Quick kiln question plz

Pelagicfun

Pelagicfun

Joined
Oct 16, 2017
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I can drive about an hour away today and get an older top load evenheat k for $50 in working order. I am new but have made enough blades to know I want to go electric from my block propane setup. Question is will this serve me at all? Element switches instead of a dial seems iffy. Very excited to go grab it if it will serve me better than my current rig. Thanks guys
 
For $50 and an hour drive, personally I would, but I also drive 1.5 hours each way to work 5 days a week, so an hour drive to me is like some saying it's right up the street.
 
So about temp control? Will this work? Or a simple modification? I am new here. With 5 switchs and a thermocouple Is there a way to adjust it up or down a bit to get where I want to be?
 
I can't tell you anything about it. Might be able to look something up if there were a model number or something.
 
There is no temperature control on this, but it can be done with a small modification. From what I can see, it's pretty large. So it might take a long time to come up to temp.
I would get some more details about model number, how many watts does it consume, do you have the lines to run this in your shop, and so on.

-Tehemton
 
It's an Evenheat Kiln so you can contact them and ask about a controller upgrade. I'm sure they can answer all your questions and for the price it's a bargain.
 
To convert a pottery kiln to a HT oven you have to add a controller. It can be as simple as a PID, SSRs, and big heat sink or go to a controller from Paragon, Omega, or Evenheat that has steps and programming. You merely set the existing control to the max setting or highest cone and plug the kiln into a socket controlled by the PID/controller.

If the kiln is deep enough, you can cut a hole in the top and make an insulated lid to cover the hole. Hang the blades in the kiln on 1/8" stainless hooks.
 
Screenshot_20171118-093030.png I told them I would come get it for the price. Now to go find a deal on a controler. After about a year of practice I'm retiring the old propane and hot plate with canola. Moving on up! Got a pretty bucket in the mail yesterday! yay! Thanks alot guys!
 
I was informed by it's owner that it has some sort of ceramic plugs that are marked for fine tuning temp. Owner will give me a lesson on it when I get there. Feeling better about it now. See what you guys have done. I got the bug.
 
Pelagicfun said:
I was informed by it's owner that it has some sort of ceramic plugs that are marked for fine tuning temp. Owner will give me a lesson on it when I get there. Feeling better about it now. See what you guys have done. I got the bug.
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Evenheat manufactures some nice quality Knife Makers Kilns with easy to program controllers and they might have a quick solution.
 
Thank you I did. I can get a plug and play controller for it that is very reasonable. Works as Stacey said by turning existing controls up. This will be great for my simple steels. Now to make a hanger of sorts.
 
Pelagicfun said:
Thank you I did. I can get a plug and play controller for it that is very reasonable. Works as Stacey said by turning existing controls up. This will be great for my simple steels. Now to make a hanger of sorts.
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Cool...........I couldn't help notice your Forum Name.....You must be an avid "Bill Fish" guy?? Me Too
 
As I said, a hole in the top will allow access during HT without needing to open the whole thing up at high temp ( you won't want to do that twice without a foundry suit).
Make long blade hooks for hanging the blades. Take 36" of 1/8" stainless wire I have been told that Inconel TIG rod from the welders supply is perfect). Bend a 1" hook on one end and then bend a right angle at the point where it will allow the hook to be about 1"-2" below the top inside the kiln. The other end should be bent into a "U" handle. This will allow the wire to set on the top with the blade in the hole while the handle end sticks out past the kiln top. You can place the blade in and out without having to reach over the hole in the top.

Hooking up the controller can be done by directly wiring the old power cord to the new controller, but it is just as simple to get a socket that matches the existing cord and connect the controller to that socket. Make a new power cord that supplies power to the controller.
 
Those ”ceramic plugs” are thermometric cones. Designed to soften & sag at a given temperature and after a time duration.
There are a few dozen different temperature ratings.
Dont get any bright ideas... soak times for ceramic is waaaayyy longer than anything we do to HT metals.
Cones are stood upright inside kiln where they can be observed, when a cone sags or bends over, the kiln reached that temperature & time. Also a cone can be placed into a ”minder” whats special holder, it automatically switches off the kiln as the cone sags.

Nowdays, of course its electronic controllers...
But maybe use a high temp cone as a fusible safety link of sorts if the electronics were to fail.
 
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Thanks much. I got it last night along with a good lesson on using the tender and bypassing it. She had a box with all those triangle pieces for the tender labeled and they are color coded. Happy with the purchase. It's a little overkill with a 24"x18" chamber but my wife and kids will be able to use it for things as well. Where is the best place to install a thermocouple in this thing? I have a couple that are 10". Maybe through the lid as well hanging vertically along side the blade?
 
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