Kiln thermometer question

[Craig Daniel]

I have an older Paragon KM14 kiln, It has the manual temp settings. I was wandering if anybody uses an extra measure of checking the accuracy of the manual temp setting? I was thinking of getting a high temp thermometer to double check the Pyrometer, Do you guys have any suggestions on this matter?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

You can get a PID off eBay, and an 8 gauge type K TC. That will measure the temperature of the kiln fairly accurately. For about an extra $40 you can add an SSR and a socket that matched the kiln plug and make the kiln PID controlled. You just plug the kiln into the socket, set it to HI, and let the PID turn it off and on as needed to get the desired temp. Whole setup is usually less than $100. The setup should be built into an enclosure ( small tool box works great), and any device can be plugged into it to be controlled - toaster over for tempering, oil tank for quenching, low temp salt pot, etc.