Just an FYI
I use a Devardi mini annealer and it works great as an rod warmer, annealer, and as a garage kiln. But, I have made some modifications to get it to be great. So, here's what I did:
First, I bent the thick wire support away from the opening until it was at the same level as the bottom of the opening (Keeps rods level). Next I created a removable 'door' that I use to block the opening when running the annealing cycle (It's a ceramic tile wrapped in thick aluminum foil with formed hooks to mount it) Lastly, I bought a cheap controller kit with thermocouple and relay, then I wired the thermocouple through the front of the kiln so it touches the floor about a half inch before the back wall (the 'door' has a small cutout to allow the wire through). I also created a box to hold all the electronics.
Costs were about $100 for kiln shipped and $80 for controller kit shipped plus $20 in supplies. The controller was the toughest part to set up but can be done if you stay persistent. Some controllers come with better instructions than others plus there are several examples of the controller set up online.
I encourage anyone to try this since you get a small digital kiln that goes up to 1100F for about $200. Perfect for beads, pendants, and small boro work....I've even made little fume spoons and annealed 4 at a time.
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