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By 1970, we were engeged in architectural sculpture as an occupation. Shortly thereafter cane the first energy shortage. We began thinking about the survival of the ceramics craft in the face of high energy prices.
Peak Oil is the next phase of that shortage. The growth of fossil fuel usage in the world has made us deplete what it left at increasingly higher rates. Time is running out. Ceramics, in order to survive at all, must learn what efficience really means; learn about all aspects of conserevation; and learn how to continue with minimum pollution- Or- take up knitting.
From the beginning, our books were based on survival of the ceramics craft. Time to learn now, before ceramics is classed as a non-essential craft. |
Ceramics, Gas Kilns, and Electric Kilns
This is the Ceramics Gas Kiln and Electric Kiln Series Page. It is an annotated directory linking to each book’s detail page. There, you will find a book description, ordering information for all editions of that book, Table of Contents, and excerpts from that book.
This Series is about the technology of a Craft: energy conservation, pollution reduction, and getting the most heat from the fuel you paid for. It also describes how we made a living from our ceramics products.
All of the books are suitable as Text Books, from a beginning class to advanced classes; some for high school; most are for college.
Basis For These Books
For over 20 years we made our living primarily as ceramists, doing Architectural Sculpture. Our experience in this craft spans 30 years and, counting the time we have been writing about Ceramics, nearly 60 years.
Energy Conservation and Pollution Reduction
This page is devoted not only to instruction, but an honest attempt to prolong the craft. As energy prices increase, the only thing that will save the Craft is more efficient use of fuel. Our books focus on this premise. The other critical factor will be to minimize pollution from kilns. Efficient use of fuels is the key to that problem also. If all the fuel is utilized in the kiln, exhaust pollution is at a minimum.
With increasing fuel costs, conservation practices could well mean the survival of the Craft. Not only will there be a reduction of what people have to spend, but the ceramist must keep his productes in the affordable range. It all comes down to increased fuel conversion to heat efficiency.
Peak Oil
This may be a new term to you, but it is the crisis term for the ceramics craft, an admittedly high-energy consumer. see our Blog for more information:
http://onyourownfordisasters.blogspot.com/ It is a beginning and you had better get started.
Home Heating Applications
Most of the combustion information presented is also applicable to home heating furnaces. Special note is taken where furnaces are a consideration.
Here Are The Books:
Click on the title link to go to the book's description page. Excerpts from each book are linked to each book's detail page.
This was the first book of the Series. Published in 1975 by others, they abandoned the book when it did not make their monthly sales quota. We published it and have sold it continuously for 29 years to several generations of ceramists, now, in a revised edition.
Before I designed and produced our own line of gas kilns, I advertised myself for kiln repair. What I discovered was that most people didn’t know how to fire a gas kiln. We won’t even mention the neglect of kiln safety. I wrote this book to correct those problems. This book describes the safest, most economical, and the least polluting way to fire a gas kiln. It introduces beginners to firing and reviews safe, efficient practices for the professional ceramist.
To order these books, go to the detail page for each book and click on the ISBN Buy button, or go directly to Ordering from the Home page.
Part of any business is being able to produce a product for less than the competition. This was the first book that described how we stayed competitive through better technology. Until our Studio became history, these confidential details gave us a competitive edge in business. This is a technical book for the professional ceramist. It also provides an insight to the novice or aspiring ceramist about what it takes to sell ceramics with greater profits.
First published in 1980, this has been our all time best seller. The key is that the burner is the most important component in any heat generating appliance, be it a kiln or furnace. It is a non technical, especially non-engineering discourse on all kinds of burners.
If you are going to have a furnace overhauled or repaired, it is worth while knowing what the repair person is talking about.
A method of evaluating and comparing gas burners is described in the book since they are still the most common burner type.
Hey, these books are over 20 years old! They are examples of the timelessness of some topics. The basic books on Glazes were published in the 1930s. Contrast this with a book on computers: It may be outdated in six months, almost before it has been written and published. The quality of a Ceramics bookshelf is not measured by the date of publication.
Call a repair person to improve your furnace performance and this is the method they will most likely use. Power plants have been using this technique to measure combustion efficiency for many years. Yet, very few people have ever heard of it. I put it down in plain English so we could all use it. The graphs are provided for most fuel types. Half the book discloses the secrets of a proper performing stack and the important part it plays in a combustion system.
This is the closest thing to an engineering handbook that exists for the ceramist's gas kilns, except it is written in English, rather than "engineerese."
All aspects of kiln design and design procedures are covered, as well as separate chapters on construction, repair, safety controls, maintenance, heat recovery, and operation. The technology of fire bricks has an entire chapter. Other refractories are covered in turn.
There is a manual included, complete with photographs, for building your own kiln. It is a copy of the actual manual we included with the ARTKIT (TM) Kiln Kits of our own product line.
If you are a master ceramist, you can still benefit from the contents of this handbook as a reference.
Electric Kilns Electric Kilns have wider applications and require special considerations. Two books are devoted especially to electric kilns:
With over thirty years of experience with things electrical, I had to write this handbook. It is as universal as the book above is for gas kilns.
An electric kiln is the most convenient means of achieving the temperatures required to transform clay into a ceramic. Adding electricity, its control, and protective devices to a kiln requires special considerations. This is the book for operation, design, maintenance, and repair of electric kilns.
The favorite tool of the Glass worker is the electric kiln. This is an expanded edition of the basic book above with additions of value to the glass worker in nearly every chapter.
Clay must be transformed into a ceramic much in the same way as bread is baked for its transformation from flour. The key is knowing what ingredients to put into the mix. Our success in ceramics was largely due to developing our own ceramic chemistry technology. We had clays, as well as glazes,that no one else could match. It enables us to accomplish works that were unique. When we concluded that we could no longer pursue the ceramics craft, we put our technical notes in book form for others.
We included a Gallery of our works, in color, as proof of the book’s technical validity.
Part of mastering a craft is being able to handle the materials as well as the finished pieces. Ceramics works are heavy. We produced pieces weighing in excess of 800 pounds. Most material bags at the time weighed 50 or 100 pounds; no OSHA then. You either did it properly or ruined your back, or worse.
I wrote this for the artists in the studio, primarily as a protection for my back. If they did not know how, then (surprise) I had to do it. It also serves anyone who needs to deal with heavy things.
The Gas Kiln Handbook is the only one of the Series that has a separate CD edition as well as being included on this CD.
In time, all of the books will be available as separate e-books.
To Order the Books, go to a book's detail page, or to the Ordering page. To order the Library CD, go to any book's detasil page.
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Last revised: April 2, 2006
This page describes the copyrighted books of Ralph Ritchie and Fern Ritchie.
