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Preventing Falling Particles from the Top of a Brick Kiln
This is
part three of a multi-part tip on falling kiln brick particles.
Click here to go to part one.
In most cases, falling brick particles come from
the roof of a kiln that has deteriorated in some fashion.
There are several reasons for the deterioration, but one of the most
common has to do with rapid changes in the temperature of the kiln.
Opening (or venting) the top-loading kiln at high
temperatures, which exposes the bricks in the lid of the kiln to
cooler air from the room surrounding the kiln, is often recommended
as a way to rapidly cool the kiln. However, one of the
problems with this technique is that it can cause hairline fractures
to appear in the bricks that line of the lid of the kiln. With
repeated venting episodes, the cracks can grow, causing pieces of
the kiln brick to loosen and fall down onto the glass below.
Closing the kiln lid, as is usually done after a period of venting,
can jar the kiln and actually hasten the problem, dislodging even
more particles.
The easy solution, and one way to help the kiln
brick stay intact for longer, is to open the kiln at high
temperatures only when absolutely necessary. Avoid flash
venting or rapidly cooling the kiln, and open the lid only when
necessary to comb glass or peek quickly inside. If you do
this, the brick is more likely to stay intact, and particles are
less likely to fall onto your glass.
Click here for more on preventing
kiln brick dust from falling, including suggestions for repairing
damaged kiln bricks.
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Copyright 2006 Brad Walker. All rights
reserved.
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