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Our brand new range of Cromartie front loading premium kilns is now available! Please e-mail our kiln department for details or call us on 01782 319435.
This brand new range of kilns will come complete with a WiFi controller, for a premium level of control as well as a premium build.
Cromartie have been building kilns in the heart of Stoke on Trent since 1946. We have tested many ways of building and different insulation over this time. Renowned for attention to detail, top craftsmanship and a sound understanding of user needs, it's not surprising that demand for our historic range of ceramic kilns continues. This includes the Workhorse, Studio Craft, Hobbytech and now our new premium range of front loading kilns.
New Cromartie Premium Potter's WheelClick here for details of our brand new Cromartie Premium potter's wheel, a true British masterpiece meticulously crafted exclusively for Cromartie in Stoke-on-Trent. This wheel is designed for studio and professional potters, offering unmatched performance and versatility in a sleek, user-friendly design.
Premium Front Loading Kiln Range Features:
200+ litre kilns can be made in split frame. This allows us to build on site of access doesn’t allow a whole build kiln delivery.
Our kilns do not use ceramic fibre blanket only rope seal and contained fibre netting
The KCRX electronic Heat fuse set at 50 degrees above the programmed maximum set point.
Automatic dampers can be fitted to all Front Loading kilns but most small to mid-range models will not be necessary due to the new design.
The WIFI controller can be pre-set before delivery for ceramic or glass firings
Kilns come with a 24 month warranty on all parts excluding the elements.
Door Seal & Brick Work The door seal is maintained by a non-ceramic fibre rope that is set into a channel around the door itself, which ensures it stays in place, unlike other methods of "Stick on" fibre seals which often tend to rip or fall off over time and can become very dusty. The inner centre brick work of the door extends into the chamber for an even closer seal. The border of the kiln door itself is made from "Hard" insulation bricks to reduce the damage caused by knocks and bumps during loading, while the inner is made with even higher insulated brick for a more energy efficient kiln. This is also the case in the chamber harder insulation where prone to cracking and softer higher insulated inside.
Brick Work Protection to Frame
The brickwork of the chamber protrudes from the front of the kiln frame. This method enables any hot gasses or air that escape through the door seal, to disperse into the atmosphere without condensing onto the front face of the kiln frame and so vastly increases the metalwork and powder coating lifespan.
Door Clamps
The new door clamps make for easy access. Main features below:
Manufactured with zinc-plated passivated steel for good durability
Stainless steel rivets harden with use.
Orange handled grips are cushioned and comfortable for ease of use, but are also hard wearing.
Lockable Door Catch
For health and safety and extra peace of mind in places such as education outlets- this enables you to fully secure the kiln door.
New Door Vent
The unique vent flap on the door is full stainless steel, it is designed to be dust free and extremely long lasting. It will literally last forever. The fibre pad is encased in high temperature fibre cloth that is wear resistant. The vent flap can be locked using a small padlock if the site requires it. Other brands either don’t have an insulated flap at all, just a rotating piece of metal or they have a bung that is often dropped and broken or becomes a bad fit.
Elements and Safety
The elements are all made from Kanthal A1 wire, considered the best wire in the world for this application.
The elements are kept at a low watts per square inch which increases their life span. Unlike some other brands that run their elements at a much higher watts per square inch which does effect life expectancy.
The elements are pegged in at strategic places to stop them from coming out of the grooves during firings.
Each kiln is fitted with a main contactor and a safely contactor as standard.
The connections of the elements remain as screw connection porcelain blocks which we still find to be the most user friendly as time goes by and replacement sets are fitted, often by the user.
Kiln Wiring The wiring of the kiln is mounted onto a removable chassis plate which allows the contactors etc to be lifted out of the kiln to enable easy testing and replacement. Click image to enlarge
New Magnetic Interlock
Kiln safety is ensured by a door switch that stops the elements from receiving power when the door is opened.
Roof Brick Work & Roof Frame
The chamber roof of the kilns are linked with K23 bricks that are well insulated and grooved. This removes any risk of a cracked roof slab as the years go by.
Traditionally the top plate is one of the worst rust-effected areas of the kiln and so can drive rust into other parts of the kiln, however as the top metal plate on our premium front loaders is stainless steel and well vented, this prevents this issue.
New Roof Vent The slider vent system in the top plate has full stainless steel workings- there is no standard steel in the top plate area including the slider system.
The kiln roof vent slides a ceramic thick tile batt over the vent bung, where the tile is left with clearance around it so it is a loose fit with gravity always keeping a good fit to the roof vent.
The vent can be fully opened or part opened etc and the knob on the slider handle gives the user an indication of where it is. This means there is no reaching over the kiln required or dropping and breaking of vent tubes. Click image to enlarge
Strengthened Outer Kiln Frame Metal thickness of the main frame is generally equal or 1-2 thicknesses up from others frames on the market. Our kilns are not only powder coated and oven baked on the outside, but are entirely coated on the inside to the same standard. So the thicker metal and the powder coating makes for a much longer life.
Extra Strengthening Floor Struts The kiln frame has extra strengthening struts under the floor, made from welded angle iron. This provides additional reinforcement and strength to the floor of the kiln, which not only stops the metal from dropping over time with the weight of a full kiln of ware and furniture but, in turn, proves a stable metal base that the side walls of the kiln actually sit on. This is unlike other manufacturers front loading kilns which rely on the span of the kiln floor metalwork to carry the weight without any "span" support.
ST215C Controller
The ST215C is a universal controller suitable for any single-zone glass and ceramic kilns equipped with a controller socket. The controller has 32 programs, each with up to 32 ramp/soak segments.
The ST215C can be supplied with an optional Wi-Fi interface allowing it to connect to our server via any domestic or commercial Wi-Fi router. By logging into our Kiln Portal website (www.kilnportal.co.uk) you can view the current status of your controller. The Kiln Portal can be configured to automatically log all of your firings, capturing the time/date of the firing, details of the program used and a record of the kiln temperature history. The Kiln Portal can also be used to upload, view, edit and download programs.
The WiFi interface also comes with a USB interface which allows logging of kiln temperatures to a USB flash (thumb) drive.
The ST215C comes fitted with a plug lead and a wall mounting bracket.
Cromartie Hobbycraft Limited Park Hall Road Longton Stoke-on-Trent Staffordshire ST3 5AY Tel: 01782 319435
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