Refitting the Money Hole

The kiln needs to be switched over from natural gas to propane.

No problem...

A quick trip to Ace Hardware was enough to solve a plumbing problem.

The old MR-750 Venturi gas burners were still in good shape... The primary air shutters were frozen with rust but were easily fixed.

The nozzles orifices were set up for natural gas. The one pictured on the lower right was what was in place. The propane are much smaller. It made a HUGE difference when we ran test a test burn. Getting an oxidation flame was pretty much impossible with the larger orifice. The smaller orifice gives a much broader range of reduction to oxidation.

To be continued....

The Money Hole

God I enjoy a good money hole. A person forgets how good it feels to crawl inside a dream, especially after doing one's best to avoid finding a new one. Unfortunately, that combination of challenge and possibilities is a seductive lure. 

I was hooked the first moment I read the header on the email "Forward: Gas Kiln 7 cubic foot". Sure, Jess had sent me Craigslist links for kilns before, but this time maybe it was the timing. I could be that summer has just begun, maybe it's the prospect of the kids being home all day, maybe it's a season for change, or maybe I'm just worn out with trying to slot my chaotic schedule into someone else's chaos just to get something... anything... moving.

Ceramics isn't painting or drawing. It's more like bronze work. There's a logistical chain that needs addressed first up front if you want to satisfy a makers need. In otherwords... You gotta pay to play.

This time the starting price was a speculative trip a hundred miles away. A hot day trip out into the foothills just to look at a lead.

4 hours and $700 dollars later, we were loaded up with a new Money Hole and two very very happy campers.

To be continued...