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Thread: Would this kiln work for knife and plane blade making?

  1. #1
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    Would this kiln work for knife and plane blade making?

    This is a jewelry kiln I found on Craigslist that goes to 2000 deg F, but looks to be controllable. The mfg literature says it is for glass, jewelry, and metal clay. Heat is heat, but is there a reason this may not be effective for heat treating steel? It has operator programmable sequences that I figure you could program for heat treating. I am not well versed in the matter.

    https://virgin.craigslist.org/art/6072155755.html

    Also- at 2000 degrees could I melt gunmetal bronze in this? I need to cast some gudgeons and pintles for a boat. Mainly I want a kiln for heat treating, but that would be a nice plus.

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    That looks way nicer than the little dental kiln Ive used before to heat treat steel to make scrapers. Seems like it should work well.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    This is a jewelry kiln I found on Craigslist that goes to 2000 deg F, but looks to be controllable. The mfg literature says it is for glass, jewelry, and metal clay. Heat is heat, but is there a reason this may not be effective for heat treating steel? It has operator programmable sequences that I figure you could program for heat treating. I am not well versed in the matter.

    Also- at 2000 degrees could I melt gunmetal bronze in this? I need to cast some gudgeons and pintles for a boat. Mainly I want a kiln for heat treating, but that would be a nice plus.
    I don't see where it states the inside dimensions. Since that's a window on the front instead of a hole to insert tools you'd have to be sure what you wanted to treat would fit completely inside, as well as a crucible for your bronze.

    Also, I don't see where it states electrical rating for the kiln which might give you an idea of the amount of heat it is capable of. You might need to find the rating and calculate whether it can provide enough energy to melt the weight of bronze you need. The specific heat of bronze is about 0.1 btu/lb per deg F (about .44 KJoules/KG per deg C). A kiln made for small jewelry pieces might not have enough power to melt your bronze in a reasonable amount of time. I'm too rusty to do the calculation easily but I suspect some one here could if you find the specs. Same thing for the heat treating.

    This page uses bronze as and example for the calculation: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sp...oys-d_153.html

    It sure does include a lot of great things for jewelry making! Centrifugal casting, metal plating and all. I looked for years for a casting centrifuge before I found one at an estate sale. If it was in my neighborhood I'd be tempted to buy the whole lot for lost wax jewelry-making.

    JKJ

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    Quote Originally Posted by John K Jordan View Post
    I don't see where it states the inside dimensions. Since that's a window on the front instead of a hole to insert tools you'd have to be sure what you wanted to treat would fit completely inside, as well as a crucible for your bronze.

    Also, I don't see where it states electrical rating for the kiln which might give you an idea of the amount of heat it is capable of. You might need to find the rating and calculate whether it can provide enough energy to melt the weight of bronze you need. The specific heat of bronze is about 0.1 btu/lb per deg F (about .44 KJoules/KG per deg C). A kiln made for small jewelry pieces might not have enough power to melt your bronze in a reasonable amount of time. I'm too rusty to do the calculation easily but I suspect some one here could if you find the specs. Same thing for the heat treating.

    This page uses bronze as and example for the calculation: http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/sp...oys-d_153.html

    It sure does include a lot of great things for jewelry making! Centrifugal casting, metal plating and all. I looked for years for a casting centrifuge before I found one at an estate sale. If it was in my neighborhood I'd be tempted to buy the whole lot for lost wax jewelry-making.

    JKJ

    The Whole lot I s tempting, but it would cost me a very important piece of jewelry- my wedding ring! My wife might go for the kiln, but not the whole lot.

    He he listed it as 13"x13"x16", but it turns out that is outer dimensions. Inner dimensions are only 8"x8"x6". That would work for small knives, but just barely. It would be fine for plane irons, which is what I am most interested in. The mfg says 2000 deg F is the max temperature. It's too small for a decent sized crucible. I was thinking at the time 13x13x16 was the ID.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Malcolm Schweizer View Post
    The Whole lot I s tempting, but it would cost me a very important piece of jewelry- my wedding ring!...The mfg says 2000 deg F is the max temperature....
    Assemble a slide show of some wonderful jewelry photos (interspersed with some quick shots of equipment) to show your very practical wife things that inspire you to want to make amazing and creative jewelry - for her!

    The max temperature is only one number that is important. The power it uses and the rate it generates heat is important for practical heating and melting of other than very small and thin things. For example, my friend the potter has an electric kiln that is fine for small things. For his big pieces he needs the heat from a 2" gas line!

    JKJ

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    If you go to the Evenheat website, you can look at the specs for that model and compare them to the model that they have specifically for heat treating. Their heat treat model is deeper (13 inches), goes to 2200F and has slightly more wattage.

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    I have used a jewelry kiln to heat treat steel. Most are too small for anything larger than plane irons. They heat slowly although if you have a good controller, you can step the programs without constant monitoring. I have a small one I rebuilt and access to a much larger one for multiple flasks for lost wax bronze, silver, and gold casting.

    They are inadequate for bronze casting for melting your metal. You'll need a casting furnace or something better configured for melting metal in a reasonable time. I bought one online with multiple crucibles. They are limited 300 grams or so (practical limit on broken arm centrifugal casting before risking bad burns and hospital visits). Speed in melting helps prevent oxides etc...

    PM me if you want more info.
    Shawn

    "no trees were harmed in the creation of this message, however some electrons were temporarily inconvenienced."

    "I resent having to use my brain to do your thinking"

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