has not addressed...
by suds
Sun Nov 09, 2014 6:52 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(
Replies: 31
Views: 39606

Re: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(

4" muffin fan screwed to the bottom of the control box and blowing up through the louvers keeps things cool.


Image
by suds
Sat Nov 08, 2014 9:22 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Thermocouple
Replies: 17
Views: 17787

Re: Thermocouple

Yes, type K thermocouples can "wear out". After a lot of heating and cooling cycles the chromel/alumel junction can crack (sometimes not at the junction itself but at the edge of the heat affected zone where it's welded) and lead to flakiness and sometimes they go open above a certain temp...
by suds
Sat Nov 08, 2014 1:41 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: How to back light
Replies: 17
Views: 17426

Re: How to back light

\ When I began researching one very interesting thing I found was that lights, including LEDs, come with differing degrees of beam spread and that overlapping the beams slightly can give a smoother lighting effect. Another way to say it is that the lights can be focused tight like a spot light or b...
by suds
Thu Nov 06, 2014 10:17 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Kiln Relays
Replies: 51
Views: 68908

Re: Kiln Relays

I'll tell you one of the best things I've found for marking wires. Nail polish. Just a dot on the wire connector and a dot on the terminal it plugs onto and you're all set. And it comes in all the colors of the electrical color code... http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/blackhole/images/colors_5213.JPG...
by suds
Tue Oct 14, 2014 10:55 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: coil resistance
Replies: 5
Views: 6735

Re: coil resistance

Heating element resistance is very much dependent on the model and wattage of your kiln.

What model # is it?
by suds
Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:06 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Olympic Kiln Repair Question
Replies: 4
Views: 6672

Re: Olympic Kiln Repair Question

Can you push some more of the element through the insulator from the inside?
by suds
Mon Sep 08, 2014 6:46 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(
Replies: 31
Views: 39606

Re: Advice on buying a new 120V kiln :(

I'll guess a loose connection, a bad relay, or maybe a bad thermocouple. In that order of probability. When husband gets home with the meter it shouldn't take too long to sort out. FWIW here's the wiring diagram that goes with your SC2 http://www.paragonweb.com/files/wiringdiagrams/W0221131.PDF I se...
by suds
Sat Aug 09, 2014 7:30 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Backlighting Fused Glass Murals
Replies: 11
Views: 18241

Re: Backlighting Fused Glass Murals

LED lighting should be used with caution. It is not recommended for colour sensitive applications. It has lower CRI index. Some white LED's have CRI's in the low to mid 90's which is excellent. Some are less than 60 which is horrible. LED's are just fine for color sensitive applications but you hav...
by suds
Thu Jul 24, 2014 1:46 pm
Forum: Newcomer Forum
Topic: BE 0146 Steel Blue - powder
Replies: 5
Views: 8552

Re: BE 0146 Steel Blue - powder

I've never used BE0146 powder, but my limited experience with #2 & #3 frit is that firing in the 1450F - 1475F range is almost guaranteed to turn it grey (uncapped) but if you fire the hell out of it (>1500F) it will lose the grey and turn back to blue again. I think Steel Blue is one of those c...
by suds
Tue Jul 15, 2014 3:59 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Olympic kiln problems
Replies: 2
Views: 5517

Re: Olympic kiln problems

Soooo.... you've had it 14 months, use it about once a week and you've already had an element burn out and now maybe the controller is dead? Any chance it's running on the wrong voltage? (IE: 208 volt kiln on 240 volt circuit) Have you measured the input voltage to make sure it's reasonable? If you ...
by suds
Sun Jul 13, 2014 12:35 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Kiln Relays
Replies: 51
Views: 68908

Re: Kiln Relays

- When replacing relays in these kilns I assume I'll need to do them in sets, replacing all 3 at once. Where would I find specifications to purchase the correct relays? I guess I could crack open the controller and jot down the specs written on a relay, or simply call Oplympic? For the mechanical r...
by suds
Fri Jul 11, 2014 11:39 am
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Kiln Relays
Replies: 51
Views: 68908

Re: Kiln Relays

Relay life curves (very hard to find these days) plot the average number of cycles before failure against current at a specific operating temperature. A mechanical relay that is rated for 30 amps and is actually switching 30 amps will have a very short life compared to a relay that is rated for 30 ...
by suds
Wed Jul 09, 2014 6:07 pm
Forum: Techniques and Tools
Topic: Kiln Relays
Replies: 51
Views: 68908

Re: Kiln Relays

Todays firing is complete. Survey says.... http://www.weirdstuffwemake.com/blackhole/images/kiln_counter_8882.JPG 2384 on-off cycles! Wow. The kiln is a small "dual purpose" kiln...Paragon Janus 1613 with Sentry 2.0 controller. I cast a few knick-knacks in small open faced molds Total load...