Kiln Building

[Rick Wilton]

Hello Bert, Kevin and anyone else who's knowledgeable regarding fiber board kiln building.

I am going to build another fiber kiln, larger this time likely 4" x 8"

I am researching buying the board to build it, and can get some kaowool HP board close to home. 20-23 lbs cft

I asked him if they have a lower density board and he's begins telling we that the higher density stuff insulates better than the lower density material.

I realize we need insulation yet I don't want it so dense that it takes forever to heat and even longer to cool.

What's your opinion LOW MEDIUM or HIGH density?

I'm pretty sure I want low but thought I'd check.

Thanks,

[Bert Weiss]

Rick, I like to line my kilns with HD fiber boards comparable to Unifrax HD standards. This lasts a long time. For backup there are many choices. In the past, I have used Kaowool and fiberfrax blanket. The kaowool has a higher insulating value than the blanket. Going forward, I am seriously considering calcuim silicate boards, a relatively low density with high insulating value. There are a lot of Chinese sources these days. I don't know qualities. I have never bought bad high density or medium density boards. I have bought bad low density boards. They were cheap, but they forgot to use the rigidizer and the edges were flapping in the wind. I want to experiment with making cheaper floors using calcium silicate back up and maybe even vermiculite boards cut in to medium sized bricks (like 12" x 22" or something). I found the manufacturer for 304 stainless steel studs to hold the insulation in place. Email me, and I can dig it out.