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Ooops! I thought that I could fire directly on the floor of my fiber kiln (I like the texture) and now have 3 small (3.5" square) tiles stuck to it. 2 5.25" tiles came out, although one had a little fiber stuck to it. Am I stuck with the glass being stuck? Is it likely to cause problems? (I figure yes to the first, no to the second.)


I'm pretty much a leap before I look gal. Pay attention? Huh? Oops, too late.

Except for user error, I'm loving the Paragon Benchtop-16!
https://shop.bullseyeglass.com/tools-su ... 2-key.html

I would remove the glass tiles from the ceramic fiber floor before you fire the kiln again. Protect the floor from contact with glass in future firings.

Thank you for your kind words about the Benchtop-16.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / http://www.paragonweb.com

The tiles are stuck to the floor now. Should I pry them up?

Yes, remove the glass from the kiln floor. If it were my kiln, I might slide a hacksaw blade under the tile and very carefully break the adhesion between the glass and the ceramic fiber floor. Try to remove as little fiber as possible.

If you have enough height inside the kiln, you might want to fire glass on a kiln shelf. Separate the shelf from the floor with 1/2" posts. That allows air circulation under the shelf.

Enjoy your kiln! Good luck.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / http://www.paragonweb.com

Wellp, I went ahead and pried before checking for a response here. Pulled out a few gouges about 3/16" deep. Should I maybe try filling it in somehow, maybe with fiber blanket and rigidizer, for the depth of insulation on the kiln floor? It'll probably work ok as is, huh?

This is one of the most rookie, boneheaded moves. Damn. It's embarrassing, and I almost feel like I should apologize to Paragon for messing up their craftwork. It really is a lovely kiln, and I've been thrilled with it.

p.s. Yes, I will be using a shelf; it fits easily.

Since the gouge in the floor is only 3/16", it will probably not affect the firing results. If you repaired it, you could fill in the gouge with Pyrolite, which is a filled that comes in a caulking tube. Then use a wide putty knife to smoothen the Pyrolite.

I, too, am a servant of cats.

Sincerely,

Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com

Thanks much, Arnold, fellow Servant of Cats!

Actually, cats have staff, not servants, though it's hard to tell the difference when one is head down into a litter box.