Avery Anderson wrote:I agree with Bert about SSR's although I've heard differing opinions. Some people swear by mechanical relays while others prefer SSR's. With the help of TOB (the other Brad), I installed a shunt trip circuit breaker on my controller. I can program it to shut the kiln down if it goes over the high temperature of any particular firing. I also have a fan installed inside the controller box which vents heat out of the box through holes in the top. The controller is mounted on the wall not on the kiln. Before these modifications, I had two melt downs due to the failure of my SSR because of heat build up in the controller box. Knock on wood...I've had no further problems! I often wonder why kiln manufacturers continue to mount controllers on the sides of kilns where they are exposed to high heat instead of a wall mounted unit, similar to the Skutt Clamshell controller.
Avery
Avery
So the Skutt Clamshell is a fiber insulation kiln with a wall mounted controller? If so, that is really one of the only commercial kilns that is actually designed for the glass fuser, not the kiln maker. Marty Daly's Genisis kilns (see Center de Verre) are also in this league.
I still think that the clamshell is not as good a design as a bell with stationary floor, but it is a far sight better than a top or front loading brick kiln. The clamshell design does have the smallest footprint possible though.
Hi Bert:
Actually, the Clam Shell is a brick kiln (floors and sides) and fiber-type of roof. One of the best features, aside from the wall mounted controller, is the way the elements are hung. On mullite rods which can be accessed through a snap off lid - for easy changeout. This is my 4th kiln and one of the best beginner fusing kilns I've found. It will take a 22in kiln shelf and allows one to easily sit on a stool and work over the shelf, or carry the shelf to the kiln. I sound like a Skutt commercial, don't I.
Anyway, again I agree with you...if I were to design my own kiln with all of the elements I would like, it would definitely be a bell kiln. When we taught at Red Deer, we used a kiln which was built by Marc Jabeau (spelling?) which to me was one of the best designed kilns I've come across. It was a bell kiln, fiber, and had a floor which could be removed and slid onto the bottom of the kiln for storage. Once this floor was removed it revealed a deeper compartment which could be utilized for very large castings or work. It was controlled by a Digitry.
So the Skutt Clamshell is a fiber insulation kiln with a wall mounted controller? If so, that is really one of the only commercial kilns that is actually designed for the glass fuser, not the kiln maker. Marty Daly's Genisis kilns (see Center de Verre) are also in this league.
That's why we've been recommending it for the last year, or so. I think there's something like 8' of elec. cord separating the controller and the kiln. PLUS, Skutt actually redesigned the whole concept specifically for fusing kilns. For instance, changing elements is a breeze, because of the way the kiln is put together
I still think that the clamshell is not as good a design as a bell with stationary floor, but it is a far sight better than a top or front loading brick kiln. The clamshell design does have the smallest footprint possible though.
And it's practically the same as a bell, except for a difference in head room. You can easily compose complex work on the shelf, in the kiln, because the whole lid tilts way back, and opens up like a . . . well, like a Clam shell. Brock
My memory is so good, I can't remember the last time I forgot something . . .
Brock wrote:
And it's practically the same as a bell, except for a difference in head room. You can easily compose complex work on the shelf, in the kiln, because the whole lid tilts way back, and opens up like a . . . well, like a Clam shell. Brock
The aspect I don't think I like is what happens if you want to crash cool, say for a drop slump. It looks like it won't cool evenly when you raise the lid because the back is always there reflcting heat. I also like the idea of getting my eyes directly over the work for setup. I guess that you can come pretty close there.
The aspect I don't think I like is what happens if you want to crash cool, say for a drop slump. It looks like it won't cool evenly when you raise the lid because the back is always there reflcting heat. I also like the idea of getting my eyes directly over the work for setup. I guess that you can come pretty close there.
I agree that it is a BIG improvement in design.
You're right there! I'm used to opening my front loaders to have a peek, so in one of my first firings with the Skutt, I wrapped my hand in a towel and lifted the lid. The heat vented when the ClamShell is opened, rises over the handle perfectly.