Converting a top load kiln for heat treating?

L

LCoop

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May 5, 2007
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First I'd like to say I'm a real newbie at knife making and have only been making knifes for about a year now out of simple high carbon steels using a one brick forge for annealing and heat treating! I've made about 30 knives. I check in here daily to read all the wisdom from your pros and want to say thanks for sharing your knowledge!

I recently have been wanting to go to stainless steel, have visited one maker who uses 440C. Would this be a good choice for a beginner? I believe he took it too 1950 degrees wrapped in foil, held for twenty minutes and then took it out of foil and clamped it between two aluminum plates for quick cooling and hardening! Sound right?

Lastly I recently ran onto a old small ceramic kiln that is top loading for FREE!I'd been ready to bite the bullet and order a knife kiln but in all honesty it's hard to justify for a hobby maker! So when this kiln came along I snagged it and am ready to convert it to digital controls! Problem is my wife and daughters would also like the oppurunity to fire some clay bowls and stuff in it. This kiln is so old it doesn't even have a hinged top lid. I read some where where a guy cut a whole in the top and hung his blades from wire through a small whole and then slide a fire brick back over the whole! I'd think this would work fine TILL your using foil wrapped stainless! Has anyone ever tackled this problem before or have any ideas of how to accomplish my goals.
 
I did exactly that with the hole in the top. you can get the controls from http://auberins.com/

Universal 1/32 DIN PID Temperature Controller $34.95

40 A SSR $19.00

High Temperature Thermocouple for Kiln $27.00

Then a small electrical box to mount it all in. The pid has a instruction sheet and the last example on the sheet is exactly how to wire the components.
 
Thanks I already had that link book marked! At first I was gona build a knife kiln myself but then I'm getting lazy in my old age and was just saving the money to buy a ready built. Then this kiln came along. If you wouldn't mind asking what exact parts did you buy(seems to be several that look alot alike) and if you did it again would you have bought different compentents? Are you heat treating Stainless wrapped in foil? If so how are you hanging it from wire and I'm assuming you'd have to use stainless wire right?
 
these parts is what I used

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=14

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=30

http://auberins.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=39

You could get a pid with ramp and all that but, unless you are into production you can easily control it yourself. A smaller ssr may work depending on your kiln but the step up from a 25 to a 40 amp is olny $4 and gives you a bigger future use. The thermocouple is great cause you get everything you need including a mount/insulator.

My kiln was slow because of the camber size compared to the wattage. I did stainless in it once and it took a couple hours to hit over 1900 and that was with an extra layer of fiberglass insulation wrapped around it. I eventually tore it apart and used the bricks and some kaowool to make a real oven with a smaller chamber. I went about 5x5x20" and I can hit 1500 in about 13 minutes and 2000 in about 20. It uses about the same amount of wattage, just less room and more insulation. Jim
 
PS the wire doesn't have to be stainless. It helps because it is more red hard, but regular wire will hold the blade and all it if for is to hold it and then pull out the blade and dunk it in quench.
 
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