looking for a shelf for a Liberty Bell kiln (4' x 6')

[Nina Falk]

Anyone know of a supplier for such a large kiln? Thanks.

[Bert Weiss]

Question 1: Why do you want a shelf? I work on 1/4" Unifrax durablanket which comes in 48" wide rolls, and covers the floor. I powder the blanket with alumina hydrate and it is usable over and over with no maintenance. Yes you have to live with some dust. Upsides are that it is flat and will not warp. Smooth is more of a challenge. You have to do that with powder or sand and powder.

Unifrax makes LD boards up to 9' x 5' x 2" with a special order. A large part of the cost is crating and shipping. On the west coast there are some companies that buy full crates (lowest handling costs per board) and resell them. I know of no outlets other than Unifrax on the east coast.

Boards, when heated from one side tend to warp.

When I have to have a raised shelf, like for a drop slump, I use 3 - 24" x 48" x 1" HD boards covered with the 1/4" blanket. The boards must be supported with firebricks across the seams. The blanket provides enough covering and insulation such that the seams are not killer and there is a continuous surface.

There is a 2 piece solution of 1/4" Unifrax boards that come 42" x 48" These are so thin that they don't warp, but the seam is there.

Working large, the first thing I figured out was that it is impossible to get no texture on the bottom, so I decided to make the textures intentional and interesting. I have seen people use the Bullseye technique with the 2" Unifrax boards and then use Thinfire in 48" wide rolls. I have no interest in this process.

[Nina Falk]

If Brad has Isofrax in 48" rolls, that would be good. thanks Bert.

[Brad Walker]

Anyone know of a supplier for such a large kiln? Thanks.

You might try Euclids Elements and Kilns in Canada. They sell the extruded shelves that Dick Ditore used to sell for Dyson. I suspect one as large as you want would be a custom purchase.

You might also ask Evenheat. Since they sell the Liberty Bell, they ought to know if someone sells a shelf that's large enough.

110-J fiber paper, which is rigid and strong enough to span across the gap between multiple shelves, is available in sheets that are 42" by 48". Not quite big enough for your kiln, but bigger than most other options. And less expensive than most other options of that size.

Unless you're planning on making pieces that require the full size of the kiln, you might want to consider a multiple shelf configuration instead of a single shelf.

You could also fire on blanket as Bert suggests, but in my view there are lots of situations where you don't want the texture.

[Brad Walker]

If Brad has Isofrax in 48" rolls, that would be good.

Nina, Isofrax is made in 48" rolls, if you want to go that route. I'm sure it's a special order, but contact me and I'll get you a price.

[Nina Falk]

thank you both. yes, there are many situations where we don't want the texture. it makes sense to start by contacting the kiln manufacturer. and we don't want the seams that we are dealing with from the multiple shelves we are now using.

[Bert Weiss]

Is there an isofrax blanket? Papers and blankets are very different. blanket is durable, paper is not. Also, the 1/4" thickness of the blanket does a lot of work for you that wouldn't get accomplished by a thinner material.

I can get smooth and flat with no seams, if I want, using powders and sand. The challenge there is setting the glass on the sand bed. I either have to use a suction cup and clean the glass afterwards, or manage to heal the finger depressions on the edge where I set the glass down. I often work with 7' sheets of glass.

Design is all about overcoming the long list of challenges presented by your setup and your goals. When it is done well, nobody notices all the things you had to do to get the look.

[Brad Walker]

Is there an isofrax blanket?

Yes, it's available in both blanket and paper.

Unifrax also makes Insulfrax in blanket and also non-carcinogenic.

[Bert Weiss]

Is there an isofrax blanket?

Yes, it's available in both blanket and paper.

Unifrax also makes Insulfrax in blanket and also non-carcinogenic.

Thanks Brad

A note on the carcinogenic nature of fiberfrax. I've been told that they surgically implanted fibers in the lungs of lab rats and they got cancer. Without this drastic step, they did not. In several decades of industrial use, there are no documented cases of cancer, attributable to the fibers, that I know of. Common sense says to be careful with all the materials we handle.

[Brad Walker]

A note on the carcinogenic nature of fiberfrax. I've been told that they surgically implanted fibers in the lungs of lab rats and they got cancer. Without this drastic step, they did not. In several decades of industrial use, there are no documented cases of cancer, attributable to the fibers, that I know of. Common sense says to be careful with all the materials we handle.

Yes, I've heard that, also that they've fed Fiberfrax to rats to give them cancer. Still, we sell both Fiberfrax and Isofrax, use both in our studio as well. I can't really tell the difference in usage, but the MSDS for Isofrax is less concerning than that for Fiberfrax. And there's no doubt that either can irritate the lungs.

[Brock]

I fed Fiberfrax to my hamster. He gacked up a cool little mold . . .

[jim burchett]

Brad, This thread reminded me that i'm still looking for the full sized Armstrong Tiles. If you ever run across them

[Bert Weiss]

Isofrax and insulfrax are biosoluble, which means if it gets inside your body, it will dissolve. They are slightly different compositions. In Europe, regular fiberfrax is not code worthy, but insulfrax and isofrax are.