Right now the kiln is cooling; first glaze fire with new stack went without incident. Not that I expected an incident: if the dimensions are the same as the old stack, there's no reason why it would fire any differently. But kilns are weird. And the dimensions are not precisely like the old one: the new stack is one layer shorter, because previously the kiln always drew a little too hard. Not enough to get up on the roof and fix it ( I HATE HEIGHTS) but since I had to rebuild it anyway....
The firing was a little slower than I expected; which might have been a function of the weather - kinda windy - or the changes in the stack. And the damper positions are noticeably different now: I have to push the damper further in to achieve the same reduction. Possibly, in building the stack straighter, I created a slightly larger cross-section? Dunno. Don't care, actually, expect abstractly, as long as I get good results.
...which I shall know soon! I pulled the spy to peek, and not only do things look good - what little I could see - but it seems cool enough to unload. So I'm off to do just that.
wow, that's quite an accomplishment, looks great, hope all is well with the work inside
ReplyDeleteToes crossed that all is terrific. Photos? I always enjoy seeing the shelves as they are revealed and unloaded!
ReplyDeleteEven electric kilns have their own little foibles. I have seen a row of electric kilns all the same age, each firing a little differently!
I don't know about kiln stacks but I have been dealing with wood stove chimneys and vents for many years. I can only say that each stove, chimney etc is a creature unto itself!