KM18T

Knife Making   

Features

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

Long lasting solid state relay

The KM-18T now has a solid state relay, which lasts far longer than a standard mechanical relay. The solid state relay has no moving parts to wear out. The first thing you will notice is that the solid state relay is silent. You will hear just the reassuring hum of elements. The solid state relay makes heating elements last longer and offers better temperature control during holds.

The KM-18T includes a mechanical relay as part of a safety circuit.

The adventure of knifemaking

Great knives are more than steel and ornament. They contain a spirit that makes them feel as an extension of the hand. Touch a great knife, and it feels alive. As the knife ages, its spirit remains as vibrant as the day the maker gave the knife to the world. The spirit in their knives lives on long after the master craftsmen who made them.

Test exotic heat treating formulas

Many knifemakers enjoy owning a furnace, because they can revel in testing. They put blades through tests more severe than any knife owner would dare. Yes, they test for Rockwell hardness, but they don’t stop there. The serious knifemaker tests the knife against hemp rope and 2x4s. They bend the blade to 45° or even 90°. Then they straighten the blade, slap on a handle and test it in the real world.

The knife maker with a KM-series furnace can try exotic heat treating methods at his leisure. Does quenching in dry ice improve blade performance? What happens when 52100 steel is triple-quenched with a one-day wait between each quench? After this treatment, will a 52100 blade bend to 90° without chipping?

With a Paragon furnace in your shop, all questions about heat treating formulas are settled. Heat treating is no longer theory. You find out for yourself what works. Testing and heat treating is at the heart of the knife making adventure. Here is where your confidence as a knife maker takes root. Through heat treating, you can master a tool steel and make it your own.

Experiment with differential hardening, an ancient bladesmith technique. Try out the newest tool steels. Are they really as good as the tried and true D2 and A2? Paragon’s knifemaking furnaces are now rated to 2350 degrees F, so you can heat treat as hot as you need to.

Counter-weight door

The drop door opens downward with one-handed operation. A counter-weight handle holds the door securely closed. The door, whether drop or side-swing, is mounted on a heavy-duty 1/2” thick hinge shaft for smooth opening. Because of the rigid case and heavy hinge, 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.

A message from Ed Fowler—explorer, author, and founder of High Endurance Performance Knife Association

“Paragon offered me no financial rewards or free equipment for this endorsement. I recommend Paragon furnaces only because they make an excellent, reliable product.

“I've made knives off and on since the sixth grade. I enjoy every second in the shop making knives. I used to harden and temper with a torch. As my skills increased, my testing of knives revealed the benefit of longer and more uniform soak times during the annealing and tempering cycles than were possible with a torch.

“I finally bought a Paragon furnace. It is extremely beneficial to bladesmithing, because it allows us to do things with our blades we couldn't do otherwise. If I had known how good they are, I would have bought one years before I did.

“You don't want to introduce any variables into your blades by accident, and temperature is one such variable. With a Paragon, you know exactly what causes what and why. My advice to beginning knifemakers is to use the best equipment you can as soon as you can add it to your shop. I wasted a lot of time and energy trying to make knives with less than the best equipment for the job. Invest in quality equipment, learn how to use it right, and use your time seeking the best knife you can make.

“Without my Paragon oven, I would have never made the discoveries about steel that I’ve made. I love my Paragon. That Paragon sure made a big difference in my knife making. Any experiment I want to run is right there. If I want to change a heat treatment, I know exactly how. With every knife, I learn more.

“Thermal cycles, commonly known as heat treating of blades, are the most significant single aspect contributing to the quality of a knifemaker’s blade. Knifemakers who wish to explore the absolute frontiers of the world of knives in search of the Excalibur of their dreams must have the ability to design thermal treatments specifically intended to push their steel to the highest limits of performance. Absolute control of the temperature of their blades is absolutely essential to success.

“Paragon makes a nice piece of equipment. I recommend it very highly to anyone who asks and to many people who don't ask. In order to make knives that my customers can depend upon, I have to be able to count on my equipment to provide consistent performance. My Paragon heat treating oven has always provided the degree of dependability I can count on to support my commitment to provide my customers the best functional knife possible.

“Believe me, I'm much richer knowing I'm making the best knife I can. I'm much happier with myself.”

A bond of trust between you and the knife owner

The knife maker’s credo is simple: to create a knife that represents the knife maker himself. For the knife maker, quality of work is a way of life. It is his or her passion. Anything less than one’s best is unthinkable.

The buyer of a custom knife appreciates fine detail. He or she marvels at the lines and curves the maker coaxed from the steel with such patience. There is a bond of trust between the owner of a fine knife and its maker. This is why the knife maker sleeps better when he or she controls every step in creating a knife.

The knife maker derives joy from creating knives that are not merely prized, but treasured. When the knife owner wipes a rag across such a knife, he or she is caressing as much as cleaning it. Part of this spirit of knife making is lost when you send the blade out for heat treating and await its return. Every time you, the maker, release one of your knives to the world, your reputation goes with it. This is why makers feel compelled to control every step in the blade’s journey from initial design through final polishing.

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 will be forgotten. By the time the blade returns, you hardly remember it.

Solid furnace construction

The furnace is insulated with 3” thick refractory firebrick, which is 1/2” thicker than the standard. The elements are mounted in dropped, recessed grooves machined into the firebrick. This groove protects the element for long life and low maintenance. Elements are simple to replace because they can be lifted directly from the groove. You can replace elements following instructions in the printed manual. The firing chamber is protected by a rigid steel case. A built-in solid stand lifts the firing chamber safely off your worktable. The thermocouple wire is kept inside the case for protection from the harsh environment of the typical bladesmith shop.

Specifications

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.

Usages

Other Phases and Voltages

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