Kilns and kiln components
Content items about kilns, how they work, operating them effectively.
- The kiln in depth
- 43. Looks at how heat behaves in a kiln, where it goes and stays, what gets lost. Insulation, kiln power, choosing a kiln.
- Evaluating a pre-owned kiln
- 22. What to look for in choosing a pre-owned kiln.
- Crucible & other furnaces & kilns
- 84. A look at crucible and reheat furnaces and at kilns for special purposes
- Kiln shelves & slabs
- 35. How to use and extend the life of kiln shelves and slabs.
- Brick or sand hearths
- 16. Looks at brick and sand hearths for large kilns.
- About the power you use
- 41. Looks at frequency voltage, current, single two or three phase, choosing the correct extension lead, old building wiring, plug-in or hard wired, fuses or circuit breakers, residual current protection, importing your own equipment.
- Metal heating element
- 28. About Kanthal wire, its behaviour in spiral wound heating elements and how to deal with its ideosyncasies.
- Silicon Carbide heating elements
- 91. Brief look at SiC elements used in high temperature applications such as glory holes and crucible furnaces.
- Thermocouples & pyrometers
- 50. Heat measuring devices used to manage the firing process for glass.
- Simple kiln controls
- 53. A look at kiln controls from the ON-OFF switch to the simple controller.
- Programmable controllers
- 68. A look at kiln controllers which can store numerous firing patterns for use in glass and pottery firing processes.
- Using your Controller
- 70. Specific instructions for programming selected controllers in general use. Currently only only instruments used in Riley Glass Kilns and Miley Pottery kilns are covered in detail but other kiln builders are invited to provide information for entry.
- Power switching devices
- 55. A look at the alternative power switching devices available; Contactor or Solid State Devices.
- Overheat protection
- 54. Protecting kilns against damage through overheating.
- Electrical overload protection
- 81. Looks at the Circuit Breaker, its purpose and how they operate.
- Sensor correction
- 48. Sensor Correction or Thermocouple Offset function
