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KM18T Pro 3 Zone

Fast Firings Knife Making

Paragon KM-18T Pro 3 Zone Knife Maker’s Heat Treating Furnace

Test exotic heat treating formulas

As the owner of a Paragon KM-18T Pro furnace, you can live the knife making adventure to the fullest. You will witness the birth of your knives in the bright red heat of the furnace. The soul of the blade is born in the furnace. Imagine making extraordinary knives destined to become family heirlooms. These are knives you can’t buy in a hardware store.

Experiment with differential hardening, a technique handed down from the ancients. Try out the newest tool steels. Are they really as good as the tried and true D2 and A2? The Paragon KM-18T Pro is rated to 2350° F, so you can heat treat as hot as you need to.

Long lasting solid state relays

The KM-18T Pro has three solid state relays, which last far longer than standard mechanical relays and offer better temperature control during holds. Solid state relays have no moving parts to wear out. The first thing you will notice is that the relays are silent. You will hear just the reassuring hum of the heating elements. The relays are mounted to aluminum heat sinks.

Included with the solid state relays is a safety relay for your peace of mind.

3 zone temperature control for superior heat distribution

The KM-18T Pro offers precise heat distribution throughout the length of the firing chamber. This is because it is divided into three zones. Each zone has its own thermocouple, or temperature sensor. The Sentinel controller electronically adjusts the temperature of each zone. See for yourself--test for temperature uniformity by taking measurements along the length of a blade with a Rockwell Hardness Tester.

Ceramic fiber firing chamber for fast heating and cooling

The KM-18T Pro is unusually fast, because it is made with space-age ceramic fiber. It can reach 500°F in minutes. Long lasting, “wavy” elements in the walls are surface-mounted to dissipate heat rapidly and prolong element life.

If necessary, you can reset the controller by merely turning off the toggle switch on the front panel.

The guillotine door for years of comfortable heat treating

The guillotine door is the ultimate choice for heat treating. The door lifts up and out of the way with one-handed operation. The hot side of the door remains away from you. The door lifts effortlessly with the assistance of a spring on each side. Because of the rigid case and heavy duty opening assembly, the door is sturdy enough for years of faithful service.

Door safety switch

The door micro safety switch shuts off the power to the elements when the door is opened, yet the controller continues to give a temperature readout. The safety switch is standard on Paragon KM furnaces.

No more waiting for commercial heat treating

A Paragon KM-series furnace sets the knife maker free. No more wrapping blades and shipping them to your heat treater. No more waiting until you have a dozen blades to get the best price on heat treating. No more turning away orders for last-minute gifts.

While your furnace is hardening and tempering blades, you can busy yourself grinding more knives or fitting handles. After you’ve used your Paragon furnace awhile, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. When asked to make a knife on short notice—whether for a Marine Corps awards presentation, a celebration or retirement party, or an archaeologist on his way to Africa—you will be ready. When a custom knife is needed as a going away gift, and the recipient is leaving in three days, you will be ready. Your KM-series furnace might even pay for itself on rush orders you would otherwise have missed.

Own a furnace and you alone decide when you will complete a knife. If you stay up one Friday grinding a knife, you can heat treat it that evening and deliver it Saturday morning. Just in time for a grateful wife to present to her husband on his birthday.

Finishing a knife whenever you want will excite you. You will find yourself working into the night to complete a new design. When you send the blade out for heat treating, the excitement of making and designing it will have been forgotten. By the time the blade returns, you will hardly remember it.

Solid furnace construction

The furnace is insulated with 2 1/2” space-age ceramic fiber. A built-in solid stand lifts the firing chamber safely off your worktable. The thermocouple wire is kept safely inside the case for protection from the harsh environment of the typical bladesmith shop.

Thermocouple with “special limit” wire

The thermocouple senses temperature inside the kiln. It is the small rod that extends into the firing chamber. The ¼” wide Type-K, 14-gauge, exposed-tip thermocouple is made with special-limit wire for superior accuracy. The exposed tip gives the controller a fast response time for even temperatures during holds. The thermocouple is made in America to our exacting standards.

What Ben Abbott Likes About his 3-Zone Knife Maker’s Kiln

“Nothing compares with the control that I’ve gotten with my 3-zone,” said Ben Abbott, a “Forged in Fire” judge. “I know the temperatures of all three zones at the same time. I know that the back of the kiln is the same temperature as the front of the kiln.

“I can download the program and see what happened in a firing and just make sure everything was consistent. And I know that my next knife is going to be as good as my last knife. That is really important.

“Great people at Paragon. My amazing kiln made by hand in Texas! I got a card with the initials of all the people involved with the creation of my kiln. Who does that anymore?”

David Baker’s Paragon Furnace

“On the show, ‘Forged in Fire,’ we make weapons in a very compressed time frame. The Paragon furnace has been a game changer. It’s saved me an amazing amount of time,” said David Baker, a judge on the show.

“Not only is the kiln wonderful and reliable, but Paragon’s service is fantastic. You can get someone on the phone and they will walk you through the problem. While moving my kiln around, it got bumped into some camera equipment, and parts on the kiln got dinged up. Within a couple of days they shipped new parts to me, and I was back to work.

“If you’re making knives professionally, time is money,” said David. “If your hands aren’t working, you’re not making money. So having the ability to program a kiln, let it do its thing, and literally walk away and do other work is a game changer.”

“Bottom line,” said David Baker, “the Paragon kiln is a good, solid product that winds up saving me a lot of time.”

Designed for production

Paragon’s warranty is not affected by frequency of use. Fire your new kiln every day if you want, even in commercial settings. That will have no effect on the warranty period.

Optional colors at no extra charge

Brighten your studio with color! Order your kiln in one of our standard colors at no extra charge . . . berry, black, blue, hot pink, jade, navy, purple, or turquoise. Scroll down to see color samples in the options section.

Reliable solid state relay

Relays turn the heating elements on and off. This kiln comes with a solid state relay, which lasts much longer than standard mechanical relays. Solid state relays are not only more reliable than mechanical relays. They also make heating elements last longer and offer better temperature control. Solid state relays are quiet. Solid state relays last longer because they have no moving parts to wear out. The kiln is also equipped with a mechanical safety relay.

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Specifications

Max. Temperature	2350F 1287C
Amps	23
Phase	1
Watts	5400
Nema	6-30R
TUV tested to CSA and UL Standard 499	N
CE	N
Control Type	Sentinel Touch Screen
Voltage	240
Hertz	60
Nema Details

Disclaimer: The specifications above assume that the kiln will be plugged into a dedicated circuit. Local electric codes supersede our recommendations. The pricing and electrical specifications for the above products reflect their design for use in the United States. The International versions of most models will have variations in electrical specifications and price due to consumer safety requirements or electrical regulations.

Kiln Type

Front Loading Square

Sides

Understanding Chamber Measurements

Chamber Volume

0.35 CU.FT.
9.91 litres

Chamber Width

6.50 IN
165 mm

Chamber Depth

18.00 IN
457 mm

Chamber Height

5.25 IN
133 mm

The Outer Size of the Kiln and the Shipping Size: Width = Left to Right; Depth = Front to Back; Height = Top to Bottom

Outer Size

14.50W x 32.00D x 18.00H Inches
368W x 813D x 457H mm

Ship Size

26.00W x 35.00D x 27.00H Inches
660W x 889D x 686H mm

Ship Weight

236.00 Lbs.
107.05 Kg.

Doorway Clearance Needed

15.00 Inches
381.00 mm

Ship Method & Notations

Important Shipping Information

This Kiln Ships Via Truck

Part Number

S1696-2 * Base Model

Price

$3,858.28

Quantity

This price is subject to change without notice.

Find A Local Paragon Seller

Purchase your Paragon Kiln through one of our authorized resellers / distributors and get local service.

Find A Local Seller Now!

Options Click on the part numbers below to see full descriptions.
	Part Number	Description	Quantity	Price
	Knifemakers Heat Treating Kit	Contains 1 pair hot gloves, 1 heat treating fork, 4 knifeholders, and 8 knifeholder supports. You will need the kit if you remove all the blades together. If you remove them individually with tongs, you will need only the ho		$217.00
	Berry Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in rich berry instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The berry kiln shown here a		$0.00
	Hot Pink Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in bright hot pink instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The hot pink kiln show		$0.00
	Jade Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in jade instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The jade kiln shown here also may		$0.00
	Navy Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in navy instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The navy kiln shown here also ma		$0.00
	Purple Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in luxuriant purple instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The purple kiln shown		$0.00
	Turquoise Paint	At no extra charge, you can order your Paragon kiln in turquoise instead of the standard blue or black. Add a splash of color to your shop! (The exact shade of paint may not match the color shown on your computer monitor. The turquoise kiln shown her		$0.00

Accessories

View Accessories For KM18T Pro 3 Zone

Usages

Knife Making Ovens

Additional Information

Options

Replacement Parts

Accessories

Important Shipping Information

Wiring Diagrams

KM-18T Pro 3 Zone (S1696-2-Wiring-Nov2019)

Manuals
Heat Treating Manual for KM & HT Series
Sentry 2.0 12-Key Ramp-Hold Manual, 2010 Edition

KM18T Pro 3 Zone Kiln Model/SKU: S1696-2

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