04/10/2025
Finally done.
Bricks chased and installed. Neatened up the wiring. Gave it a run, and turned beef jerky to ash (because why not).
Overall, it took about an hour to reach 1065oC. This includes a quick stop-point at 850oC (for testing) and a slow ramp to peak temperature set point. This was done with the oven chamber at 110mm by 110mm, not 100mm by 100mm as originally designed (and yes, it makes a huge difference).
I really wasn't a fan of the insulating material I used for the chamber walls (front, back, sides, top and bottom) and so I removed it for the moment. It was much weaker and more fiberous than I was lead to believe, and after doing some research I think I've found a more suitable material. But for now, I can take it home and get some knives heat treated. Thankfully this build was designed to pull apart for maintenance, so replacing the remaining fiberous insulation isn't that big a deal.
For a home-made heat treat oven, I'm happy with it. But, it could be better. The outer side walls get REALLY hot, and I've come up with a (future) solution to this. The orange steelwork is too flexible, and again, I have a solution for this as well. If you're reading "I'm going to make another and fix all these prototype issues", you'd be correct.
Do I regret making this? Oh god no. In terms of cost, I'd have to make four complete units to equal the cost of a paragon. It was always going to have some issues, and I'm glad they were fairly limited. But I can absolutely use this without any regrets until something fails, all the while designing the next iteration.
Enjoy.