| Oztrain Kiln: Firebox LidSideStoke home | Oztrain home | Construction home |
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| There are any number of ways to make the firebox stoking lid. This one allows for wood to be dropped down onto the hobs, but it has the disadvantage that the stoker receives a blast of heat when the lid is raised for access, even though the lid does not have to be raised very much to load the wood. We made use of materials on hand, together with thrown and bisqued ceramic buttons used to attach ceramic fibre to the steel frame. The light angle iron frame was constructed first with the corners of the angle iron on the downside. The light aluminium sheeting was laid on the frame, and the steel rods welded into position on top of the sheeting. |
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layers of 1 inch thick fibre were used over most of the frame,
with one layer wrapping around the edges and held in position by
the aluminium strips. The lower layer of fibre was made of two
overlapping pieces of fibre. The ceramic buttons were attached to the
steel rods by means of lengths of 1.6mm stainless steel welding filler rods. |
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| The welding filler rods come in one metre lengths and the trick is to avoid buying a packet containing many more than you actually need. Holes have to be drilled in the aluminium sheeting and the short lengths of welding rods threaded through each button pushed through the fibre and through the holes in the sheeting. To make this convenient, a couple of lengths of umbrella spokes are threaded through the holes to form guides for the electrodes. Once pushed through the fibre and the aluminium sheeting the welding rods are twisted around the steel rods to secure the buttons. | |
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