Duncan Kiln The Hobbyist db609

[donec]

Hi every one I am a little more than new as I have never done any thing with a kiln other than burn out wax from investment for lost wax casting. I have been thinking of trying my hand at metal clay and maybe some other clay projects. I ran across a Duncan Kiln The Hobbyist db609 that has a little damage but works for $50.00 so I bought it. Now the damage is a small bit of the brick at the top broken off, the brick is cracked in one spot and the round plate shelf that sits on the bottom is broken in half. See image....


Now my questions
1. is the broken shelf still usable and is it just there to set stuff on?
2. Will the broken brick cause heating problems like heat being too hot in a given area?
3. Does anyone know if the Duncan Kiln "The Hobbyist db609" is, for practical purposes, the same as the "Paragon S-11-9-3"? I have looked at the specs/images and they seem the same to me as far as size, power requirements and location of switches.
4. Should I clean out the kiln and if so how?
5. Is there an easy way to test the temperature it reaches in a given amount of time? Note: at present I have no cones.
6. Is there anything I should check when checking to see that it really does work right?

[Metalman]

Hi every one I am a little more than new as I have never done any thing with a kiln other than burn out wax from investment for lost wax casting. I have been thinking of trying my hand at metal clay and maybe some other clay projects. I ran across a Duncan Kiln The Hobbyist db609 that has a little damage but works for $50.00 so I bought it. Now the damage is a small bit of the brick at the top broken off, the brick is cracked in one spot and the round plate shelf that sits on the bottom is broken in half. See image....


Now my questions Okay Metalman here, will try to 'run the list' as they say:
1. is the broken shelf still usable and is it just there to set stuff on?I would expect the shelf to be fine. I have picked some supports from a ceramic supply house. They probably have a new shelf for you if you need one. I also save broken pieces to stack up for supports as well
2. Will the broken brick cause heating problems like heat being too hot in a given area?I generally suspect not - should be OK - you want to inspect the coils in there well - if there are breaks - you need new coils. If they are sticking out or whatever and you have to move them - do so slowly and minimally - they are old and probably brittle
3. Does anyone know if the Duncan Kiln "The Hobbyist db609" is, for practical purposes, the same as the "Paragon S-11-9-3"? I have looked at the specs/images and they seem the same to me as far as size, power requirements and location of switches.out of my tech depth here - sorry
4. Should I clean out the kiln and if so how?I would put on a dust mask and use a cheap brush to dust it all down  - then vacuum it out - should be fine
5. Is there an easy way to test the temperature it reaches in a given amount of time? Note: at present I have no cones.well cones would be a way to test temperature. This is one of the problems  - for the most part , when you fire metal clays, you need a steady state temperature for a specific period of time [ART CLAY Silver 1200 F for a half an hour] this is very different from firing clay where you go up to a temperature and shut off. Most Metal Clay kilns have a computer driven time/temperature control with a thermocouple
6. Is there anything I should check when checking to see that it really does work right?Can't think of any specifics - it would be great to set up a couple of cone racks for the temperature you hope to use and run it up, making sure it doesn't burst into flames or blow the circuits

[donec]

Thanks for the reply Metalman. That is kind of what I thought it would be.