A ceramic kiln would work fine for this application and would not crack and fall apart as Tony suggested. I'm a potter who has a lot of experience with raku firing and in turning old electric kilns into raku kilns. For those that don't know, raku is a special Japanese technique of removing hot pots from the kiln.
I don't know what temperature you're supposed to heat the various steels to, but I'm assuming it's probably a little different for each one. Using a pyrometric cone would certainly help hit the correct temp. For this type of firing you could just hang half of it over the edge of a brick within sight through the peephole and then wait for it to droop.
If you're doing a small blade or blades, try placing them high in the kiln on top of some bricks or on the highest shelf. Shouldn't be that hard to grab with a decent pair of tongs and some heavy welders gloves.
You might consider detaching the lid so that you can remove it completely and set it aside when it's time to pull the blade out. I usually add an extra handle on the opposite side. I found this to be really helpful in that there's no fumbling for a prop. If your kiln is a front loader then you're golden.
It's relatively easy to cut a hole in the side of the kiln and convert it from electric to propane. I can give more details if anyone's interested.
A note to Peter Nap: Watch out for ceramic fiber, dude. That stuff is really bad to breathe and like asbestos, does not come out of the lungs. I would wear a mask around that thing and try not to disturb it. Fiber gets really friable after it's been fired.
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Peter Atwood
email:fountainman@hotmail.com
