 |
|
Kiln Pointers
|
|
|
How to Deal with a Trucking Line |
CONTENTS How to Deal with a Trucking Line Reader Response: Outgrowing a kiln Recent Q&As: Venting a kiln in the garage; flaking firebrick lid Memorable Quote News: Tornado Seen Outside Paragon Factory ----------- HOW TO DEAL WITH A TRUCKING LINE When you order a kiln or other equipment that will ship by truck, please give your distributor the following information. (This applies to any brand of kiln.) This will assure the most cost effective and prompt delivery of your shipment. 1) Is this delivery to a residence or commercial facility? Deliveries to a residence are usually an additional fee. The freight company must know ahead of time that they are delivering to a residence. If not noted ahead of time, there may be an additional cost later. 2) Will you need assistance moving the crate inside? The delivery point is the curb. If help is required to move a crate inside a home or garage, please let us know ahead of time. This service may be an additional charge. 3) Is a lift gate required for delivery? Almost all residential deliveries require a lift gate. In addition, commercial facilities without a high dock will need a lift gate. Not all trucks are equipped with a lift gate, so freight companies need to know at the time of pick-up that a lift gate is required. Fees for lift gates vary among the freight companies. 4) Do you need the driver to call you before delivery? If you will not be at the delivery location during normal business hours and/or would like a call from the driver who has a delivery window, please give us a contact phone number and ask for delivery notification. 5) Is this kiln being delivered to a limited-access or difficult-to-access location? Limited-access locations include (but are not limited to) schools, medical facilities, and military bases. Difficult-to-access locations are places that an 18-wheeler will have difficulty maneuvering--long gravel driveways, dead-end streets, etc. Fees for limited/ difficult-to-access delivery vary among the freight companies. The total shipping cost of the freight will vary if the services above are needed. When asking for a freight quote, please have this information available. Freight sent out for delivery without accurate information can be returned to the terminal for later delivery. This will result in not only a delivery delay but also a re-delivery charge. ----------- READER RESPONSE In the last Kiln Pointer, Evelyn Gottschall Baker wrote that she had outgrown her kiln. Julia Larson commented, “My students often ask me what size kiln they should buy. I joke that they should buy the biggest one they can afford, because they will immediately want a bigger one.” ----------- RECENT Q&As Q. I have a small Paragon computer kiln about 12" x 12". Should I vent it? It's going to be used to test cone 6 and fire bisque. It will be in the garage next to my large kiln. A. The answer depends on how often you fire the kiln, what else is stored in your garage, and whether the garage is attached to a living area. If the garage is attached to a house, then you should vent the kiln. The fumes can move through the walls to your living area. Fumes from certain clays can eventually etch window glass and rust tools. If you are not going to use a vent, then the garage should be cleared of tools and other items that can rust. Open the windows and circulate the air with several fans. Since the kiln will be next to your large kiln, you could use an existing downdraft vent for both kilns. Q. Is it normal for a firebrick lid to flake? A. The coating should not flake off. It should look like it disappeared after the kiln has been fired. Coating that flakes and looks like small fissures is too thick. ----------- MEMORABLE QUOTE “Many glaze defects are caused by looking too carefully at the glaze surface. This ‘creates’ glaze defects. Like examining your food for dog hair, of course you will find it!” --Brant Palley ----------- NEWS: TORNADO SEEN NEAR PARAGON FACTORY At around 3:00 p.m. yesterday, a tornado came within several blocks of the Paragon kiln factory. The factory shut down so everyone could gather in the lunch rooms for safety. Rain drummed against the windows, and thunder sounded like doors slamming. Office employees moved toward the lunch room. One called a family member on her cell phone and said, “I love you.” Someone handed me a weather alert printout from a news channel. It read, “National weather service meteorologists confirmed a large and extremely dangerous tornado. This tornado was moving into eastern portions of the city of Dallas. This is a life threatening situation!” Another employee held a cell phone that showed a glowing orange and purple weather radar image. “We’re right here,” she said, pointing to the center of the storm. Curious, I walked through the factory to the back of the building. Water raged through the down spouts just outside the open back doorway, where several employees stood. Not far from us was a cloud mass that reached down to the earth. “Look, you can see where it is swirling,” someone said with the detachment of a doctor looking at an x-ray. As the tornado turned from light to dark gray, I took several pictures. You can see them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/paragonkilns All of us at Paragon are safe. I hope you are, too. The weather is beautiful today. Thank you, With best wishes, Arnold Howard Paragon Industries, L.P. – Better Designed Kilns 2011 South Town East Blvd., Mesquite, Texas 75149-1122 Voice: 972-288-7557 & 800-876-4328 / Fax: 972-222-0646 / ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com / www.facebook.com/paragonkilns PRIVACY NOTICE: Under no circumstance do we share or sell your email address. Copyright 2012, by Paragon Industries, L.P. |
|
|
|
|
|
on:
|
“Custom and standard Kilns and Industrial Furnaces for ceramics, pottery, heat treating, enameling, |
||||