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Post by jerrysawitz on Jul 26, 2016 12:18:05 GMT -6
Looking for advice for element replacements. originals in my L and L lasted close to 100 glaze fires mostly at cone 10. Replacing them Ive been quoted $77 each. Or If I upgrade to APMs about $175 . are they worth over twice the price?
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Post by mohawkpiper on Jul 26, 2016 13:22:37 GMT -6
Hey Jerry,
My personal opinion is yes, they are worth it. For two reasons. The first may be less of a concern for you than me as you have an L&L and I have a skutts.
Reason 1 is even if they last only twice as long that means half as many times replacing them causing damage to the kiln during replacement having a smaller chance of happening.
Reason 2 is (I believe you are reducing in yours?) that I feel they handle reduction much better than standard elements. Reduction seems to have much less of a negative effect on APMs than it does on kanthal A-1s.
I get not even close to 100 firings on A-1s with roughly over half those firings being reduction, and I have easily 200+ firings on APMS again with roughly over half of them being reduction.
All at cone 10. (those numbers are excluding bisque firings and strikes. I don't count those so I don't really know how much more that adds to the number of firings.)
G
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Post by mohawkpiper on Jul 26, 2016 13:23:19 GMT -6
ps, not sure I'll be able to make it down. Job lasted much longer than expected and now going from one job to another without a break inbetween.
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Post by jerrysawitz on Jul 26, 2016 17:23:52 GMT -6
Greg, thanks for the input. It helps a lot with my decision. I am reducing in a smaller skut I use for that and strikes. And you're welcome anytime. Glad you're working steadily. Tanner started a video production company, TriOdessey about a year ago and I've seen how up and down the business can be. On a side note Im traveling to work with Ted Secombe in the future. Very excited about that. I'm still working through the stuff I learned with Jose.
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Post by jerrysawitz on Jul 27, 2016 8:05:07 GMT -6
Greg do you use denatured alcohol for your reductions?
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Post by mohawkpiper on Jul 27, 2016 15:10:37 GMT -6
That is correct.
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Post by adammacmillan on Jul 28, 2016 13:39:32 GMT -6
I'm a huge fan of the APM's. I have a 36"T L&L with quad holders. I'm at well over 160 cone 10-12 fires and many bisque in between. Firing times still haven't really changed since day one.
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Post by jerrysawitz on Jul 28, 2016 14:07:32 GMT -6
Adam thank you for that. Im ordering APMs. do you coat them?
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Post by adammacmillan on Aug 8, 2016 9:13:13 GMT -6
I didn't coat the APM's with the ITC materials. I was afraid to try and screw them up. I did coat some A1's with the ITC, jury is still out on that one. They flaked a little, but no shorting. I'm not sure if they added to life, as they are in my reductionator kiln and it doesn't get fired often, and when it does it gets abused.
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