prepping up a new kiln

[doc]

Just got my new kiln and very anxious to get firing sooooo. cleaned bottom of kiln from all dust, applied was as suggested to bottom and prepared the shelf.....smoothing it and then applying kiln....rather than waiting a few days, I heated the kiln to 500...venting every s often...so that I wouldnt have to wait to fire more than a day. The shelf, aside from having many hairs from new haik brush, also has some dark spots on the surface. Suggestions what to do now? Another question???? Boughta new 7 inch tile saw...........what kind of blade do I buy to cut pattern bars? Thanks in advance...........

[dee]

Just got my new kiln and very anxious to get firing sooooo. cleaned bottom of kiln from all dust, applied was as suggested to bottom and prepared the shelf.....smoothing it and then applying kiln....rather than waiting a few days, I heated the kiln to 500...venting every s often...so that I wouldnt have to wait to fire more than a day. The shelf, aside from having many hairs from new haik brush, also has some dark spots on the surface. Suggestions what to do now? Another question???? Boughta new 7 inch tile saw...........what kind of blade do I buy to cut pattern bars? Thanks in advance...........

rj - what brand kiln wash? what brand shelf? when i force dry a shelf, i just let it heat to 500 deg and soak for 10 or 15 min and end, no venting, not necessary - the shelf shouldn't be wet - i have some shelves for my small kiln that don't appear to take the kiln wash in a strip down the middle but it doesn't affect the firing or the glass at all...

for pattern bars you could probably use a diamond coated tile or granite blade, tony smith would be able to advise you on that, if you want to cut things that you aren't going to fire higher than a fire polish then you might want to check into the mk 215gl glass blade - when used properly it leaves almost no chipping eliminating the need to grind down edges...

D

[doc]

I used Bullseye Kiln Wash and the kiln is Jen-Ken 24 including shelf..This is the tile saw I bought .brank is American Forge....They did seem to know what blade to suggest for glass........They thought I was nuts for cuttin glass like that
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This is the 7" heavy duty wet tile saw. This saw has a 110V, 60Hz motor that turns 3450 RPM. The motor is rated at 500 watts. The table is 16" X 16" and is chrome plated for EASY clean up. The table is also adjustable from 0-45 degrees. There is an adjustable guide on the table to keep your cuts straight. The unit stands about 7" tall. This saw is designed for cutting small, medium, and large tile mup to 15" x 15". The plastic water tray is included. You simply fill it with water, flip the switch, and your ready to cut tile!

[dee]

I used Bullseye Kiln Wash and the kiln is Jen-Ken 24 including shelf..This is the tile saw I bought .brank is American Forge....They did seem to know what blade to suggest for glass........They thought I was nuts for cuttin glass like that

while i don't use be kiln wash, i don't usually get dark spots unless it's not dry - what color are the dark spots? i also have a jenken and shelves from jen ken ....
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This is the 7" heavy duty wet tile saw. This saw has a 110V, 60Hz motor that turns 3450 RPM. The motor is rated at 500 watts. The table is 16" X 16" and is chrome plated for EASY clean up. The table is also adjustable from 0-45 degrees. There is an adjustable guide on the table to keep your cuts straight. The unit stands about 7" tall. This saw is designed for cutting small, medium, and large tile mup to 15" x 15". The plastic water tray is included. You simply fill it with water, flip the switch, and your ready to cut tile!

i have an mk diamond tile saw. also 7" for cutting slabs, i use the 215gl glass blade, really like it - very little grinding required - make sure you gently guide the glass to the blade, don't shove it into the blade...

if the blade throws water, you'll want to put up a backdrop behind it so you don't water whatever is behind the saw - i have rigged up plastic sheeting that collects the water and funnels it down to a bucket that i drain with a pump for outdoor ponds connected to about 30 ft of plastic tubing - also be aware if the saw throws water you'll either want to wear protective clothing or something you don't mind getting soaked ;P
D

[doc]

what brand is that and will it fit onto any 7 inch saw?

[dee]

what brand is that and will it fit onto any 7 inch saw?

i would think it would - comes in 2 arbor sizes - 1/2" and 5/8" i believe - call mk and talk to their customer service - they are on the web http://www.mkdiamond.com - have had good luck talking to their customer service people...
D

[Barbara Muth]

before firing glass in the kiln you should fire it up once empty to full fuse temperatures. And then if you are like me, make sure that the first piece you make in the kiln isn't one you are going to die over if it gets scummed up. (though my first piece, intended as a candy dish for my husband, instead got me into my gallery.

Barbara

[Bob]

Hi rj,

Some things I would suggest for a new kiln are:

1) (I believe you included this but was not entirely certain) Apply thick coat of kiln wash to floor of kiln if it is soft brick.

2) level the kiln. Make sure the floor of the kiln is level. I have my kiln set up on cinder blocks (actually the kiln stand rests on the cinder blocks). I use various thicknesses of nails driven between the cinder blocks to act as shims

3) remove any bits of soft brick that might be wedged in between the coils of the elements. They can cause hot spots that may shorten the life of the element.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Bob

[charlie]

Hi rj,

Some things I would suggest for a new kiln are:

1) (I believe you included this but was not entirely certain) Apply thick coat of kiln wash to floor of kiln if it is soft brick.

2) level the kiln. Make sure the floor of the kiln is level. I have my kiln set up on cinder blocks (actually the kiln stand rests on the cinder blocks). I use various thicknesses of nails driven between the cinder blocks to act as shims

3) remove any bits of soft brick that might be wedged in between the coils of the elements. They can cause hot spots that may shorten the life of the element.

Have fun!

Cheers,

Bob

read the manual. it will have a list of things to do to a new kiln. for instance, amonst all the above, skutt has you fire it empty to at least 1650 for 15 minutes.

also #2 isn't really necessary now, just when you put items in to be fired. my kiln is on wheels and i roll it outside sometimes to fire stinky things. i just level the shelf when i'm done moving it. i also have some metal shims which make it really easy to level the kiln legs as i can move them around to get different wedges under each leg.

[Ron Bell]

The question of pre-fireing an empty kiln is interesting. I was told by Olympic when I got my first kiln that I SHOULD pre-fire to 1700 degrees. When I got my new Jen-Ken oval, the folks at Jen Ken said NO, that was not necessary! I think it has something to do with the elements and the way they are hung. In the case of the Jen-Ken the elements are inserted in a quasi-tunnel and this may be the difference - they really cant fall out! The other thing I was advised to do was blow out the kiln completely and then vacuum it completely. This prevents those tiny beautiful chunks of brick from messing up an otherwise mediocre piece.