Kiln Coil repair

Crimp in a stainless tube.

I broke a coil by dropping molten aluminum on it. I turned off the power (still hot), pulled the coils gently with two pair needle nose pliers and hooked the ends over. When I turned on, there was a hot spot where they were touching, and the ends welded. Had to repeat once since then. Watch when handling cold, very brittle. Can be problem with tube.

Are you saying you twisted the ends and bent the coils together when they were hot, or are you saying they got welded with the molten metal?

Now that's a novel idea..... I guess I'd need a very thin metal tube.

Small diameter and stainless, not just metal. and there is a replacement element place in R.I. I believe, they are not that expensive and very easy to change.

I simply hooked the coiled ends into each other. The molten metal was gone. At the firt time I did it the coils were "warm", in that no power was flowing, but the kiln was still pretty hot as I needed to finish the job. The second time I did it, the whole was cold - I noticed the disconnect before it got hot. They got arc welded by current flowing through the small initial contact point.

"Glassman" wrote in news:bxz7g.296$ snipped-for-privacy@fe10.lga:

How about using an 8-32 screw and nut; use needle-nose pliers to make eyes in the broken wires, wrap them around the screw, maybe some washers, put on the nut, and tighten. Also could use an electrical splice-link and crimp.

Kiln wire is too brittle to be bent in such a manner.

JK Sinrod

we use the big heat oven's at work and the make a small clamp with a screw 10/32 to repair the wire, check with kiln maker, or there could be a heat treat repair unit near you, look in yellow pages under heat treat or industral furnaces

What about wrapping copper wire around each end of the broken coils, and then twisting together? How will this hold up up to 2000 degrees I wonder?

Why re-invent the wheel? You have the ends of two pieces of NI CHrom resistance wire, just put them together with something that is of high resistance, stainless steel, a machine screw and nut will work, and have at it, then get on the phone and call for a replacement element, about $30, (less than the cost of repairing one of those junk Chinese lamps) and fix the darn thing right and be done with it.

In the time you have posted about how to fix it, in every way different than those suggested to you, you could have had it repaired and the element at your door, waiting for you to put it in.

Why don't you just buy a new kiln from our world-famous international distributor and lecturer? I'm sure he'd cut you a great deal and maybe even give you a lesson on kiln forming and use of a WBS.

Let us know how that works out?

Wonder no more. Copper will not withstand those temps.

That was testy Java. I don't fire everyday like you do, and am not in a hurry to get this one fixed. The kiln is too old and creaky for me to risk taking the coil out of all the cracked brick unless I absolutely have to. Just friendly chatter is what this one is all about.

Still waiting for my 900 degree Weller tip. Mail from Canada must be slow?

Ahhh don't be so thin skinned, wasn't meant personal. you just keep trying to find ways that are different than what has been suggested and you are going backwards. Old creaky kilns are what I specialize in. I rebuild them and re-sell them. It's not rocket science. If you use some caution the element will come out pretty easy, and usually in pieces. When its been fired, it likes to break due to brittle. So what? Your throwing it out. put the new element in, use a good vacuum on the groove so no debris gets in your glass, and you are good to go... IF the brick is cracked that bad, fix that too, business is slow, what else do you have to do? Work some overtime, let people see you there after hours and they will think your making so much money you don't know where to spend it all!! And my chatter is as friendly as anyone else's, thru the net you can't see the look on my face. The previous post my face had a look of exasperation!

More of that old saying, "money talks and bullshit walks", eh?

If "I" were a retailer/wholesaler and had real honest-to-goodness items on the shelf, I'd be wanting to sell them.

But in the case of your Canadian friend, he lives in a fantasy land where the shelves are stocked with mythical products. He has been real quiet for a few days now. Maybe the Thorazine has finally kicked in?

OK Java this could be the last post to this thread.... I found a few old spools of silver colored wire. How to tell if it's stainless steel or not?