Jewelry Kiln

This kiln is working, but has no active users, so we are in the process of learning its idiosyncrasies and making a proper doc.

Tool anatomy

1. Controller 2. Breaker switches 3. Alarm lights 4. Temperature probe 5. Latches 6. Viewing port

T value = time until next step

Step	Set Temp (˚F)	T value	Check time	Check temp	Notes
1	80	15	10:33	75
2	300	15	10:48	295	213˚/15min = ~14˚/min
3	0	-121	11:03	265	it definitely works

Asked the kiln to try to ramp to 2k˚ in 15 minutes. The alarm relays are firing, but no alarm light or buzzer sounds, so we need to get one (or two).

Step	Temp (˚F)	T value	Check time	Check temp	Notes
1	80	15	step skipped
2	300	15	11:40	300	AL2 light on, no buzzer
3	2000	180	12:00	550	proceeding to “can we get to 2k” test
			12:03	600
			12:07	661
			12:15	766
			12:21	839
			12:27	896
			12:34	958
			12:54	1099	AL1 light on, no buzzer
			1:25	1250
			1:35	1284
			1:47	1331
			2:09	1386
			2:11	1400
			2:32	1454
			2:51	1492
			3:45	~1570	hovering around here, jumping rapidly up and down. the area around the kiln is warm. this is about the functional limit of this configuration.
4	80	-121

There's a forge which has been lined but needs to be heat-cured.

Step	Temp (˚F)	T value	Notes
1	100	60	ramping up 100˚/hr
2	200	60
3	300	60
4	400	60
5	500	60
6	600	60
7	700	60
8	800	60
9	900	60
10	1000	60
11	1100	60
12	1200	30	holding for 1/2 hour for 1/2“ of material
13	80	-121	stop

The official kast-o-lite packet says to ramp down 100˚ per hour, but people online seem to skip this step.

it's possible to store several simple programs; there are 30 steps total
it's possible to set a schedule which is impossible for the machine to achieve
telling people in plain english how to set alarms for each type of project is important
the alarms don't stop anything and are not a safety feature so much as an alert
it's possible to observe and change the schedule while it's in progress