Help, anyone know about kilns

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Kalai

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Hi everyone, I need some help, my wife and my disabled friend make lampwork beads out of glass, they have a kiln and they bought a analog meter to see what the temp is, the meter goes to 1000 degrees F. but I do not know how to hook it up to the kiln, I know the kiln has a digital controler and a thermocoulpe but I do not know how to put in the meter, thus my question. Anyone out there that knows if I need more stuff or how to hook it to the controler and or thermocouple and can help me that would be great, heck I would be willing to send some nice curly Koa to the person how actually helps me to get this to work. Aloha nui loa.

Chris "Kalai"
 
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IF you have a digitally controlled kiln you will probably have to use a separate thermocouple. If you hook the analog to the same thermocouple as used by the digital controller you may disrupt the digital controller causing it to misread and screw up its performance. My kiln has a digital controller and it posts the current temperature. the ramp temperature, the time left in the cycle whether its ramping or holding. Doesnt yours display the tempeture of the kiln?
 
Chris,

Mike is spot on, rather than trying to splice the t-couple and potentially causing more issues. I too would just get a second t-couple and wire it directly to the analog meter. I am also curious to know if the digital controller has the capability to display the temp maybe try searching for the model to see if you can find a manual.

As a secondary question, is a 1000 deg. max reading a little too low for glass? I confess it has been a while, however my ex's brother did glass blowing and I thought it needed to be closer to 1500 degrees.

Wish I could be more help. Good luck!
 
T/C must match the instrument

Controllers and temperature readers are calibrated for different thermocouples: J, K, R, S, T, B, etc. Some devices are programmable for different T/Cs. The red lead of the T/C is ALWAYS negative. This is the exact opposite of normal VDC wiring. If the leads of the T/C are not long enough to reach, they MUST be extended with T/C extension wire. With proper T/C wires, two devices can read the same T/C. Do not run T/C adjacent with line voltage wires. Cross line voltage at 90°. It is recommended to have separate T/Cs for different devices, this gives a good cross check. Info on thermocouples can be obtained at [URL="http://www.omega.com"]www.omega.com[/URL]. Thermocouples generate very small vdc signals. Some of them are as fine as 1 millivolt per degree F. Corrosion and bad connections can cause errors of +- 40°F. I am a retired ceramic kiln guru. I did this stuff for 23 years. You can send me some blanks. Install your system, check against crushed ice and water, 32°F or boiling water 212°F. If not close, then something is wrong.
 
I recomend a "K" thermocouple which will top out at 2462°F A "J" will top out at 1418°F. I also believe that 1000° is probably low for glass. Email me at aplpickr@att.net for anymore info.
 
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Your meter may not be rated high enough. There are several types of glass but common glass melts at around 1500C which is 2732F.
One of my first real jobs involved melting that little piece of glass in the fitting used in automotive AC units and I distinctly remember the oven having to be set at 2750F. But, that was in the mid 70's so I could be wrong.
 
If Chris is going to use the kiln just for annealing, 1000F should be OK. But anything more (fusing, slumping, casting etc), then yes you need to go to higher temps.

I 'm guessing that the digital controller may not be working?? Sometimes they just get toasted. We had a bad board on one once, and had the relays go once too. Relays were the scariest...particularity when (like we were lucky enough to have happen) they get stuck in the "on" position. :eek:

Prior to that, I always wondered why they sold replacement firebrick...:rolleyes:
 
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Ed and Dawn: I worked in a technical ceramics company that fired 20 to 30 tons of material a week. We burnt $35K of natural gas a month. I wired, programmed, repaired, and adjusted the burners. Fire brick has different temperature ratings. As the temp goes up, so does the price. The 3300° ones went for $45 each in 2008. Repair a kiln with a 30' hot zone, 8' wide and you have spent some serious money!

Thermoucouples rated above "K" are made from platinum and can cost above $500.

Electric kilns should have a high limit that has its own T/C and relay that does not cycle with temperature demand. The cycling will sooner or later weld the contacts. This way, the limit contacts are not arced over and over. If product temperature is low enough, then use a "J" or "K". Their voltage response/degree is greater than the platinum (the controller sees much more of a voltage change before changing its response). So they are MUCH more accurate and cheaper.
 
Hi everyone thanks for all the replies, I know that my wife will be using the kiln to aneal the beads so they go to about 900 degrees I think, the kiln is a aims kiln with a Fuji digital controler and a j or k thermocoulple, I am not sure which one.
The analog meter she want to add some how to dee how hot it is in the kiln, I do not think the Fuji digital controler is made for a anolog meter is that correct?
Is there a way to hook up the analog meter to see how hot the kiln is getting? Mahalo nui loa.

Chris "Kalai"
 
Any device that will accept a thermocouple input can be daisy chained to one T/C as long as it is calibrated for the same T/C. The colors of the leads on the T/C will identify it. J= red/white, K= yellow/red, R/S= green/red. Analog/digital of the device makes no difference. All thermocouples are a small millivolt VDC signal. It is best to have TWO thermocouples, to have a cross check for accuracy. Most modern devices have multiple functions and the instructions can be very daunting. The sales dept at your source of the Fuji should be able to help. Send me the model number, and I will try. Be sure to use thermocouple extension wire. The alloys of ext. wire compensates for temperature changes in the system. Regular copper wire causes error. Heating of dissimilar wires in a T/C causes a voltage to flow. This is calibrated in known T/Cs. Change the alloys and the voltage changes yields miss-read temperatures. The Fuji is probably programmable for different T/Cs. Make sure that they match. The wrong wire actually creates FIVE thermocouples in the systemm, which yields an average of the five temps. The temps at each terminal of the controller, the temps at each wire junction, and the temp at the thermocouple tip. The thermocouple reads at the very end, be sure that it is inserted far enough into the kiln to sense the temperature that the beads see. Hide T/c in the wall and you will see about 100° F decrease/inch.
 
Here is a link to a set of programming instructions for your probable controller.
http://theglasshive.com/kilninst.html Have fun. Most programmers like this have a ~thirty second time limit to key in something. If you do not do it, it will take you out ot programming. To prevent this, toggle the value, it gives you another 30s. Always check entire programming after making last change.
 
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