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-   -   kiln advice requested (http://www.craftbanter.com/showthread.php?t=5776)

Karin Cernik April 23rd 04 10:04 PM

kiln advice requested
 
I know this has been asked before, and I have gone back and looked, but
I'm hoping for some advice for my particular situation. It seems that
there is no real consensus on kilns, as there seems to be at least a
partial consensus on torches, so I'm really having a tough time with
this one.

I need to buy a kiln. Obviously, I would rather not spend a fortune
(let's say, $500-800 if possible, going to $1000 if I have to.) I work
in my garage. In Kansas. Where it goes from -10 to +110. I would
prefer 120V, but I'm married to an electrical engineer, so I guess all
things are possible. I'm only needing to anneal beads right now, but
may want to do fusing/slumping/whatever in the future.

It appears a bead door is a necessary thing, to avoid killing yourself
with the mandrels and the heating elements. :-) But it also seems to
vastly limit the size/number of beads you can put in. Is that an issue?

It must have a computer controller. Can't be babysitting a kiln when
I'm already watching 2 kids, 2 cats, and a husband. :-)

I've heard that kilns with firebricks are possibly more efficient, in
that you can just turn them off to let them cool down - is that true?
Good practice? Safe?

I've looked at JenKen, Aim, Paragon... toolbox types, top-lid types,
guillotine door types... they all seem to have advantages and
disadvantages. If you all have the time, could you give me your
perspective as people who are actually USING the things (and have no
incentive to sell me one, which might understandably influence your
comments?)

Thanks!!

Karin
(who hopes THIS post actually makes it out to the outside world...)

Mj April 23rd 04 10:40 PM

Hi Karen -

I don't make beads, but I do some fusing from time to time and I will say
here, once again, that I LOVE my Skutt kiln.
http://www.skutt.com/glass/products/beadkiln.php
It has the bead door just in case I ever need it. It has a great digital
controller that you just set and forget when you're ready to run your cycle.
For beads, you'd be keeping it at a certain temperature as you put mandrels
in one by one until you had a batch and could run the program for annealing.
No need to babysit it as long as it's sitting in a safe place and a stray
critter can't jump up and move your mandrels. The extremes of outside
temperatures might be a problem, but that would be the case with *any* kiln
you used.

It has panels that slide into groves that protect the heating coils on
either side so you are less likely to electrocute yourself when you put
beads in to anneal. It runs on household current (110-120v) and I've never
gotten an electric bill that was extremely high because of using it. It's
very efficient and has few, if any, cold/hot spots within the chamber.

It's a good size for beads, it works well for fusing and you can also fire
PMC in it with NO problems. Slumping would be limited to small projects,
but it can be done. I use two shelves when fusing and it's amazing to me
the amount I can get into this thing! The controller allows you to set a
new program whenever you want or you can save your favorite firing/annealing
cycle for future use. Cost is $650-$750 plus shipping unless you have a
dealer close by.

If you have more specific questions about this unit, I'd be happy to answer
them.

Mj
--
=================================
Marjean Cline
Halsey Trading Company
eBay ID: ladymorgause
http://stores.ebay.com/Halsey-Tradin...ny?refid=store
=================================
"Karin Cernik" wrote in message
...
(let's say, $500-800 if possible, going to $1000 if I have to.) I work
in my garage. In Kansas. Where it goes from -10 to +110. I would
prefer 120V
I'm only needing to anneal beads right now, but
may want to do fusing/slumping/whatever in the future.

It must have a computer controller.


I've heard that kilns with firebricks are possibly more efficient, in
that you can just turn them off to let them cool down - is that true?
Good practice? Safe?




starlia April 23rd 04 10:50 PM

I've gone through three kilns starting from inexpensive to medium expensive.
The first two did not have digital controllers and the last one only had
manual controller...which is better than none.

I am now working with a Paragon Caldera with bead ring. It has a digital
controller with several programs. I've set up my own programs to suit my
needs and it's pretty easy to figure out. It is on 120v which was very
important to me. You can fuse and slump in this kiln and it will hold tons
of beads. I paid around $750 for my kiln with the bead door. Without the
bead door it was around $650. The bead door gives you additional height if
you are wanting to slump vases though.

For a good all around kiln with a great digital controller you can't go
wrong. It isn't too big or too small, works on regular 120v and can do a
variety of projects.

Can you tell I love my kiln?

Starlia

"Karin Cernik" wrote in message
...
I know this has been asked before, and I have gone back and looked, but
I'm hoping for some advice for my particular situation. It seems that
there is no real consensus on kilns, as there seems to be at least a
partial consensus on torches, so I'm really having a tough time with
this one.

I need to buy a kiln. Obviously, I would rather not spend a fortune
(let's say, $500-800 if possible, going to $1000 if I have to.) I work
in my garage. In Kansas. Where it goes from -10 to +110. I would
prefer 120V, but I'm married to an electrical engineer, so I guess all
things are possible. I'm only needing to anneal beads right now, but
may want to do fusing/slumping/whatever in the future.

It appears a bead door is a necessary thing, to avoid killing yourself
with the mandrels and the heating elements. :-) But it also seems to
vastly limit the size/number of beads you can put in. Is that an issue?

It must have a computer controller. Can't be babysitting a kiln when
I'm already watching 2 kids, 2 cats, and a husband. :-)

I've heard that kilns with firebricks are possibly more efficient, in
that you can just turn them off to let them cool down - is that true?
Good practice? Safe?

I've looked at JenKen, Aim, Paragon... toolbox types, top-lid types,
guillotine door types... they all seem to have advantages and
disadvantages. If you all have the time, could you give me your
perspective as people who are actually USING the things (and have no
incentive to sell me one, which might understandably influence your
comments?)

Thanks!!

Karin
(who hopes THIS post actually makes it out to the outside world...)




Kalera Stratton April 24th 04 06:49 AM

My pick for all of the above is the Ek Miller Fusebox II, unless you
lose power frequently. Fiber is more energy-efficient because it doesn't
absorb heat, but the drawback is that if your power shuts off your kiln
will lose heat quickly and you will have to re-anneal. If frequent power
interruptions are not a concern, than either a biber or brick kiln will
do you just fine. The Fusebox II fuses very nicely, is under $800
(barely) and has doors that run the full length of the kiln. If capacity
is a concern, I would definitely suggest staying away from the Jen-Ken
and the Skutt (which are fine kilns) because they have small bead doors.
Although many folks say you can just put the beads seperated on the rack
until they cool to annealing temp and then stack them in the kiln to
make more room, in practice this can cause small dings on the beads
where they touch. I have bought many beads with these dings, so I know
it's not just me :). Most people never notice them, but I won't sell a
bead with a ding, however tiny, so the kiln with the full-length bead
door was the only option. I have the Fusebox 10 (same as the II, but
slightly longer) and adore it.

Arrow Springs also makes an excellent bead kiln, but I have no
experience with it. If I was a new beadmaker on a budget, yet had the
advantage of knowing what I know now, I would get a Chili Pepper bead
annealer because they have a huge bead capacity, and I could buy a
seperate fusing kiln later with what I saved on the annealer, plus what
I made from having such a great bead capacity.

-Kalera
http://www.beadwife.com
http://www.snipurl.com/kebay


Karin Cernik wrote:
I know this has been asked before, and I have gone back and looked, but
I'm hoping for some advice for my particular situation. It seems that
there is no real consensus on kilns, as there seems to be at least a
partial consensus on torches, so I'm really having a tough time with
this one.

I need to buy a kiln. Obviously, I would rather not spend a fortune
(let's say, $500-800 if possible, going to $1000 if I have to.) I work
in my garage. In Kansas. Where it goes from -10 to +110. I would
prefer 120V, but I'm married to an electrical engineer, so I guess all
things are possible. I'm only needing to anneal beads right now, but
may want to do fusing/slumping/whatever in the future.

It appears a bead door is a necessary thing, to avoid killing yourself
with the mandrels and the heating elements. :-) But it also seems to
vastly limit the size/number of beads you can put in. Is that an issue?

It must have a computer controller. Can't be babysitting a kiln when
I'm already watching 2 kids, 2 cats, and a husband. :-)

I've heard that kilns with firebricks are possibly more efficient, in
that you can just turn them off to let them cool down - is that true?
Good practice? Safe?

I've looked at JenKen, Aim, Paragon... toolbox types, top-lid types,
guillotine door types... they all seem to have advantages and
disadvantages. If you all have the time, could you give me your
perspective as people who are actually USING the things (and have no
incentive to sell me one, which might understandably influence your
comments?)

Thanks!!

Karin
(who hopes THIS post actually makes it out to the outside world...)



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