wanna buy a kiln

[leapingbare]

 I am looking to buy a Kiln for cooking rocks, and man oh man i had no idea how many kilns are out there , pottery kilns , steal kilns , glass kilns.. what type of kiln do i need? how hot dose my kiln need to be to cook rock.

[Pat B]

fire pit!!!    Way cheaper!    Pat

[leapingbare]

Pat i wanna heattreat allot of rock, there is buffalo river and dover chert here local and it all need heattreating and i would like to gather it and heat treat it. Lots of it 

[cowboy]

Jesse, I have two of em sitting in my shop - wanna drive to TX? .. I never did get around to wiring them up, their pottery kilns but there is supposed to be a way to install a rheostat on them so you can ramp the heat up and down slowly - I'm still cooking in the ground.

[leapingbare]

No thanks Paul, i think the money I'd spend in gas would make it not so worth it.

[cowboy]

Ain't that the truth . Well if all was to work out, I could haul one up for the next classic and you could have it..

[mullet]

 Jesse, pottery kilns work great. You just put a timer on the thermostat so the temperature ramps up the way you want it too. I se them in the paper on ocassion anywhere from $50 to 150.

[Otoe Bow]

Eddie's right.  I was tracking a couple on Craig's List for $100 but they got away from me.  I'm still planning on trying the Roaster Oven method and the fire pit too. This spring it was way to windy for fire.  Now that summer is here, the wind has left.   

Mike

[mullet]

  I just use a little toaster oven. But I don't cook a lot at one time.

[knapper42]

It depends on how much heat is required for the type of rock you want to cook.  If your rock only requires 500 to 550 then get a turkey roaster and don't bother with a kiln.
If you need a kiln then you will have to convert it using infinite switches to replace the switches that comes with the unit.  The coils need to equal about 15 or 16 omhs to heat at the proper rates.
Most guys convert their kiln from the usual 220 volts to 110 volts and replace the switches with Robershaw infinite switches. You can find those at appliance repair shops.
There use to be instructions on KRU but if you have a little electrical knowledge it is a fairly simple task.
Jack

[leapingbare]

but if you have a little electrical knowledge it is a fairly simple task.

Yea.. can you say Electrocuted!!!!, i cant change a light fixture with out getting juiced, i hate doing anything electrical.

[Otoe Bow]

I'm a big coward when it comes to electricity.  I usually turn off the power at the pole when changing a light bulb.     Not really, but I make sure it's all off before removing a plate of doing anything else.  If it involves much more than simply replacing a component, I call an electrician. 

Stay safe. 

Mike