Problem with Stilts

On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 07:43:40 -0700, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

i thought element wire was nichrome.

when hot, it is pretty soft.


Nichrome (80% nickel, 20% chrome) is rated for 1200C as an element,
but doesn't deform when hot. Or at least, not as much as standard
element wire, which is Kanthal (FeCrAl, various grades). Kanthal
elements are good for 1400C, but deform a lot and thus need a lot
of support (element grooves, for example).

Cone 6 is around 1200C (depending on how fast the temperature rise
is). I do get some sagging of my nichrome bead wires at cone 6,
depending on wire thickness and load. Since I have read that Kanthal
is supposed to be worse, I haven't tried it. (I use silicon carbide
rods as heating elements, so I don't have a ready source of element
wire. The only Kanthal wire I had access to was a really small gage.)

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator

Some are, but they don't have the capability of working at + 1250oC
see:
http://www.resistancewires.co.uk/resistance_alloys_all.html

The most commonly used kiln element wire in the UK is Kanthal A1
which has a Max. continuous operating temperature of 1400oC (2550 F).
75.52 percent of its makeup is iron, the remaining 24.48 is a mixture of
Carbon, Silica, Molybdenum, Chrome, and Aluminium. It lasts really well
in a kiln, but gets very brittle when cold after being fired.

I'm not a scientific type, I'm just curious, and just wanted to find out
what elements are made of. There's a lot of information out there!

Steve
Bath
UK

In article , Charles Spitzer
writes
i thought element wire was nichrome.

when hot, it is pretty soft.

"Steve Mills" wrote in message
...
Element wire is OK except that after being fired it goes brittle, so
Nichrome wire is better, preferably heavy duty
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK

Bob,
make some solid cones out of coarse clay, stick 2 inch plus bits of
Nichrome wire into them all over like a Christmas tree, bisque fire and
use them instead of the *washing line* technique for your beads; no sag,
take up less space, and easy handling in and out of the kiln.

Steve
Bath
UK


In article , Bob Masta
writes
On Fri, 9 Sep 2005 07:43:40 -0700, "Charles Spitzer"
wrote:

i thought element wire was nichrome.

when hot, it is pretty soft.


Nichrome (80% nickel, 20% chrome) is rated for 1200C as an element,
but doesn't deform when hot. Or at least, not as much as standard
element wire, which is Kanthal (FeCrAl, various grades). Kanthal
elements are good for 1400C, but deform a lot and thus need a lot
of support (element grooves, for example).

Cone 6 is around 1200C (depending on how fast the temperature rise
is). I do get some sagging of my nichrome bead wires at cone 6,
depending on wire thickness and load. Since I have read that Kanthal
is supposed to be worse, I haven't tried it. (I use silicon carbide
rods as heating elements, so I don't have a ready source of element
wire. The only Kanthal wire I had access to was a really small gage.)

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator

--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK

On Sat, 10 Sep 2005 18:00:13 +0100, Steve Mills
wrote:

Bob,
make some solid cones out of coarse clay, stick 2 inch plus bits of
Nichrome wire into them all over like a Christmas tree, bisque fire and
use them instead of the *washing line* technique for your beads; no sag,
take up less space, and easy handling in and out of the kiln.


Steve, I use the "washing line" method because many of my "beads"
are decidedly non-standard, some up to 3 inches long. These are
the ones that cause the bending problems. Luckily, I am also using
large threading holes in these, so there is room to stick 3 of my
14-gage wires through. That pretty much does the job, but I have
been thinking about ways to make these large beads lighter
anyway, for the benefit of the wearers if nothing else!

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator

bob - mix saw dust into the clay. i've been doing this lately. *chip*
sawdust, like pet bedding, leaves a neat texture. but i doubt this
would be useful for beads.

"milk" saw dust, the suuper EXTRA FINE you get from a vacuum draw at
the sanding machines (and actually swirls around in a bucket like milk)
leaves little actual evidence - but does lighten the pieces. THIS
would likely work with beads.

~ besides, after a glaze i don't see a problem?

or, get carried away with TOO much saw dust blend and maybe you'll get
a cavernous affect from so much dust being burned off? i haven't tried
that yet, but will soon. i also want to try chunks of wood & see what
results. nooks & cranies left over from a fire would be a fun affect.


see ya

steve

On 11 Sep 2005 06:49:16 -0700, "steve "
wrote:

bob - mix saw dust into the clay. i've been doing this lately. *chip*
sawdust, like pet bedding, leaves a neat texture. but i doubt this
would be useful for beads.

"milk" saw dust, the suuper EXTRA FINE you get from a vacuum draw at
the sanding machines (and actually swirls around in a bucket like milk)
leaves little actual evidence - but does lighten the pieces. THIS
would likely work with beads.

~ besides, after a glaze i don't see a problem?

or, get carried away with TOO much saw dust blend and maybe you'll get
a cavernous affect from so much dust being burned off? i haven't tried
that yet, but will soon. i also want to try chunks of wood & see what
results. nooks & cranies left over from a fire would be a fun affect.



Steve, I've been thinking along these lines, and am encouraged by
your success. One idea I'm toying with is to use a lot of filler like
sawdust, maybe even rather coarse, and then dip in slip to
get a nice smooth outer surface. This is on the back burner at
the moment, but I'll report here if I come up with anything good.

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator