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December 9, 2009
Hugh Jenkins’ Volcano Kiln: Recuperating Waste Heat for Efficient Firing
As a studio artist, it is often hard to spend large sums of money, even if doing so would pay off in the long run, so glass artist Hugh Jenkins set out to determine just how well he could do with a home-built heat recuperator.November 17, 2009
Initially, I placed a 30-gallon plastic barrel outside one such diner that had agreed to save the used oil for me. My plan was to swap out the barrel every five weeks (the owner predicted it would take that long to fill the barrel) and replace it with an empty 30-gallon barrel. I learned two facts immediately: First, I couldn't lift the full barrel of oil onto the back of my pick-up truck. Secondly, used, hot oil will melt plastic barrels.May 20, 2009
To achieve complete combustion, the exact proportions of fuel and oxygen are required with nothing remaining. In a gas kiln firing this is often difficult to attain because of the many variables in fuel and oxygen (which is derived from the air) and the equipment used to mix the two.November 21, 2008
Safety valve used on most gas kilns, operates on minute electrical current generated by thermocouple. Natural-draft kilns equipped with Baso system often need no external electrical hookup at all. In operation, button on Baso valve is depressed and pilot flame is ignited, which heats up thermocouple, energizing small electromagnet in Baso valve, which holds valve open admitting gas to main burner. If pilot is extinguished, thermocouple cools, and Baso valve closes, shutting off gas.January 1, 2008
Materials, Specifications & Construction Are you thinking of building a kiln? Do you know what kind you'd like to build -- wood, oil, gas, propane, electric, updraft, downdraft, crossdraft? Do you have questions about types of construction and materials to use? You're not alone. Fred Olsen is one of the leading pioneers in explaining everything about kilns to the studio potter and his book is one of the best references on the topic. This book covers it all from refractory materials and applications to design principles ...
