Warped Wok

[Steve Immerman]

Hi. I purchased a 20" stainless steel wok with metal handles. Since the wok fit in my kiln if I placed the handles on the diagonal of the kiln, I didn't try to take them off.

I sandblasted the wok, heated to 500 degrees, and sprayed on kiln wash. So far, so good.

But, when I slumped a 15" bowl to 1150 degrees it warped, and the resulting bowl is a bit off kilter. The wok was not warped before the slumping.



This is a straight on shot of the kiln, and you can see that the top edge is no longer a perfect circle.

My questions are:

Did it warp because I left the handles on? Some differential in heating or mass or weight?
Can I "unwarp" it and get it to stay "unwarped"? Any ideas how?

I'm thinking that sandblasting, kilnwashing and slumping might have voided the warranty on this gourmet item....

Thanks.

Steve

[Brock]

Hey Steve,

The thinner the steel, the more likelihood of warpage. We remove the handles and sometimes they warp anyway. It can be an interesting shape, but not if you want a perfect reverse dome shape. Brock

[Brian and Jenny Blanthorn]

Hi. I purchased a 20" stainless steel wok with metal handles. Since the wok fit in my kiln if I placed the handles on the diagonal of the kiln, I didn't try to take them off.

I sandblasted the wok, heated to 500 degrees, and sprayed on kiln wash. So far, so good.

But, when I slumped a 15" bowl to 1150 degrees it warped, and the resulting bowl is a bit off kilter. The wok was not warped before the slumping.



This is a straight on shot of the kiln, and you can see that the top edge is no longer a perfect circle.

My questions are:

Did it warp because I left the handles on? Some differential in heating or mass or weight?
Can I "unwarp" it and get it to stay "unwarped"? Any ideas how?

I'm thinking that sandblasting, kilnwashing and slumping might have voided the warranty on this gourmet item....

Thanks.

Steve

Out of lightweight kiln bricks I cut curved wedge shapes which match the curve of mould

I have 3 these help keep the shape

I usually

Squidge n Squash tm

The mould as the urge takes me

So it can B any shape from round 2 oval

[Marty]

Steve- I used to rely on the Squidge-n-squash (tm) cheatin' technology too- squash it slightly too much in the other direction before slumping. It got too frustrating so I started thinking about a holder of some sort to keep tension from handle to handle, and having a rim welded to the outside, and then I just bit the bullet and had molds spun from heavier stuff. No cheatin' now.

Just stealin'. Brian! A major move is in the works- the studio gets bigger, the office gets moved further into Gabe's space! As he gets older, his toys get more expensive and smaller, so he really doesn't need all that much room.

[Cynthia]

My solution was to order ball molds from BE. No spalling, no rust, no warping. They have several different depths and widths. All are perfect orbs, so no matter where you place the glass, or if it slips, it is still round. You can get really good pricing on them too if you can purchase wholesale from your distributor.

The three I have are the 22" x 4" deep, 20 1/4" x 2 1/2" deep and the 19" x 3 3/8" deep. All are wonderful molds, but my favorites are the two deeper molds that are more wok-like.

This won't fix your wok, but the investment in the ball molds was a fabuous solution to the dreaded wok problems I was having. I also prefer to bend into a mold rather than draping over (if that is of any consequence to you). I suppose you can bend into a wok though dependent upon the slope.

Your wok is nicely seasoned now...perhaps it will still stir fry well.

[Brian and Jenny Blanthorn]

Steve- I used to rely on the Squidge-n-squash (tm) cheatin' technology too- squash it slightly too much in the other direction before slumping. It got too frustrating so I started thinking about a holder of some sort to keep tension from handle to handle, and having a rim welded to the outside, and then I just bit the bullet and had molds spun from heavier stuff. No cheatin' now.

Just stealin'. Brian! A major move is in the works- the studio gets bigger, the office gets moved further into Gabe's space! As he gets older, his toys get more expensive and smaller, so he really doesn't need all that much room.

Would it not B simpler 2 steel the whole room n send Gabe off 2 work in the mines or cleaning chimnies ??

That way U would get more room n some small income

I dont know whats wrong up here

But my kids steal my space

I blame the European Union

I am shure there is some law somewhere that gives them a right 2 extra space n rooms u such