Jeff Thompson

A huge thanks again to Neil, Dick, and everyone in my other post who helped me get this working! The kiln is currently test firing as we speak and so far the Skutt wall-mounted controller is working great. This was a great project even though it took waaay more work and time (and $$$) than I expected, but the tradeoff has been I really know this kiln inside and out. If something goes wrong in the future, I feel like I know how to fix any part. Definitely not a good project for folks who don't know how to work safely with high temp and voltage, but if you've wired some outlets and messed with wiring other tools it's not too bad. Pictures of the results attached. I couldn't help myself and laser-engraved a custom tag for the aptly-named Frankenkiln!

Popping back in to say a big thank you for all your help!

Hi everyone, I have a favor to ask! If anyone has a Kiln Sitter gauge and a flatbed scanner handy, would you mind scanning it for me? (Or printing the attached PDF at 100% and verifying that it looks right?) $12 for a piece of stamped sheet metal seems way too high for me to stomach, so I'd like to create 2D and 3D files if folks want to lasercut or 3D print their own... or even just laserprint and cut out by hand! I'm also planning to publish the files online for others to use and will share them here too. I found some pretty good images online and was able to trace the outline, but I'd much rather work from an actual object. It does need to be scanned though and not photographed, to keep the image from being distorted and to get an accurate outside diameter. I'd be happy to send whoever scans their gauge for me a new lasercut one as a thank-you, if you want an extra! KilnSitterGauge.pdf

I really appreciate the detailed help here! The costs are really adding up and, though I don't want to cut corners on safety at all, I wondered if you guys thought these would be ok: Mica wire, 450ºC, $26 for 10' High-temp wire, 250ºC, $44 for 25' SRML wire, "high temp", $56 for 25' Silicone wire, 392ºF, $41 for 50' And these high-temp ring terminals, $14 for 100 Obviously I'm more skeptical buying on Amazon than say McMaster, but the prices are so much lower.

Thanks again! Sorry for any confusion, lots of variables and parts here! I'm using a wall-mounted controller, so the boxes on the kiln itself are just for connecting the elements. I'm definitely planning to use conduit fittings etc to keep everything neat and safe. TLDR, is there a rule of thumb for what temperature rating wire, connectors, etc should have?

Thanks Bill and Neil! Baffle: I'll be putting everything in the original steel boxes that the switches were in, which are nicely vented all around. But they don't have a baffle, just an open box bolted to the side of the kiln. They do have a thin stainless U-shape piece with holes for the element wires – does that serve as a baffle? Would it be worth fabricating thicker baffles from steel? (I noticed the kiln sitter has a pretty beefy steel plate.) Wire: The wire from McMaster I linked to seems to be mica glass? Def not cheap but this silicone wire isn't much less. KilnParts.com has wire that's actually a good bit cheaper so I might go that way.

Thanks to some wonderful folks here, I'm well on my way to getting my old Paragon kiln retrofitted for digital control! But I had a few lingering kiln-wiring questions and figured it would be better to start a new thread. For context, my kiln will run single phase, 220V, around 40amps. I'll be firing typically up to cone 6 but would like to make sure I could fire hotter if needed. I've done lots of low-voltage and house-type electrical, so I'm quite comfortable with working safely, but I am new to wiring kilns and just wanted to be sure I'm making safe choices! My big questions have to do with what kinds of temps I should expect inside the control box and selecting parts that will work under those conditions... Wire/connectors for connecting elements I've found wire from Skutt and other vendors that's intended for connecting the elements to power. I could for sure order that wire, but I use McMaster Carr a lot and found this 10-gauge wire that's good up to 55A at 600ºF and 840ºF max temp. Would that be appropriate? Similarly, do I need to use special crimp-on connectors or will the normal, non-insulated ones work ok? Terminal block Like with the wire, I'd like to place a terminal block inside the control boxes to connect the power cable to the elements. McMaster has a few options... This standard-type one says it's good up to 250ºF This one is a little higher at 300ºF And this ceramic one is good to 840ºF If this is all a bad idea and I should just order from a kiln supplier, feel free to yell at me

Thanks Neil, you're amazing!

Thanks again Neil! Sorry got caught up with other stuff but I really appreciate the help. I have a line on a Skutt KM-1 for super cheap and was hoping to go with that. Attached is how I think this is supposed to be wired (ignoring the details of the kiln sitter). Does this look correct?

Thanks Dick and Neil, very helpful! Controller: I knew I was going to forget something important! My hope is to use a wall mounted controller. It seems like the best investment since I can use it with future kilns too. (Which is also why I was looking at 50 amp models even though my kiln doesn't need that much power.) I spent a bunch of time researching building my own controller, but even though the basics are pretty straightforward I got worried about safety, plus with good quality relays it's not that much cheaper, as far as I could tell. Amperage: That's a great suggestion! I never thought to swap out the breaker, but that's a cheap and easy way to go, and makes me feel a lot better. The plates on the kiln say 21.6 amps total, so it seems like a 40 amp breaker would be ideal? Do you think this would cause any potential damage to the controller if it's rated for 50 amps? Or will it just trip the breaker and turn everything off? Serial plate/elements: Photo attached. There are three elements, two in the bottom and one in the expansion ring. The bottom ones are supposed to be 7.5 ohms each, the top 35 ohms (I think, I have it written down at home).

Hi everyone, I've learned a ton from other posts on this forum but am kind of stuck and could use some help! I recently bought an old Paragon A-66B (and the AA-6B top ring), which appeared to be in pretty good shape for the price. This was meant to upgrade from my tiny Skutt Firebox kiln, which has been great. But after poking around inside and researching online, I realized that the Paragon kiln uses a funky four-wire, 120/220 volt system. It would require an unusual circuit in my studio and is making it harder to figure out how to move to a digital controller. The Paragon kiln currently has three 3-position switches and a kiln sitter, but the wiring is real crusty and I've gotten spoiled with digital control. I've looked into digital controllers and have a few in mind, but I'm a bit stuck on how to wire this up. A few questions that I would really appreciate some help on! Can I gut the existing wiring, have no switches, and connect the new controller directly to the elements? (I realize this would remove the kiln sitter as a safety.) Paragon suggested this would be possible but wouldn't give me any specific suggestions. I'm not in a shared studio so I'm not concerned that the kiln will be powered on when the controller is on. If I did go this route, would the elements be wired in series or parallel? I have a 50-amp circuit ready to go, but the kiln requires about 30 amps – Paragon suggested this would be dangerous since the kiln would have to go very wrong before the breaker is flipped. Is there a way to insert a 30 amp fuse in between the controller and the kiln? I'd really love to stick with a 50 amp system so I can easily move to a larger kiln in the future, and use the circuit for a welder etc as needed I'd like to avoid the drop-in kiln sitter replacement controllers, since it's a lot of money and only works with one kiln, and it seems it will be difficult to use it with the current four-wire setup. I've done lots of house wiring and lower voltage electronics, so I feel pretty good about doing the work safely, I just need some help figuring out the way to go here. Thanks everyone, this community is so great!