This Last Weekend
I didn't make it into the studio this weekend.
Sunday was a beautiful day, warm in the seventies, with no clouds. We worked at cleaning the garage.
I did work a little on the raku kiln. The lid of the kiln had a prop bar, to hold it open for loading and unloading, but you have to play with it to get it to work right. I removed the prop bar, and replaced it with a pair of chains that are attached to the metal sheathing around the kiln and lid. The lid can now be opened, and both chains go taught when it is overbalanced past the vertical.
I first used a punch to mark where I wanted the metal screws to go in the sheathing, and tried to drill them out. I found it easier to punch a small hole with a nail, and then use self-threading screws to hold the chain in place. I had bought two feet of swag chain from Home Despot, and I flattened the links on one end before screwing them to the body of the kiln. I placed a weighted bucket on a folding chair to support the kiln lid where I wanted it, then cut the chains to length that exactly reached the holes in the lid with a pair of tin snips.
Once the chains were screwed into place, I removed the old hardware that supported the prop arm. The arm was attached to the kiln with two inch screws, going through both the metal sheath and into the kiln brick. I punched holes adjascent to where the chain screws were, then used a small masonry bit to drill into the kiln brick. I then re-used the two inch screws to add additional strength to the lid and kiln body where the chains were attached.
The other thing I did, at Julie's request, was to clean up my workbench. It was a sty, with bags of fittings, and loose tools all over it. It took most of the afternoon, but now everything has a place, its organized in a sane fashion that I agree with, and it is now a usable surface. We'll probably stack pots on it :-).
Sunday was a beautiful day, warm in the seventies, with no clouds. We worked at cleaning the garage.
I did work a little on the raku kiln. The lid of the kiln had a prop bar, to hold it open for loading and unloading, but you have to play with it to get it to work right. I removed the prop bar, and replaced it with a pair of chains that are attached to the metal sheathing around the kiln and lid. The lid can now be opened, and both chains go taught when it is overbalanced past the vertical.
I first used a punch to mark where I wanted the metal screws to go in the sheathing, and tried to drill them out. I found it easier to punch a small hole with a nail, and then use self-threading screws to hold the chain in place. I had bought two feet of swag chain from Home Despot, and I flattened the links on one end before screwing them to the body of the kiln. I placed a weighted bucket on a folding chair to support the kiln lid where I wanted it, then cut the chains to length that exactly reached the holes in the lid with a pair of tin snips.
Once the chains were screwed into place, I removed the old hardware that supported the prop arm. The arm was attached to the kiln with two inch screws, going through both the metal sheath and into the kiln brick. I punched holes adjascent to where the chain screws were, then used a small masonry bit to drill into the kiln brick. I then re-used the two inch screws to add additional strength to the lid and kiln body where the chains were attached.
The other thing I did, at Julie's request, was to clean up my workbench. It was a sty, with bags of fittings, and loose tools all over it. It took most of the afternoon, but now everything has a place, its organized in a sane fashion that I agree with, and it is now a usable surface. We'll probably stack pots on it :-).
posted by SquidgePa at 10:35 AM
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