Evenheat: how important is the Bill Burke mod?

G

gammarad

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Jun 15, 2015
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I just received my new oven from Evenheat, but due to some mixup on their part, the didn't put in the Bill Burke mod. I ordered through usaknifemaker, and their customer support is great: they offer to partially reimburse me for the problem, or to build a new oven for me, and take the old one back.

Anyway, the question is how important do you guys think the mod is. Sure the surface of the over get's blistering hot while in use, but that's just an inconvenience. I do have the 120v version, so I'm thinking extra insulation may be a good thing given the limited heating capacity I have. But then, it may not be worth the wait time...
 
I have the Evenheat KO 22 and with it ramped up to over 2000*F I can hold my hand 1 or 2 inches from the top without any ill effects. I don't think I have the Bill Burke Mod. Here is a pic of the inside when she was new...just in case I have the mod and just don't know it.
9846338633_de9b7914f4_b.jpg
 
It is a problem that the HT oven folks don't advise purchasers how hot these devices get. The outside temp seems to vary a lot, but at stainless HT temps, I have never been around a Paragon/Evenheat type HT oven that wasn't far too hot to touch without a burn.

Something you can do as a home brew (although not nearly as pretty) version of the Bill Burke mod is:
Get a 4-5' length of Ins-wool and wrap it around the kiln. Use some stainless steel duct joint tape (not duct tape) or bailing wire to hold it in place. If you want it prettier, wrap it with heavy duty aluminum foil. That will add a very good secondary insulation layer.

Another thing people have done is get a water heater jacket and use it to do the same thing. The more layers of insulation, the less likely you will be to get burned.



I have some mods I have planned on doing to my HT oven to deal with some of the issues regularly discussed. Maybe I'll get on them in a few weeks and make a WIP about them.
 
Stacy I am in full agreement. In fact I think they should just incorporate the BB mod into all of the knifemaker kilns. For $20 or $30 on a $1000+ kiln its a no brainer to me.

I don't know what size kiln you bought but if its not overly difficult I would ship it and get the one with the mod. Mine has the insulation so I can't say what its like without it. But based on what others say it does a fairly good job because I can touch mine at temp and not blister my hand. The other area of concern for me as a tech guy who works around this stuff is that micro chips do not like heat. And in a hot shop, next to a hot kiln I was worried about frying my rampmaster controller.

Good luck

-Clint
 
Thanks for the perspective, guys. I'll be asking for a new one with the mod. It's a small price to pay, even if it only adds a little safety... sooner or later someone will touch it while running... and it's probably going to be me.

@flatblackcapo Maybe you don't have the mod. Even when the surface is well above 212F, it doesn't radiate much heat. I suppose the polished, flat surface is an advantage.

@Clint the new controller has it's own internal temperature measurement. While firing at 1600F it never got above 90. But yes, the cooler the better.
 
One mod I am doing is removing the controller from the oven and mounting it below the cart top. That will keep al electronics way from the heat. The wiring will be down a conduit.
 
I was very fortunate when I built my homemade heat treat oven using a burn out rectangular pottery kiln for the soft bricks. It was made with some firm 2 1/2" red insulation panels on the outside of the soft bricks for xtra insulation. So I built my oven using the soft bricks reversed and used the added 2 1/2' thick insulation on the outside on all five sides with exception of the door. It is documented to come up to 1875 degree temp in 35 minutes with 240v 20amp single phase with PID controls. It's cool to touch on all the outside walls and top except the door which doesn't have the additional insulation. The door gets HOT! Really hot! So based on my limited experience I'd say adding insulation on the outside certainly helps!
 
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To close the story, and to give credit where credit is due:

I decided I would go for the new oven. I called USAknifemaker and they chatted with Evenheat. They took care of all, in a timely manner with an impeccable proactive communication on their side. I'll be a returning customer, for sure.

Thanks to all that shared their experiences, and Stacy, I'm waiting to see your mods.

Regards,
Alejandro.
 
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