Double Barrel& KM-SeriesFurnaces forKnife MakersThe spirit of agreat knife

Great knives helped carve out the wil-derness, fight wars, save lives. Explorershave carried them to distant lands. Kniveshave earned their place in history.

Great knives are more than steel andornament. They contain a spirit thatmakes them feel as an extension of theuser’s hand. Touch a great knife, and itfeels alive. As the knife ages, its spirit re-mains as vibrant as the day the maker gavethe knife to the world. The spirit in theirknives lives on long after the mastercraftsmen who made them.

Wherever humans have withstood se-vere tests—whether in the steaming jun-gles of the South Pacific, the burningdesert of Africa, or the cold, blowingwastelands of Korea—they have de-pended upon great knives. Wherever ex-plorers have gone, they have taken greatknives with them—over the prairies andmountains of the American west, across

the desolate plains of the North Pole,through the silence of deep space.

Upon their return home, these explor-ers and soldiers and medics and astro-nauts have numbered among their mostpriceless possessions their knives. Whenthe owner touches his knife, memoriesawaken. Once again he hears the storiesaround the campfire; he smells the pineneedles in the wilderness. He remembersthe lean-tos he fashioned; the kindling hemade for a fire in a blowing snow-storm.His heart quickens its pace a few beats ashe sees scenes he shared with the knife.

Some of these knives find their placeson mantles and in display cases. Othersare passed on to sons and daughters tocontinue their faithful service.

Not all great knives face extreme tests.Some are carried into combat and rarelyused. Others see no more action than acamping trip. Yet each bears the imprintof its maker. Each contains a spirit thatmakes it feel alive to the touch. Each ex-tends a secure feeling that comes fromwearing a knife you can depend on. Themaker, immersed in the dust and sweat ofhis work, sends a part of himself with eachknife that leaves his shop. He lives on inhis knives.

Knife making is an adventure all itsown. It begins when the future ownershares the dream of a special knife withthe maker. They talk excitedly over thefirst rough sketches. Then the maker re-

tires to his shop and loses himself in thecreation of the knife. Time disappears; thehours tick by as he grinds, heat treats, pol-ishes.

Test exotic heattreating formulas

When your Paragon KM- or HT-seriesfurnace arrives, you will begin to live theadventure more fully. Now you can jointhat elite corps of knife makers who wit-ness the birth of the knife. In the bright redheat of the furnace, the soul of the knife isborn.

Many furnace owners revel in testing.They put blades through tests more severethan any knife owner would dare. Theytest for Rockwell hardness, but they don’tstop there. They count the number of cutsa knife makes on hemp rope. They mea-sure the foot pounds of torque required tobend the blade to 45° or even 90°. Thenthey straighten the blade, slap on a handleand test it in the real world.

The knife maker with a Paragon fur-nace can try exotic heat treating methodsat his leisure. Does quenching in dry iceimprove blade performance? What hap-pens when 52100 steel is triple-quenchedwith a one-day wait between eachquench? After this treatment, will a 52100blade bend to 90° without chipping? Whatif you freeze the steel between quenches?

With a Paragon furnace in your shop,all questions about heat treating formulasare settled. You find out for yourself whatworks and what doesn’t. Testing and heattreating are at the heart of the knife mak-ing adventure. Here is where your confi-dence as a knife maker takes root.

A bond of trustThe knife maker’s credo is simple: to

create a knife that represents the knifemaker himself. Quality of work is not justa fad for him. It is a passion. Anything lessthan one’s best is unthinkable.

The buyer of a custom knife appreci-ates fine detail. He or she marvels at thelines and curves the maker coaxed fromthe steel with such patience. There is abond of trust between the owner of a fineknife and its maker. This is why the knifemaker sleeps better when he controls everystep in creating a knife.

The knife maker derives joy from work-ing with his hands. He makes knives thatare not merely prized, but treasured.When the knife owner wipes a rag acrosssuch a knife, he is caressing it as much as

Paragon Furnaces for theKnife Maker and Heat

Treater

Shown is the KM-36D.The KM-14D, KM-18D,KM-24D, KM-36D, andKM-45D furnaces lookthe same from thefront. The chief differ-ence between thesemodels is length.

.

cleaning it.Part of thisspir i t ofknife mak-ing is lost when you send the blade out forheat treating and await its return.

Every time you, the maker, release oneof your knives to the world, your reputa-tion goes with it. This is why makers feelcompelled to control every step in theblade’s journey from initial designthrough final polishing.

No more waitingA Paragon furnace sets the knife maker

free. No more wrapping blades and ship-ping them to your heat treater. No morewaiting until you have a dozen blades toget the best price on heat treating. Nomore turning away orders for last-minutegifts.

While your furnace is hardening andtempering blades, you can busy yourselfgrinding more knives or fitting handles.After you’ve used your Paragon furnaceawhile, you will wonder how you ever gotalong without it.

When asked to make a knife on shortnotice—whether for a Marine Corpsawards presentation or an archaeologiston his way to Africa—you will be ready.When a custom knife is needed as a goingaway gift, and the recipient is leaving inthree days, you will be ready. Your furnacemight even pay for itself on rush ordersyou would otherwise have missed.

Own a furnace and you alone decidewhen you will complete a knife. If you stayup one Friday grinding a knife, you canheat treat it that evening and deliver it Sat-urday morning—just in time for a grateful

wife to present to her husband on hisbirthday.

Finishing a knife whenever you wantwill excite you. You will find yourselfworking into the night to complete a newdesign. When you send the blade out forheat treating, the excitement of making itis forgotten. By the time the blade returns,you hardly remember it.

Ed Fowler and hisParagon KM-14D

Ed Fowler has been making knives offand on since the sixth grade. Ed believesheat treating is a crucial step in makingknives. The soul of the knife is born in thefurnace. To entrust heat treating to some-one else would be unthinkable to EdFowler.

“Knives are my life,” says Ed. Owninga Paragon furnace adds magic to the ad-venture, because the knives come alive in-side the furnace.

With a Paragon furnace, the knifemaker can deepen his knowledge of work-ing knives. Experimenting with heat treat-ing teaches the knife maker more aboutthe steels he cherishes than any book orteacher could. With his own furnace, hecan alter the heat treating formula to ex-actly fit his own knives, just like Ed Fowlerdoes.

“I couldn’t achieve the control I nowenjoy had I not had a Paragon furnace,”Ed Fowler says. “Owning a Paragon is ex-tremely beneficial to blade smithing.” Edfound his furnace helpful in discoveringsome of the ideas in his classic books,

and

“Paragon offered me no financial re-wards or free equipment for this endorse-ment,” Ed said. “I recommend Paragonfurnaces because they make an excellent,reliable product.”

A full range ofknifemaking furnaces

Our knife making and gunsmithfurnaces come in six interior sizes:Furnace Model Length Width HeightDouble Barrel 24” 11” 4 ¼”KM-14D, Xpress-KM-14 14 ½” 5 ½” 4 ¼”KM-18D, Xpress-KM-18 18” 5 ½” 4 ¼”KM-24D, Xpress-KM-24 24” 5 ½” 4 ¼”KM-36D, Xpress-KM-36 36” 5 ½” 4 ¼”KM-45D 45” 5 ½” 4 ¼”

Even if most of your knives would fitinside the KM-14D, you may be happierwith the KM-24D, the most popular size.Too much capacity may be better than toolittle. After all, it doesn’t hurt to heatshorter blades in the longer KM-24D;electrical consumption is minimal. Ournewest KM-18D is mid-way in length be-tween the KM-14D and KM-24D so youcan buy just the size you need.

New 2350°Ftemperature

Paragon’s KM-series knifemaking fur-naces are now rated to 2350 degrees F, soyou can heat treat as hot as you need to.Heat treat the newest steels.

Specifications of Paragon FurnacesKiln Max. Firing Chamber Cubic App. Outside Dimensions Circuit NEMA

Model Temp. F. Opening Depth Feet Shp. Wt. W. x D. x H. Volts Amps Watts Fuse Config.2350 11”W x 4 ¼”H x 24”D .64 170 30”W x 30”D x 14 ½”H 240 17 4100 20 6-20R2000 8 ½”W x 8 ¾”H x 9”D .39 71 14”W x 18”D x 20 ½”H 120 14 1692 20 5-15R2000 13”W x 8 ¾”H x 13 ½”D .89 121 18 ¼”W x 22 ½”D x 20 ½”H 240 13 3120 20 6-20R2000 21”W x 13 ¼”H x 21”D 3.4 310 37 ½” x 30”D x 23”H 240 30 7200 50 6-50R2350 5 ½”W x 4 ¼”H x 14 ½”D .19 110 23”W x 20”D x 14 ½”H 120 16 1920 20 5-20R2350 5 ½”W x 4 ¼”H x 18”D .24 130 23”W x 24”D x 14 ½”H 120 17 2000 20 5-20R2350 5 ½”W x 4 ¼”H x 24”D .32 139 23”W x 30 ½”D x 14 ½”H 240 11 2600 20 6-20R2350 5 ½”W x 4 ¼”H x 36”D .49 176 23”W x 43”D x 14 ½”H 240 15 3600 20 6-20R2350 5 ½”W x 4 ¼’H x 45”D .61 240 23”W x 50”D x 14 ½”H 240 19 4560 20 6-20R2350 8 ½” W x 4 ½”H x 9”D .2 62 25”W x 14”D x 13 ½”H 120 15 1800 20 5-15R

Specifications are the same for the Xpress models equipped with the Sentry Xpress controller. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Ed Fowler with his Paragon KM-14D. “I rec-ommend Paragon furnaces because theymake an excellent product.”

HT-10D8 ½” wide, 8 ¾” high,

9” deep firing chamberwith the Sentry Xpress

3-key controller

KM-14D5 ½” wide, 4 ¼” high,

14 ½” deep firing chamberwith the Sentry 12-key

controller

The new Double Barrelfurnace for gunsmiths

The Paragon Double Barrel is just theright size for heat treating and case hard-ening of gun parts. Experiment with colorcase hardening. Restore the faded colorsof old guns. As with the other Paragonfurnaces, the Double Barrel has a digitalcontroller so you can program the temper-ature and hold time. The controller elimi-nates guesswork—instead of estimating atemperature by the color of the heat, justenter temperature. You will no longerhave to adjust a switch to maintain thehold time for case hardening; the control-ler does it for you. Set the hold time for aslong as necessary (typically two hours).

Your choice of twodigital controllers

The Sentry 12-key controller is fasterto program and has more features thanthe Sentry Xpress 3-key controller. How-ever, the Sentry Xpress is more economi-cally priced. Now you can choose thecontroller that fits your budget. You willmarvel at the accuracy and repeatability ofdigital temperature control.

Features included withboth controllers� A large, bright display shows tempera-

ture throughout heating and cooling inyour choice of °F or °C.

� Display messages guide you througheach programming step.

� Program Review lets you check that theprogram you are about to fire is correct.

� Audible Temperature Alarm� Error Messages report mechanical

problems.� Delay Fire: Set the time that the furnace

is to start the program.� Quick Release Molex Connectors per-

mit fast removal of the controller.� Program changes in temperatures and

hold times using segments. The Sentry12-key has up to 20 segments; The Sen-try Xpress 3-key has 8 segments.

� Store programs in memory (9 in theSentry 12-key; 4 in the Sentry Xpress).

� Skip Segment skips past any segment.� Program the rate of temperature climb

for each firing segment.� Temperature hold maintains a specific

furnace temperature for the period thatyou program; available in all segments.

� Control both heating and cooling.

� A protective metal sheath gives thethermocouple longer life.

Some of the extra featureson the deluxe Sentry12-key controller� Type in temperatures from the keypad.

This is faster than scrolling with arrowkeys.

� Firing Cost: Find out how much elec-tricity you are using.

� Stop/Back Key goes back one step witheach key press during programming.Use this to correct programming errors.

� Add Time Key adds five minutes to atemperature hold with each key pressduring firing.

� 30 Month Warranty� The Sentry 2.0 can operate types K, S

or R thermocouples.� Program Safety Lock for the program

in active memory. Gives you peace ofmind.

� Present Status shows which segmentthe furnace has reached during firing.

PKM- andHT-seriesHeat TreatingFurnaces

The KM-series furnaces are long andnarrow, ideal for knives. The PKM- andHT-series are sized for general heat treat-ing. (We also design custom furnaces.)

Machine shops save time with a fur-nace at their disposal in their own shop.You will no longer send a die out for heattreating, wait for its return and then sendit out again for additional heat treating.

The PKM-9D, our smallest stan-dard-order furnace, measures 8 ½” wide,4 ½” high and 9” deep inside. ThePKM-9D is small, but powerful. It will

HT-22D21” wide, 13 ¼” high,

21” deep firing chamber

The Sentry 2.0 12-key digitalcontroller

HT-14D13” wide, 8 ¾” high,

13 ½” deep firing chamber

The Sentry Xpress 4.0 digitalcontroller

Double Barrel11” wide, 4 ½” high,

24” deep firing chamber

Note: We alsomake larger

standardmodels andcustom heat

treatingfurnaces.

reach 1850° F. within 45 minutes. TheHT-10D and PKM-9D fire on a 120 volt,15 amp circuit. The PKM-9D can beshipped by UPS.

The HT-10D interior measures 8 ½”wide, 8 ¾” high, and 9” deep, a good sizefor most small parts. The HT-14D ismade for large objects and higher volumeusers. The firing chamber is a generous13” wide, 8 ¾” high and 13 ½” deep. TheHT-14D operates on a 240 volt, 20 amp.circuit.

The HT-22D offers capacity that ishard to believe for the price. Costing onlyslightly more than our smaller furnaces,the HT-22D measures a massive 21” wide,13 ¼” high and 21” deep inside.

FeaturesSolid construction� The drop door swings open with

one-handed operation. A coun-ter-weight handle holds the door se-curely closed.

� The door is mounted on a heavy-dutyhinge shaft for smooth opening. Be-cause of the rigid case and heavy hinge,the door is sturdy enough for years offaithful service.

� To prevent shock hazard, a microsafety switch automatically shutsoff power to the elements when thedoor is opened, yet the temperaturecontroller remains powered.

� A chain holds the door open andout of the way so you can removehot blades without bumping into aswinging door.

� The elements are mounted indropped, recessed grooves ma-chined into the firebrick. Thegrooves protect the element forlong life and low maintenance.

� Elements are simple to replace becausethey’re exposed rather than embedded.You can thread new elements into placefollowing the manual.

� The temperature sensor (thermocou-ple) is sheathed in high-nickel steel forlong life.

� The thermocouple wire is kept insidethe control box for protection from theharsh environment of the typicalbladesmith shop.

� The firing chamber is protected by arigid, deluxe steel case.

� A built-in stand lifts the firing chambersafely off your worktable, so no extrastand is needed.

� We use high temperature wire in theswitch box for long life.

� A heat shield, mounted between theswitch box and furnace, helps keep theswitch box components cool even dur-ing extended operation.

� Made in America. We are very proudthat 45% of Paragon’s factory workforce has been here over 10 years; 20%have worked here over 20 years.

Complete instructionsYour furnace includes a wiring dia-

gram, programming instructions, andheat treating manual. The manual in-cludes basic heat treating instructions forD2, 440C, ATS 34 and 154 CM. Themanual is written in plain English for thebeginner.

In business since 1948Paragon Industries, L.P. is one of the

oldest and most widely recognized kilnand furnace manufacturers in the world.Paragon was founded in 1948 and is aleader in electric kilns and furnaces. In de-signing heat treating furnaces, we useideas that have been proven in Paragonkilns and furnaces since 1948. Many of theParagon kilns manufactured twenty andthirty years ago are still firing.

AccessoriesKnifemaker’s HeatTreating Kit

Contains 1 pair hot gloves, 1 heattreating fork, 4 knifeholders, and 8 fire-brick supports.

Hot GlovesFor intermittent handling of hot ob-

jects up to 400° F. Sold in pairs. Not in-tended for handling hot blades.

Heat Treating ForkEasily removes knifeholders and

blades from the hot furnace. A slidingwooden handle allows you the mostcomfortable position for holding thefork. 31” long.

Firebrick SupportsPosition firebrick supports under the

knifeholders inside the furnace. The fire-brick supports raise the knifeholders soyou can slide the fork under holders.

KnifeholderHigh temperature removable pins fit

into holes pressed into a ceramic base.The pins hold the foil-wrapped blades onedge so heat can circulate around eachblade.

Gas Injection Flow Meter

Oxygen in the furnace forms a scale onthe surface of knifeblades and other partsduring heat treating. To avoid surfacescale, wrap the parts in heat treating foilor inject an inert gas into the furnace. Thegas displaces the oxygen.

Please note that the gas may reduceheating element life. Also, gas injectiondoes not offer better results than heattreating foil nor does gas injection preventall scaling. The main benefit of gas injec-tion is the savings in time over wrappingthe steel in foil.

The flow meter can be ordered with anoptional solenoid kit, which enables youto turn the gas on or off for each segment,or stage, of the firing. Paragon furnacesare available with the 12-key Sentry con-troller or the compact, less expensive3-key Sentry Xpress. The solenoid kitmust be ordered with the 12-key control-ler. Program the controller to turn on thegas at temperatures where carbon beginsto form on the tool steel.

In addition to the flow meter, you willalso need a regulator to reduce the pres-sure from the gas tank.

The flow meter can be installed at thefactory or is available as an after-marketaccessory.

©2013, by Paragon Industries, L.P. PA-55/1-13

The gas injection flow meter.

Industries, L. P.Better

DesignedKilnsTM

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