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Dan Weaver

Dan Weaver
This shows the method I use to fold kiln lining modules from 2600 F UniFrax DuraBlanket refractory blanket. The 8 pound density blanket is compressed to produce 12 pound density module blocks which are skewered on stainless hanger brackets to fix their position inside my stainless kiln shell. My 34 cubic foot kiln required nine cartons of fiber (1 inch thick x 48 inch wide x 25 ft long - 900 square feet) to fold 8 inch thick modules for my Hank Murrow style Top Hat Kiln. This fiber kiln interior (38 wide x 36 deep x 43 inches high) has a stack space of 20.4 cubic feet (30 x 28 x 42 inch high) and uses two 30 x 14 inch Advancer shelves stacked side by side for each stack layer.
"The Maker" is about a man who has devoted his life to a passion for creating. Ceramic artisan Dan Weaver is establishing a nonprofit hands-on educational organization to share his multi-disciplinary skills and workshop with a new generation of people passionate about making. To learn more visit: https://kilnworks.wpengine.com/metamorphose/artisan-lab/
This hot photo sequence shows the progressive growth of glaze crystals on the molten surface of a zinc silicate glaze fired to 1278 centigrade and then cooled to 1140 C for crystal development. This glaze example is based on a variation of a formula published in Fara Shimbo's book Crystal Glazes. The 1st image shows the camera lens pre-focused on a cloth tape on top of the raw glaze before the kiln heat cycle was started. This kiln is loaded with 3 tubular vase forms with the lens focused through the side peep hole which is covered with a silica glaze window to prevent heat damage to the camera lens element. The tube form imaged at the right shows reflections of the kiln wall heating elements. This sequence of hot images were exposed 1 hour apart from 1 hours to 5 hours at at 1140 degrees centigrade. In other words--the orange / yellow hot images were all taken at 1140 degree C at 1 hour intervals. This particular glaze ramp was cooled from 1278 degree top temperature and then cooled to 1140 with no other variation in kiln ramp. This glaze recipe shows rather slow crystalline development compared to some of my other firings. The cooling ramp was not controlled but at the normal cooling associated with this particular kiln. The final hot sequence at 980 degree C begins to display the true color of the cobalt carbonate pigmented glaze. Final shots show the set of 3 tubular vases--2 with lathe turned ebony lids. This group was fired in a Quad version of L & L Baby Doll test kiln which Stephen Lewicki kindly built for my application.
This hot photo sequence shows the progressive growth of glaze crystals on the molten surface of a zinc silicate glaze fired to 1240 centigrade and then cooled to 1140 C for crystalline development. This glaze example is based on a variation or a formula published in Fara Shimbo's book Crystal Glazes. The 1st image shows the camera lens pre-focused on a cloth tape on top of the raw glaze before the kiln heat cycle was started. All of the 1140 degree images show the dark red molten circle of glaze which has flowed from the bowl rim to collect as a pool at center. The smaller darker red shadow at the red pool center is the reflection of the forward end of the imaging lens which is sitting outside the kiln top but centered on the lid imaging port. All images show only the part of the bowl visible through the 2 inch diameter imaging hole in the kiln lid. All images are taken with the lens in the vertical plane and pointed at the bowl center. The rim of bowl is outside of the imaged field and therefore does not appear in the images. This short sequence of hot images were taken at 30 minute intervals from 2 hours to 3.5 hours at at 1140 degrees centigrade. In other words--the 4 orange / yellow hot images were all taken at 1140 degree C at 30 minute intervals. This particular glaze ramp was cooled from 1240 degree top temperature and then cooled to 1140 with no other variation in kiln ramp. This glaze recipe shows fairly rapid crystalline development compared to other crystalline glaze formulas. The cooling ramp was not controlled but at the normal cooling associated with this particular kiln. The final hot sequence at 900 degree C begins to display the true cobalt carbonate color of the glaze. Final shots show the complete bowl. This example was fired in a Quad version of L & L Baby Doll test kiln which Stephen Lewicki kindly built for my application.
My photo slide show details the tools and methods I use to fold kiln lining modules from 2600 F UniFrax DuraBlanket refractory blanket. The 8 pound density blanket is compressed to produce 12 pound density module blocks which are skewered on stainless hanger brackets to fix their position inside my stainless kiln shell. My 34 cubic foot kiln required nine cartons of fiber (1 inch thick x 48 inch wide x 25 ft long - 900 square feet) to fold 8 inch thick modules for my Hank Murrow style Top Hat Kiln. This fiber kiln interior (38 wide x 36 deep x 43 inches high) has a stack space of 20.4 cubic feet (30 x 28 x 42 inch high) and uses two 30 x 14 inch Advancer shelves stacked side by side for each stack layer.
This group of images details my method for bending and welding stainless steel hangers which I use to secure accordion folded fiber blanket modules to the inside surface of my stainless kiln shell. Images show attaching the hanger to the SS kiln skin where the folded fiber modules are pressed against the kiln shell while the modules are pressed skewered on sharpened tines of the hanger brackets. The impaled modules are thus held securely to the kiln wall. The tan paper packing tapes shown hold the fiber modules in compression during installation after which they are either cut and removed or left to burn out during the first kiln firing. The final images show the upside down installation of the roof modules using similarly configured hangers. After the roof modules are skewered on the hanger the roof is turned over and raised and compressed into final position on top of the kiln wall fiber modules.
This slideshow illustrates camera and strobe assembly used to capture digital images of hot crystalline glaze development. Hot kiln photo reveal the progressive development of zinc silicate crystals at the end of a 10 hour firing cycle with 1:40 hour crystal growth hold at 1100˚ C. Crystals build rapidly from tiny residual seeds which remain after a top temperature soak @ 1245˚ C Canon EOS 7D camera assembly with Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS USM lens and Canon macro extension tube with reversed telescope eyepiece positioned at the end of a hybrid lens assembly. The images may be taken from a kiln top tripod positioned above a heat absorbing hot image mount. Alternately images can be captured through a refractory silica glass lens covering the side kiln peep hole. The intense radiated light at 1100˚ C is neutralized via a manually forced flash from a Canon 580 EX II strobe which is fired to sync with the camera exposures. The camera assembly must be prefocused prior to the kiln firing and the focal setting temporarily fixed with masking tape to prevent accidental focal change. Positioning ports used to pre-focus are maintained in the same position during firing so the camera assembly can be re-pointed into the hot kiln with the pre-focus maintained. The strobe and camera / lens assembly is manually positioned on the imaging ports and held there just long enough to capture quick exposures. The imaging equipment stays in position only long enough to snap the camera shutter - typically 15 to 30 seconds.
Dan Weaver narrates a Slipcasting process.
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