110 Kiln

L

Living The Dream

Joined
Feb 20, 2016
Messages
158
Maybe someone can shed some light on this for me. I am considering getting a 110v kiln. I understand that 240v is better. I don't have it in my shop and don't want to ask the landlord for it. I would rather have him take care of some other things that need attention. Some of you happy renters probably know what I mean.

My main concern is versatility of the kiln. I know that it will take longer to heat up than 240v. That does not bother me so much. My main question is will this 110v kiln do everything I need it to do with more complicated steels such as stainless? I will equip it with a rampmaster and should be able to program it and let it handle its business, Will I run into problems as I advance, in the aspect of not having the capability to treat certain types of steel?

I am just a hobbyist maker at this time. At some point I would like to supplement a retirement income by selling 5-10 knives a month. I work with high carbon steels right now, but would like to try my hand in some alloys.
 
I built a 110 heat treat oven and it works fine. I used a 1600w element and only heat treat stainless. It's not every big but I can do 7 knives at a time and an 8" full tang chefs is the biggest I can do. It takes about 10 mins to hit equalizing temps or 1400 and another 25 to hit aust. Of 1900-2000.
 
I wanted a 220 oven until I came up on a 1/2 price deal on a 110 oven. At least on mine, they make up for the lower power by decreasing the chamber size. Mine is 18" deep, but not as wide or tall as the 18" 220v oven. That said, I have had no issues at all with mine. It doesn't seem slow to heat up, best I can tell with little to compare it with. I'd guess 15- 20 minutes to get to 1500, and maybe 45 minutes total to get to 1900.
 
i just build a 220v oven that is 23" deep. I don't need that length right now, and may never but I figured i would build for the future. that said, now that I've built one I think I would have built it shallower but wider to work better for batching smaller knives (like smaller than a wakizashi). Then if I ever needed to do anything longer, I could send it out for heat treat. just my $.02
 
I have an evenheat kh 418 and it has done everything I have needed it to do so far on 110v.
 
I have another question along this line. I have been looking at a KF18 but do not have 240v yet either. Since I will eventually put 240v in the shop I want to plan for the future. Can this run off of a generator that has a 240v outlet as long as it makes the 3120 watts that the oven is rated for? Also, what about using some type of extension cord? The oven manual says no, but depending on the length of the oven cord I would only need to make one 5' to 7' long at most.

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I see no reason why a generator would not work for that. As for the extension cord. You need to calculate the draw and then figure out what length cord and also important, what gauge cord could be used. You are right in thinking a long cord of higher gauge ( most home use cords) would be a problem.
 
Thanks. I was thinking I would need to make a cord using regular 12 wire or better with a receptical on one end and the proper plug on the other. First I need to find out if the generator is putting out enough watts. I think it is but I'm a little squeamish about sticking a Harbor Freight multimeter in to find out!

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You can purchase heavy gauge wire by the foot at your local Home Depot/Lowes they have all the fittings you will need.

Stick the probes in first then light the fire on the generator if you are worried. So long as you have the meter on the correct setting you should be fine.
 
WaltE99 said:
Thanks. I was thinking I would need to make a cord using regular 12 wire or better with a receptical on one end and the proper plug on the other. First I need to find out if the generator is putting out enough watts. I think it is but I'm a little squeamish about sticking a Harbor Freight multimeter in to find out!

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Click to expand...

How exactly are you going to measure the maximum power output with a multimeter?
You should be able to look up the generator by part number to find maximum and continuous recommended power output for it. Alternatively, there should be some on board protection (breaker or fuse) that will give you an idea of the max power.

Extension cords are not a problem. Mine runs over 50' from the breaker box, through the wall in conduit and out to my shop. :) They put that in the manual in case someone is too lazy to make sure they have the proper cord and they burst into flames.
Make sure you have the proper wire gauge for the length and current requirements and make sure you terminate the wires in the connectors properly if you roll your own extension.
 
I am sure a generator would be fine for the heating elements. But assuming a PID & SSRs, possibility (but slim) its controller wont react well if the generator cant maintain a good waveform.
You will need to verify the generator output is adequate at 100% dutycycle.
What btw, you wont be able to determine Watts using a "cheap Harbor Freight meter"

As far as extension cords, easy and safe enough. Just use the appropriate 3 or 4 conductor cable & wiring devices.
Dont skimp on devices, there is a good reason some cost a several dollars and others a buck or two.
 
Lieblad said:
But assuming a PID & SSRs, possibility (but slim) its controller wont react well if the generator cant maintain a good waveform.
Click to expand...

Not an issue, the PID needs DC to run its internal components. 110-220VAC is converted as the first step to run the 12-24VDC components.
 
Thanks all! I was kind of referring to the HF multimeter with tongue planted somewhat firmly in cheek, especially since I hadn't even looked at mine to see if it even had settings that might work. I could just see 240v coming straight out of the bottom of that cheap a** meter. I don't think I have ever used it for anything but checking deep cycle batteries.

Since all markings have long since worn off of the generator how would I test the wattage output? It's not a name brand generator, so there's no way to find out anything from the manufacturer either.

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WaltE99 said:
I have another question along this line. I have been looking at a KF18 but do not have 240v yet either. Since I will eventually put 240v in the shop I want to plan for the future. Can this run off of a generator that has a 240v outlet as long as it makes the 3120 watts that the oven is rated for? Also, what about using some type of extension cord? The oven manual says no, but depending on the length of the oven cord I would only need to make one 5' to 7' long at most.

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Click to expand...

your furnace is going to draw about 13amps. a 12 gauge cord would be ok, i would use a 10 gauge just to be safe. somewhere on your generator you should have circuit breakers that will trip to protect the generator. see how big they are, if 15 amp or better, you should be ok.
 
Walt


I am so very pleased that you got the answer to the questions you needed an answer to. Thank you so much for highjacking my thread.

Anybody else want to chime in about the versatility of 110 kilns. Specifically the ability to normalize, anneal, harden and temper super ?

WaltE99 said:
I have another question along this line. I have been looking at a KF18 but do not have 240v yet either. Since I will eventually put 240v in the shop I want to plan for the future. Can this run off of a generator that has a 240v outlet as long as it makes the 3120 watts that the oven is rated for? Also, what about using some type of extension cord? The oven manual says no, but depending on the length of the oven cord I would only need to make one 5' to 7' long at most.

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Click to expand...
 
Two tips for several commenters above:

-Running 240V is neither hard nor expensive. I did it in my leased house. Just make it easy to remove when you leave, and you can take the wiring with you. It is no different than running 120V for a new outlet, you just use a different breaker and the wiring colors are different. And you have to use receptacles rated for 240V. Living the Dream, don't be afraid of running 240V yourself. However, as others have said, 120V should work just fine.

-MAKE YOUR OWN EXTENSION CORDS!!! Don't buy the trash that most stores sell. Someone said this above, but I'll reiterate. You can buy good cord at Home Depot/Lowes and the male/female receptacles, then you just put them together. I made a 50ft cord that can carry a legit 20+amps for about $60. Buying such a cord from HD/Lowes would be $130 or more, if they even have them in stock. Plus, the jacket on the cord they sell by the foot is super nice and durable. You can also make 240V cords, of course.

Living the Dream, how far is your shop from your breaker box? I could make you a video showing you how to wire 240V if you're really worried about 120V not working. I'm no electrician, but the fire department has only visited my house twice this year due to my electrical exploits. That's pretty good, right?
 
Last edited:
Alfazulu said:
Two tips for several commenters above:

-Running 240V is neither hard nor expensive. I did it in my leased house. Just make it easy to remove when you leave, and you can take the wiring with you. It is no different than running 120V for a new outlet, you just use a different breaker and the wiring colors are different. And you have to use receptacles rated for 240V. Living the Dream, don't be afraid of running 240V yourself. However, as others have said, 120V should work just fine.

-MAKE YOUR OWN EXTENSION CORDS!!! Don't buy the trash that most stores sell. Someone said this above, but I'll reiterate. You can buy good cord at Home Depot/Lowes and the male/female receptacles, then you just put them together. I made a 50ft cord that can carry a legit 20+amps for about $60. Buying such a cord from HD/Lowes would be $130 or more, if they even have them in stock. Plus, the jacket on the cord they sell by the foot is super nice and durable. You can also make 240V cords, of course.

Living the Dream, how far is your shop from your breaker box? I could make you a video showing you how to wire 240V if you're really worried about 120V not working. I'm no electrician, but the fire department has only visited my house twice this year due to my electrical exploits. That's pretty good, right?
Click to expand...

1 visit is too much. lol. I think Im going to get a 110 kiln. I don't need speed. My original question was due to not being familiar with heat treat of super steels. meaning are them some stainless/alloys that a 110 kiln would not heat fast enough to treat properly. I know that some steels require heat or reduction of heat to raise and lower at a specific rate.
 
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