Purchasing a HT Oven

V

Vincent Price

Joined
Feb 28, 2020
Messages
74
I am looking to purchase a Heat Treat oven in the range of $1300 to $1400. Looking at something in the range of the Paragon KM18 Express due to it being 120v and it also has a chamber size of
5.5"W x 4.25"H x 18"D
I have no intentions whatsoever of using this oven to heat anything other than blades, no jewelry work etc.

1. Does anyone have any experience with this particular model in particular or another brand in this range?

2. I am worried I will be missing out on not having the full functionality of the 12 key model? Does anyone have any input there?

3. Does anyone have any advice for a first time oven buyer?

Thanks in advance.
 
Vincent Price said:
Does anyone have any advice for a first time oven buyer?
Click to expand...
Think long and hard (and don't be conservative here) about what size blade and how many you might do at one time in the future, and make the purchase accordingly. Is the opening large enough for the blades and tongs? What about any fixtures to hold the blades upright? I'd say that with my tongs, I need about 2" width for each blade, so if you ever plan on doing 3 blades at a time, this might be a bit tight.
Also, if you plan on using it to temper your blades, I don't think it's big enough. If I have any warps in my knives out of the quench, I straighten them by clamping the blade between two pieces of 2" angle iron after the first tempering cycle. If I were looking at that model, my biggest concern would be how to fit the angle iron and c-clamps into the oven.
Finally, I've heard that running a HT oven off 120V is not very effective or efficient, so I'd start thinking about how to be able to use 220V. One way would be to get an industrial power strip/extension cord for 220V and use your clothes dryer outlet or kitchen oven outlet for the HT oven.
 
I have a Paragon Double Barrel KM 18T.

It is 240 volt with heating coils in side walls and ceiling, it takes a bit of time to get to higher temps and i would not want to wait for the much slower heating of a 110v unit.
This unit has a solid state relay, not all Paragons do. For a couple hundred dollars more it is probaly a much better option.

I am not overly impressed with the 12 key controller. Seems like a dump computer to me. It is easy to set but most of the features go unused.
 
I’d look at the JenKen fiber knife kiln. It doesn’t use fire brick so even though it’s 120v it will reach full heat faster than most 220v ovens. And at 11”x9”x12” is more practical for many knife makers.
 
A couple of comments on type of oven. I have an older model 18" deep EvenHeat oven. It's worked just fine for several years for hobby use. I've heard the Paragon is a tad higher quality than EvenHeat, but it costs a bit more also. A couple of things to look for and think about.

Perhaps the most important is an oven without the heating coils across the back of oven. This puts "hot spot" where the tip of blade is usually located. I find it's easier to put the blade in by holding the tang with tongs rather than the tip, and a bit concerned the area at the door might not be as up to temp as middle of oven. EvenHeat now has a model without heating coils across the back, and I think Paragon has also..

Something to think about on the controller. Just how many different HT recipes do you think you'll be using, and how hard is it to put a custom recipe in. I use the low end controller with 4 choices, and find it's about as easy to program in a new recipe as it is for me to remember which number is the recipe I want.

If there is any way you can use 220vac oven, get that rather than 120vac. You'll really like 220vac in the shop, for grinder and other uses.

Have fun deciding what you want - lots of good advice (and opinions) on the site to help.
 
I have a great kiln but if I was to do it all over again I would look long and hard at the Paragon 3 zone version.
 
weo said:
Think long and hard (and don't be conservative here) about what size blade and how many you might do at one time in the future, and make the purchase accordingly. Is the opening large enough for the blades and tongs? What about any fixtures to hold the blades upright? I'd say that with my tongs, I need about 2" width for each blade, so if you ever plan on doing 3 blades at a time, this might be a bit tight.
Also, if you plan on using it to temper your blades, I don't think it's big enough. If I have any warps in my knives out of the quench, I straighten them by clamping the blade between two pieces of 2" angle iron after the first tempering cycle. If I were looking at that model, my biggest concern would be how to fit the angle iron and c-clamps into the oven.
Finally, I've heard that running a HT oven off 120V is not very effective or efficient, so I'd start thinking about how to be able to use 220V. One way would be to get an industrial power strip/extension cord for 220V and use your clothes dryer outlet or kitchen oven outlet for the HT oven.
Click to expand...
I really hadn't thought about the clamp issue. I've done that quite a few times with angle iron especially with finicky steel. Thanks for the advice. It's not time to be cheap when I'm going to spend that money anyway.
 
weo said:
Think long and hard (and don't be conservative here) about what size blade and how many you might do at one time in the future, and make the purchase accordingly. Is the opening large enough for the blades and tongs? What about any fixtures to hold the blades upright? I'd say that with my tongs, I need about 2" width for each blade, so if you ever plan on doing 3 blades at a time, this might be a bit tight.
Also, if you plan on using it to temper your blades, I don't think it's big enough. If I have any warps in my knives out of the quench, I straighten them by clamping the blade between two pieces of 2" angle iron after the first tempering cycle. If I were looking at that model, my biggest concern would be how to fit the angle iron and c-clamps into the oven.
Finally, I've heard that running a HT oven off 120V is not very effective or efficient, so I'd start thinking about how to be able to use 220V. One way would be to get an industrial power strip/extension cord for 220V and use your clothes dryer outlet or kitchen oven outlet for the HT oven.
Click to expand...
Well you need to get some slim tong my friend ...you probably use one which you use for forging ??
About using oven for tempering........I have some note about that .Bigger chamber mean more inconsistency in temperature inside which i don t think is good .Every book I read about HT advice to temper steel immediately after quench ,actually before steel get to room temperature .How you would do that in HT oven? Other thing is how precise will hold HT oven that low temperature in range of 400-500F ? Inserting inside that kind of oven with open HT element two pieces of 2" angle iron with how many c-clamps ? Is not not a very wise solution if you ask me .....
 
Around the temps I want to temper, 350-400 Fahrenheit, my HT oven is not very exact.
The household oven is what I use, it is spot on.
 
I would recommend a 24" deep oven unless you will forever make only small knives. I consider an 18" oven good for blades up to 12" -14". Yes, you can do longer blades, but in practicality, having room at both ends is wise.
 
Scaniaman said:
Around the temps I want to temper, 350-400 Fahrenheit, my HT oven is not very exact.
The household oven is what I use, it is spot on.
Click to expand...
My furnace has smaller variation at tempering temperatures than my oven, but the calibration is off at low temperatures and needs to be adjusted for. That can be done with an oven thermometer.
 
Larrin said:
My furnace has smaller variation at tempering temperatures than my oven, but the calibration is off at low temperatures and needs to be adjusted for. That can be done with an oven thermometer.
Click to expand...
For precise temperature at low temperatures in HT oven you need other type of thermocouple like type T.
 
Larrin said:
My furnace has smaller variation at tempering temperatures than my oven, but the calibration is off at low temperatures and needs to be adjusted for. That can be done with an oven thermometer.
Click to expand...

I still couldn't fit my angle bar/ c-clamp set-up in my HT kiln.
But there is no reason to try, my household oven is very exact. If I for example set it at 150 degrees Celsius, it stabilizes and stays at 151. Pretty good.
 
For low temp ovens, type J works fine. Obviously RTD (platinum) or type T will work as well. It is very important to use the matching wire.
 
Daniel Carraher said:
I’d look at the JenKen fiber knife kiln. It doesn’t use fire brick so even though it’s 120v it will reach full heat faster than most 220v ovens. And at 11”x9”x12” is more practical for many knife makers.
Click to expand...
HT oven with light-weight refractory fiber material is somehow forbidden on BF ,most guys here are old-fashioned and in love with Evenheat :D Brick ...brick ..... :)
 
I use the Paragon double barrel 24. It is a great oven very precise gives enough room for 5 blad3es side x side. I use a long reach vise grip plyer to place and remove blades one at a time. Works great.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top