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Heat Treating and Metallurgy Discussion of heat treatment and metallurgy in knife making.

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Old 03-07-2013, 06:41 PM
migolito migolito is offline
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DIY electric kiln build

I'm just about to start the actual build on my first electric kiln. The interior measurements will be 14"x4"x4.5" and it will be 120v. Here's my plan so far, please feel free to jump in;

1. I have both fire bricks and Fire board. The oven itself will be made with firebrick surrounded by fire board. Basically making the insulation 2.5" of brick and 1" of board total of 3.5". The bricks will have DAP 2000d fire mortar.
2. The box will be a 14guage steel bottom with 20guage steel sides.
3. I have a Auber PID, Thermocouple and SSR (20a).
4. I just ordered some 12g thermal wire.
5. I have a spool of 18g Kanthal.

My basic construction will be rivets and some sheet metal screws.

For those who have DIY before, I have some questions.

1. Please check my math for the coil. 120v 20amp circuit, my wire is 18g .536 ohms= means I need about a 28' long wire. Is that correct?
2. My plan on the coil ends is to attach them to two SS .25 bolts on the inside, run the bolts out the back(through the brick/fire board) and attach thermal 12g wire there. I'm going to use some cut porcelain tile to reinforce both sides. Does that sound ok?
3. I'm looking for some high temp Tadpole seal for the door. I can't find any...Anyone have any ideas for a door seal?
4. Can I insert the end of the thermocouple into the interior via a small hole, or does the entire thing need to be inside?

As this train wreck starts I'll shoot some photos and post.

Last edited by migolito; 03-07-2013 at 06:43 PM.
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Old 03-07-2013, 07:53 PM
metal99 metal99 is offline
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Pretty cool project! What do you figure the cost would be to build it?


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Old 03-08-2013, 08:16 AM
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R. Yates R. Yates is offline
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do a bit more research on Clay / pottery kilns and look at the insides to see how they are built it will help you build yours and be safe to use . NOTE the insides are soft fire brick yet High temp .

Sam


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Old 03-08-2013, 02:26 PM
migolito migolito is offline
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I'll have about $300- into it by the time I'm done.

Yup, I have the soft Fire Bricks rated to I believe 2700 degs. I just ordered a door seal (Tadpole type) from McMaster-Carr. Dang are they expensive! But, I couldn't find any for cheaper for the limited amount I needed.

I'm still trying to check my length on the coil...anyone?
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Old 03-21-2013, 09:51 PM
KenH KenH is offline
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Hello, I just found this thread - re your question about current in the resistance wire. I've never worked with your wire. I've used Nichrome wire in a DC circuit for heating.

I'm not sure what your .536 ohms refers to- per foot? Per 28 ft. One VERY important thing to remember, due to the AC power source, the resulting current is not totally proportional to the resistance of wire as it is in a DC circuit. "IF" your wire is wound in a coil, there is a bit of inductance that will affect the current also - it will tend to increase the resistance, thus dropping the current drawn.

This can all be calculated before building, but the exact dimensions and installation method must be known.

I hope you keep us posted on your results - I just might build something like that also. Where did you get your heating element?

Ken H>
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Old 03-21-2013, 10:29 PM
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Fulmaduro Fulmaduro is offline
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I don't know ohms from Tadpoles, but am very interested in this build. If you did take the time to have very detailed pics of your build and maybe some layman terms for the electrically handicapped people like myself, I believe it would be an awesome tutorial for many people here. Good luck and hope to see some great stuff.

Tony Z


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Old 04-09-2013, 04:55 PM
migolito migolito is offline
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Ok, so, one of many problems I have is once I get going I don't stop to take photos. The Kiln esta completo! It turned out perfect. It heats up fairly quick (its a 110v) 1500 deg in about 10 minutes. I triple insulated using heat board(http://www.mcgillswarehouse.com/fibe...-paper-blanket) so I literally can hold my hand on the outside when the temp is 1800 deg and not feel any heat. Total $$ into the kiln is about $350-. The Auber PID holds the temp dead on (major attaboys to the top rate Customer Service to Auber for answering my many programming questions). If I ever need another Kiln I have no doubt I'd build another. BTW, I can easily convert this Kiln to 220v and add a coil. I'll post pics when I figure out how.
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