From: muratlanne@gmail.com   
      
   "David Billington"  wrote in message news:10nf3et$24dkv$1@dont-email.me...   
      
   I've got a small Gallenkamp Hotspot kiln bought for enamelling but good   
   for heat treat as it'll go to about 1050C, and a 18" top loader ceramic   
   kiln which gets used for larger pieces such as normalising CRS when   
   required. Both are controlled with PID controllers with thermocouples   
   which are added on and the kilns plug into them and the power controller   
   set to 100%. One is just ramp/soak the other can take more complex   
   heat/soak/cool if required.   
      
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   That's a better approach with more control.   
      
   My enameling kiln draws 2 KW and in an hour would double my average daily   
   electricity use. I try to avoid consuming that much unless there's no   
   alternative (lathe, mill) and use my stock of free firewood instead, trying   
   to develop skill in the old methods on uncritical hobby jobs.   
      
   I bought this model of tube furnace minus the controller for about 1% of   
   this price. It draws around 500W warming up and heats the small volume   
   quickly, then its thick insulation holds at low duty cycle.   
   https://cbisurplus.com/product/lindberg-54233-59545-type-54233-1   
   00aoc-heavy-duty-tube-furnace-w-59545-control-console/   
      
   The 50mm tube is meant to be Pyrex, I have car exhaust pipe and stainless   
   flange-end sanitary (brewing) tubing for it, if necessary the tube could be   
   evacuated or filled with inert gas. The size was good for tempering a long   
   narrow froe blade of 5160 at 175C, twice for an hour each. I intended it for   
   custom long drills and reamers.   
      
   Its thermocouples are Type P (Platinel), a near but not exact match to type   
   K. My on/off controller doesn't have a P setting so I read temperature with   
   a Type K alarm indicator that does. This gear is all from auctions or flea   
   markets and often needed some repair or fiddling to work right. Reseating   
   the socketed ICs fixed the 'broken' 5 channel Type K readout that monitors   
   my wood stove from the kitchen.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)