Hey everybody, ive been busy the past two weeks! I had a great time at Playlist Live, and finished some much needed organization in my garage. I finally got around to building a large kiln to help me make investment molds for aluminum casting. Now I can finally get this laser gun built! Keep reading, more below!
Shoutout to Keystone Science!
I couldn’t find any info on any projects like this, so I thought I would have a try myself. I thought an oven would be the perfect platform, it already has a door, space for insulation, and comes with heating elements!
Im not giving the oven any more power that it would normally use in Self Cleaning Mode. Im just increasing the efficiency by adding high quality insulating materials and eliminating ways for heat to escape.
The oven was almost exactly $270 to build, which is about $200 cheaper than a used kiln on craigslist. and 1/10 the cost of a new kiln. I could only get it to 820c – 1500f, Real kilns can get to 2300f. I think my kiln could get that hot if I wound my own heating elements with nichrome wire and added another layer of insulation.
Oven – 40
Morter – 25
Ceramic Blanket – 120
Firebrick – 40
Temp control – 30
Everything else – 20
5.6 kw = about 30-50c an hour to run. I pay 5-9c per kWh.
Simplified wiring diagram:
Materials:
Insulating firebrick – GREENTHERM 26 LI
High Temperature mortar – GREENPATCH-421
Cheaper mortar –
Bio-Soluble Ceramic Blanket –
Like the lights above my welding table? make your own:
Color temp changing lightbulb –
Ceramic insulators –
Bulb housing
