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Kiln Supplies - Nitride Bonded Silicon Carbide Kiln Shelves

Lightweight and Economical
Stronger than conventional Silicon Carbide

Save your back with Nitride Bonded Silicon Carbide
Thin Profile and Easy to Handle  

Tired of lifting heavy kilns shelves into the gas kiln? Now there is an economical solution so you don’t need to strain your back stacking the kiln. Nitride Bonded silicon carbide shelves are strong and light weight. For example, a 12” x 24” x 1/2” thick nitride bonded shelf weighs only 14 lbs.! We have thoroughly tested these shelves in demanding situations with excellent results.  Call us to discuss your application.

Built in Relief Joints has been the traditional way these imported shelves have been available. These relief joints are said to prevent cracking that can occur due to the repeated expansion and contraction of the shelves during firing.

NEW! No Slits in various sizes.

Originally all of our imported Nitride Bonded shelves were manufactured with relief joints, however we have recently tested some sizes without the slits and the customer feedback has been excellent. Sizes without expansion joints are noted as ‘no slits’ in the chart below. They do provide better strength when handling and storing the shelves.

Tired of having to rotate shelves to keep them flat? Nitride Bonded silicon carbide may be the answer. Depending on the weight stacked on the shelves in combination with the temperature range, chances are you may never have to rotate them. However, all forms of silicon carbide do eventually warp (except Advancer). To keep your shelves in best form, you may have to rotate, but still you will love the light weight and the ease of removing glaze. 

Important Note: We recommend only 3 post stacking to prevent rocking and provide even pressure on the shelf from the load above. A 4 post stack is prone to shifting which results in uneven pressure on the shelf that can cause cracks. If you are determined to 4 post your shelves, clay wads should be used to attempt to stabilize the stack; however, because the clay is viscous the load still may shift and cause cracks.

When you fire thin shelves, you should have a pyrometer on your kiln so you can be certain that you are not firing too fast.  When a shelf is thin, you have the potential of heating the outside edges too quickly relative to the inner shelf.  If you have been firing blind with only cones, it won’t tell you how fast you are traveling between ambient and 100F where you may have a radically fast heat ramp and not know it.

You can reduce hours of handling kiln furniture by leaving your furniture stacked and only replace the wares. The perfectly flat shelf surface prevents large pots from warping.

Easy to Lift
The nitride bonded silicon carbide shelves are slightly heavier than Advancer® shelves, but much lighter than High Alumina. Note: Advancer® is still the lightest and strongest composition shelf available and a much higher quality, rated for Cone 16. Nitride Bonded is rated for Cone 11 and may need rotation at some point based on extreme peak temperature, soak time, and amount of weight placed between the posts.  We use 1/2” on most sizes because our testing has shown much improved warp resistance at Cone 11. Our customers have been very satisfied with the results.

Want to get more functional height in your kiln? For every 5 layers of shelves you save anywhere from 3-3/8” to 2.5” of stacking height compared to conventional 1" shelves. That can add another shelf layer for every firing. You also reduce the thermal mass substantially which will result in reduced energy costs.

Acceptable Tolerances of Manufacture
The manufacturers of all shelving materials have a factor for what they consider acceptable manufacturing tolerances and deviations. A shelf may be perfectly flat when you receive it, or, it may have a very minor deviation. Nitride Bonded deviation of acceptability is .5%. This factor is calculated by putting a straight edge diagonally from corner to corner and measuring a possible deviation tolerance (if any) in the center of the shelf. A deviation of this minor degree (.5% of the total length) does not constitute a "second".

FYI  When you receive an order of nitride bonded shelves to be used in a reduction kiln, you may want to consider prefiring them to a high temperature before stacking an actual glaze load.  These nitride bonded shelves can initially cause an extra reduction effect in the center bottom of pots (i.e., in the area inside the foot)  that may not be desirable. To avoid this problem, just stack a mock load without pots and prefire them.  This will burn out the reducing agents.  One firing is generally all you need to eliminate this effect.

Receiving and Warranty
It is the purchaser's responsibility to inspect a shipment of shelves (by UPS or truck) immediately for possible shipping damage. If damage is found, it must be reported immediately in order to get compensation from the freight carrier. The manufacturers of kiln furniture universally do NOT warranty kiln shelves once they have been fired. Any claim of defect must be reported before the shelf is fired. In fact, no supplier in the US warranties kiln shelves.

FYI Cracks that may occur in a thin nitride bonded kiln shelf are caused by extreme heat differences across the shelf which are the result of heating or cooling too quickly. The benefits of the thin nitride shelves include energy savings, reduced mass in the kiln, and easy lifting. Understand that because they are thinner, they will heat up faster on edges that may be exposed to direct heat (such as a burner flame). This is what may cause a problem for some customers who have only fired heavier 3/4" or 1" thick shelves (such as high alumina or cordierite). Thicker shelves take longer to heat up, and so are less prone to thermal shock. Thin shelves will be more prone to extreme heating or cooling conditions should they occur. Therefore, if you are only familiar with firing thick shelves, you may need to alter your heating or cooling schedule. Follow the rules, and you will enjoy all the many advantages of firing with thinner shelves. Contact the Bailey staff for further tips.

Nitride Bonded Silicon Carbide is an exceptional value!

See Important Warning (below) about Firing in Electric Oxidation Kilns

Nitride Bonded Kiln Shelves

Rectangles & Squares

Item No.

Shelf Size
(inches)

Weight
(lbs.)

Price
1-10 pcs.

Price
11+ pcs.
Purchase
C-500-122412 12” x 24” x 1/2”
(no slits)
14 $60.00 $54.00
C-500-182412 18” x 24” x 1/2”
(no slits)
21 $111.00 $101.00
C-500-242412 24” x 24” x 1/2”
(no slits)
28 $134.00 $125.00
C-500-261312 13” x 26” x 1/2”
(no slits)
16.4 $90.00 $82.00
C-500-142812 14” x 28” x 1/2”
(no slits)
19 $94.00 $85.00
C-500-161812 16” x 18” x 1/2”
(no slits)
10 $71.00 $65.00
C-500-181812 18” x 18” x 1/2”
(no slits)
15.5 $80.00 $73.00
* "old stock" listed under these sizes have expansion slits and are being sold at their original prices. Quantities are limited and availability must be verified at time of order. All new and future stock in these sizes will have no slits. At this time, 3 sizes are only available with expansion slits and are marked as "Standard w/slits" above.
**Be certain to read the warning about silicon carbide being a conductor of electricity which is stated above.
Want a great deal on shelves?
 Sometimes we have "seconds" in various kiln shelves at great prices!  Save up to 40%!
Call for details and availability.
See Important Warning (below) about Firing in Electric Oxidation Kilns

Our shelves are shipped from Kingston NY. Shipping is much cheaper than shelves shipped from Canada!

These sizes are stock items. We will match any reasonable competitive quote.

Prices listed are for in-stock items only. Once our stock is depleted, prices are subject to change without notice. The web price may not reflect a price change from the manufacturer for the new inventory.

Small quantities can be shipped UPS. We pack an average of 50 lbs per carton. Due to the fragile nature of kiln shelves and the high value, we charge a packing fee of $15.00 per box to cover the cost of our extensive foam packing materials. In addition to standard UPS charges, additional insurance is required and will be billed to the customer. Please Note: due to the extra time required to properly pack shelves for UPS shipment, the RUSH charge for shelf orders is $5.00 per shelf. (Rush Orders must be placed by phone before 11:00 A.M. E.S.T. in order to ship the same day. Rush Orders placed after 11:00 A.M. will ship on the next business day.)

If receiving a shipment by truck, inspect your shelves immediately upon arrival and report any possible damage immediately to both the carrier and Bailey Pottery. Note any damage on the receiving slip and have the driver sign it before the he leaves.

Shelves shipped with our gas kilns incur only a minor charge for packing when they are shipped with the kiln.

Electric Oxidation WARNING!
After extensive testing and customer feed back, we are no longer recommending nitride bonded kiln shelves for electric oxidation firing. This is because nitride bonded shelves will cause a reduction effect on the glazes and clay body in an electric kiln. The effect does eventually subside, but it make take many many firings before it is completely diminished. We have also found that the nitride bonded shelves have a tendency to crack in electric kilns. This is due to the way the heat transfers into the shelf, especially in faster cycles.

Gas Fired Oxidation is OK

We have not experienced any negative issues with firing the nitride bonded in gas fired oxidation kilns. This is because the atmosphere in an oxidation gas kiln is both oxidation and has convection currents which are continually moving air through the kiln.

Given that alumina shelves have none of these issues, we are recommending that potters and schools continue with high alumina Cone 10 shelves for electric oxidation firings..

Electric Conductivity Warning!

If you still intend to use nitride bonded in an electric kiln, read the following important information.

When using an electric kiln, always turn off the kiln and elements before loading or unloading. This is common sense! Never put your hands in an electric kiln that is operating!

When using nitride bonded silicon carbide in an electric kiln, be aware that silicon carbide does conduct electricity. Should you touch the nitride bonded shelf to a live hot element, it will cause a high voltage shock!

If you have elements that have fallen out of their slots and are hanging inside the kiln, do not use nitride bonded silicon carbide. Repair the element.

There is no danger using the nitride bonded shelves in an electric kiln IF you keep the kiln off when stacking and unstacking the furniture. All manufacturers of electric kilns warn to never place your hands into an operating kiln.

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