Seeking Kiln Advice

I've been checking out the various websites listed in the postings. However, I wanted real world experience with kilns from this group. I would appreciate any knowledge and likes/dislikes about your kilns. I feel I will make a better decision with the knowledge of others.

My kiln, the Big Blue Fusebox, is perfect for me. It's big enough to cook dozens of beads, and is also big enough for fusing, should I decide to. It has a bead door on the front, which is essential for me, because it makes getting into safer and more convenient when working on beads. The entire top also opens, if you want to fuse. The kiln came with a seperate digital controller, which has two programs ready - one for basic annealing and one for a slow ramp-up if you need it. I think the new model has the controller already attached, but mine is a seperate piece. The kiln keeps the heat in very well, even when you open the bead doors. So far, I have only had one incident with it involving a power outage, and all turned out okay in the end. (power went off in the middle of an anneal cycle, and when power came back, kiln ramped back up and stayed at 950.) The kiln heats up very quickly (unless you use the slow program to ramp up) and stays at the set temp very well. I think Frantz sells the kiln and controller for under $1000 at their site.

Hmmmm - that's about it. Good luck!

I got a kiln at a garage sale for $300. It is a ceramic kiln with no controller to speak of (off, lo, med & hi). It has a chamber that is about

14" across. Even one of the elements has come loose and is on the floor of the kiln. I have done slumping, fusing and vitreous paint firing with it. I did get an analog pyrometer. My kiln isn't the "best" for glass, but it works and I would probably still be waiting to do fusing if I had to wait to have enough money to get the "best" kiln for glass. Remember, a kiln is just a really hot oven. No more, no less. Since then I have gotten more kilns (about 10 at last count) and only a couple are real honest-to-goodness glass kilns. But the Egyptians and Venetians didn't have kilns as good as mine and their stuff came out okay. Good tools are great, but any tool that works is better than no tool at all. You probably will want to keep your smaller kiln hooked up as an annealer. Otherwise, do what your budget allows. Keep an eye out in the local paper and garage sales. You can get a real deal sometimes.

Evenheat makes very good, very affordable glass kilns. I've had one for... my gosh... over six years, and never a bit of trouble. Bullseye uses Evenheat kilns for their compatibility test firings, or at least, did when I worked there... I consider that a good testament to their durability.

You might also try posing your question to the WetCanvas glass forum,

Try Centre de Verre, link is on the warm glass site at

There is a lot of good kiln info there. I have a Jen Ken kiln I'm very satisfied with which I bought from Marty at CdV, but it's a smaller one. Patti