Evenheat Artisan 688

R

Rickoo

Joined
Feb 23, 2017
Messages
68
I just picked up a used (looks new) Evenheat Artisan 688 for $400. Has a few scratches, but I don't think it was ever used. It's a bit small, but thought I would get my feet wet trying some heat treating and then maybe upgrade if needed.

So, I'm kinda curious, how accurate are these things? It has the Rampmaster control. Any way to check the accuracy? Should I be concerned?

If anyone has one of these, I would be interested in overall opinions on the oven.

Thanks.
 
The problem with those small pottery, jewelry, glass bead ovens is the chamber size. They are only 8X8X6". That will do a small blade ... about 8" OAL. If you try and squeeze a larger blade in corner to corner, it may get some overheating where the tip is close to the heat source. The imbedded elements are more even in radiation, so spot overheating isn't as bad as a open coil type.

Other than size, they are great ovens. A bit slow ( jewelry and pottery are done in segments of hours, knives in segments of minutes), but that's not really an issue for most knife work. The controller is very good, and the ovens are known to be accurate. You can check with a second TC and a readout ( a PID will work). Stick the TC down the top vent hole to be in the center of the chamber and take a reading after the oven has stabilized at 1500F for 20 minutes. See how it compares to the controller readout.
 
Thanks Stacy, I figured for $400, I'd give it a try. It it doesn't do what I want, I'll sell it to someone who only needs a small unit and upgrade to the KH414 or similar. (What I was ready to buy) It's interesting that this little Artisan retails for almost as much as an oven twice it's size in length.

What is a PID? I would like to find a cheap way of checking the accuracy of this. It would be nice to know it's heating like it should. I set it on 1400 degrees. Got there in 20-30 mins.
 
A PID is a Proportional-Integral-Device ( process controller) for regulating any process.
The ones we se most are for temperature control. The heart of your HT oven control is a PID. When connected to a TC ( and a power source) , a PID will read the temperature. A reliable one costs about $30 on ebay. Get a type K TC in 8 to 10 gauge. That will run another $20.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/High-Temper...861526?hash=item48973ad8d6:g:IsUAAOSw44BYb-cN
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-PID...797723?hash=item19d111f65b:g:c4UAAOSwrmdTq4NI

THe TC needs the right type wire to read correctly. Use type K wire. It is smart to use a set of TC plug/socket, too. Observe the polarity of the TC, plugs and wires, and the PID connection. Cut about a foot off the plug wire and use it to connect the socket to the PID.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Standard-Ty...587451?hash=item3add944efb:g:k3UAAOSwB-1Yp8qs

$60 plus a project cabinet and it will read any HT oven temp. Add an SSR and a heat sink and it will control a toaster oven, home built KILN, or other heating device. Many of the guys have made their forge PID controlled. The info on that and lots of PID info is in the Stickys.
 
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