Top load/vertical kiln?

I know a front load kiln would be much easier to deal with but, they seem to be far and few between in my area. Top load seem to be a dime a dozen here and I can pick one up for $100-200 in good condition.

Is anyone here here using a top load for heat treat? Seems like it would be a bugger to fish out blades when it's up to temp?

$200 could find me an older front load model and I have plenty of controllers at work for the temp I could wire in. Problem is I've only seen about 3 front loads for sale, local, in the past 3-4 months on CL and I missed them all. I missed a free one by 10 minutes witch was a bummer.

I'm holding out for a front load at this point but might change my mind dependant on responses here.

Thanks.

I toured Bob Dozier's shop five or six years ago, he had a bunch of top load kilns thet he used for heat treating.

The very first "kiln" I ever had was a top loading, early on in my career. Using it presents some........"challenges". Even with a VERY long set of tongs, eyebrows and any facial hair got singed. I finally ended up finding an old fire suit jacket and gauntlets at a second hand store. Once I was able to afford a horizontal heat treat oven, I gave the top loader away. It worked great, I just never figured out a good way to use and not come away smelling like burnt hair.

I read somewhere recently about another maker who used a top kiln. He put some firebrick in the bottom to raise the knives up so he didn't have as much difficulty getting them out. I don't remember who it was or where I read it.

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I think I have seen pictures of James Helm (Stormcrow ) using a top load kiln. It might pay to send him a message.

I did my first few with a top load kiln and like Ed said above, it works, but it stinks too. The kiln I used was a stackable section type, so you could make it deeper or shallower as needed. That helped some, but it still wasn't great. If you're only doing 8"-9" hunters in carbon steel, it's ok. Mine was a 110v unit and it took forever to reach temp, like 2 hours.

If you do stainless, you have to account for the added length of the foil pouch and the higher temps makes reaching in there worse. I was using a big pair of channel locks to reach down in there and they were fine for 1500 degrees. But when I tried my first stainless at around 2000 deg and reached over the open top, the rubber grips on the channel locks burst into flames and my leather welding gloves started smoking all over. It worked, but not so fun.

James has one in a video that has a slotted top and he lowers the blade or tomahawk straight down into the kiln without opening it up. I've still got my top loader in case I want to try that sometime.

My kiln is a top loading unit. However, after buying it cheap and local, I quickly realized it was not the best thing. I modified it so that it is now side loading. I cut a slot in the side of the body, right at the level of the floor inside the kiln, so that now I can simply slide a blade in/out for heat treating. I never need to open the lid. Did it with a hacksaw blade. It was very easy to do, as the fire brick is soft to cut, and the aluminum shell or whatever was very thin. Made a WORLD of difference.

Thanks for the input folks.
Samuristuart, that's a good idea. Do you have any pictures of your modification? Did you cut the door at the bottom below the coils?

One other idea might be to mount the whole thing upside down and have the lids drop away or the kiln pulled up on a pulley system. I just saw one like this today local but it was much too large for my needs.

samuraistuart said:

My kiln is a top loading unit. However, after buying it cheap and local, I quickly realized it was not the best thing. I modified it so that it is now side loading. I cut a slot in the side of the body, right at the level of the floor inside the kiln, so that now I can simply slide a blade in/out for heat treating. I never need to open the lid. Did it with a hacksaw blade. It was very easy to do, as the fire brick is soft to cut, and the aluminum shell or whatever was very thin. Made a WORLD of difference.

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I probably should have included in my previous post......the elements of my kiln are in the lid, not the walls. So it was an easy option for me to take. As a matter of fact, the side wall already had a "port", with a big ceramic plug. I guess that is so you could remove the plug, take a peek inside to see how your glass is going (it is a glass kiln.....or WAS a glass kiln!). That porthole was about 2" above the inside floor, so it was a no brainer to simply "extend" that round porthole down. The porthole being about 1.5" diameter, and the slot I cut extends below it, about 3/8" wide, 2" down. That extra "hole" I made had ZERO affect on temp holding, which I was really glad!

Thanks Samuri. I haven't seen one where the elements are in the lid. Do they have anything to help retain them from falling out?

Laying a top load on its side was one of my first thoughts but was concerned the elements would fall from their grooves.

I had totally rejected the idea of a top load when I first started looking but, in the last 4-5 months I've only seen about 3 front loaders that would have worked for me and they were snatched up before I could even call on them. Fast! In contrast, I'm seeing 1 or 2 top load a week that might be able to work.
I'm thinking I might just get a top load for now as it wouldn't be a big loss for $200 and maybe I can figure a way to make it more usable.

You can probably get a top load pottery kiln for less than $100, at least I've seen them go for that where I live. I got one for free and one at an auction for like $20. Of course, the $20 one didn't work, but I'm sure it could've been rebuilt. I ended up giving it away, but anyway, I've seen them on Craigslist a couple times for around $100.

Navin_R_Johnson said:

Thanks Samuri. I haven't seen one where the elements are in the lid. Do they have anything to help retain them from falling out?

Laying a top load on its side was one of my first thoughts but was concerned the elements would fall from their grooves.

I had totally rejected the idea of a top load when I first started looking but, in the last 4-5 months I've only seen about 3 front loaders that would have worked for me and they were snatched up before I could even call on them. Fast! In contrast, I'm seeing 1 or 2 top load a week that might be able to work.
I'm thinking I might just get a top load for now as it wouldn't be a big loss for $200 and maybe I can figure a way to make it more usable.

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Yes, the elements are stapled into place. On the underside of the lid, there is a channel carved into the brick, and inside that channel the element is stapled into place. You wouldn't think it would be much of a problem, and in all practicality it is doable, but it is NO fun pulling out a hot blade from a top loading kiln, one with elements in the lid. It just....sucked. Now......slide in.....slide out. Easy as cake. Piece of pie. ha ha