Paragon Kilns is a Cherry Heaven on-line shop for all the Paragon kilns, such as the SC-1, SC-2, SC-3, BlueBird, Caldera, FireFly, Fusion, GL, Home Artist, Janus, KM, Ovation, Pearl, SNF, TNF, Xpress, Dragon, Iguana, Viking, and Vulcan. Most have a digital programmer: a ramp-hold or a ramp-hold cone-fire, a 3-key or 12-key.

They're suitable for annealing beads, Art Clay, BronzClay, CopprClay, PMC, metal clays, casting glass, glass fusing, firing ceramics, china painting, enamelling, fusing dichroic glasses, heat treating, knife-making, laboratory testing, lampwork, making mixed-media jewellery, melting silver, porcelain, pottery, raku, sagging, slumping, stained glass, and stoneware.

They're ideal for your home, college, school, university, course venue, craft centre, jewellery studio, pottery business, ceramics cafe, engineering facilty, medical laboratory, research unit, or technical workshop.

Cherry Heaven TV has made a short on-line slideshow featuring these popular kilns: click the Cherry Heaven TV player above. To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page.

You can shop here now: on line or by phone with a card, or by post with a cheque. Kiln prices include the recommended shelf kit, the legally-necessary lid or door safety switch where appropriate, UK VAT and duty, and insured door-to-door UK-mainland delivery: there are no other charges. For other destinations, mail or call.

This comprehensive internet resource lets you research and compare kilns in your own time. But, to make it easier, there are two broad groups: larger kilns for ceramics, glass, and heat treating, and smaller kilns for jewellery, enamelling, fusing, and keepsakes.

For larger wired-in floor-standing kilns, such as the Paragon Fusion, GL, Ovation, and Pearl for glass, the KM for knife making, and the Dragon, Iguana, Janus, SNF, TNF, Viking, and Vulcan for ceramics, porcelain, pottery, and stoneware, stay here at Paragon Kilns and use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page.

For smaller plug-in table-top kilns, such as the Paragon SC-1, SC-2, SC-3, BlueBird, Caldera, FireFly, Fusion, Home Artist, KM, and Xpress, the Kitiki MiniKiln, and the UltraLite, transfer now to Electric Kilns using the Electric Kilns link above the menu bar near the top of the page.

There's a wide range of kiln accessories, precision tools, and safety equipment that you should know about. Of course, it means that there's even more to read, but it's important. Use the accessories link below the menu bar near the top of the page.

Most people buy their first kiln for the material or process they currently want to work with. After a few successes, and failures, they soon become interested in something, or everything, else. So, before buying a kiln, think about it's wider future use. If you want help choosing a kiln, mail or call an engineer at Cherry Heaven.

Electric Kilns combine the best mix of ease-of-use, practical features, robust construction, and low door-to-door prices. When comparing them to similar kilns from other manufacturers or resellers, there are important considerations:

They're frequently used at course venues, and in craft centres, jewellery studios, and engineering workshops, and are referred to on line and in books: so there's lots of useful user-based help and support.

Apart from the UltraLite, the manual Caldera-S and FireFly-S, and the semi-automatic Kitiki Mini-Kiln, they all have built-in digital programmers, not separate controller boxes with extra cables.
You can set up, and re-use, sequences: mixes of heating, holding, and cooling segments that run automatically and then stop. The Paragon Sentry digital programmer doesn't have any restrictive pre-set features such as single-sequence use or material-specific programmes.

They use single-phase 230V mains, so work in the EU and most other countries. The elements are either embedded in ceramic fibre, or the kiln has a door or lid switch: an important safety feature.

It's widely believed that glass viewing-windows will cloud permanently or crack by about 925°C. The glass used in the Paragon Caldera, FireFly, SC, and Xpress series kilns has been time-tested at 1260°C.

Paragon Kilns have been re-engineered and comprehensively tested for the UK and Europe. They meet the demanding UL 499 standard in the US, and are CE Marked for the EU.

In the unlikely event that your kiln develops a fault, it's reassuring to know that home repairs are easy and need little more than a screwdriver and a pair of pliers. If you need help, there are on-line repair videos or an engineer can guide you on the phone. Alternatively, kilns can be repaired at Cherry Heaven.

Finally, prices. For a chosen firing-chamber volume and maximum temperature, US-made kilns cost less than kilns made in the UK, Western Europe, and Japan.

Cherry Heaven TV has made some on-line programmes and interactive demos about making and working with kilns. To look at these, use the more link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then choose radio, tv, or interactive.

However, before moving on, three table-top kilns are worth a preview:

The Paragon SC-2 is a low-cost home-business kiln. It's a 1095°C, four-sided, square, ceramic-fibre, front-opening kiln, with with an easy-to-use, 8-segment ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can try Art Clay, BronzClay, CopprClay, and PMC metal clays, GlasClay, Accent Gold, Metal Clay Veneer, china paints, making beads and bead annealing, applying decals, dichroic glasses, enamelling, jewellery, lost-wax casting, low-fire ceramics, glass fusing, sagging and slumping.

The Paragon SC-2 comes in four versions: the SC-2 with a plain door, the SC-2B with a bead-annealing door, the SC-2W with a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the SC-2BW with a bead-annealing door and a heat-resistant glass viewing-window. The SC3, SC3B, SC3W, and SC3BW are similar, but 50mm taller inside.

The SC2 is probably the most popular small-ish table-top jewellery kiln in the UK: so it's a good choice. Remember that BronzClay and CopprClay need to be fired in a stainless steel charcoal-filled container: a one litre for the SC-2.

To learn more about the Paragon SC-2, use the sc-2 link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then scroll down.

The Paragon Xpress E-12A, made for Cherry Heaven, is a mixed-media high-temperature kiln. It's a 1230°C, four-sided, rectangular, firebrick, front-opening kiln, with an easy-to-use, 8-segment ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can try Art Clay, BronzClay, CopprClay, and PMC metal clays, Accent Gold, Metal Clay Veneer, glass bead annealing, china paints, dichroic glass, enamelling, heat treating, jewellery, lost-wax casting, glass fusing, sagging and slumping, and medium-scale ceramics, porcelain, pottery, and stoneware.

The Paragon Xpress E-12A comes in four versions: the E-12A with a plain door, the E-12AB with a bead-annealing door, the E-12AW with a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the E-12ABW with a bead-annealing door and a heat resistant glass viewing-window

The Paragon Xpress E12A is perfect for materials and processes that need a long, high-temperature, firing sequence. Remember that BronzClay and CopprClay need to be fired in a stainless steel charcoal-filled container: a one litre or a three litre for the E-12A.

The E12A made for Cherry Heaven is 77mm taller inside than the US E12A, and gets 200°C hotter than the 1037°C US E12T, making it more versatile. It's large enough to do glass or ceramic tiles, plates, and bowls, and batch firings of all the metal clays.

To learn more about the Paragon Xpress E-12A, use the xpress link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then scroll down.

The Paragon Fusion 16 is the largest kiln that can use a regular socket. It's a 925°C, four-sided, square, firebrick, top opening kiln, with with an easy-to-use, 8-segment ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can try annealing glass, china painting, and glass casting, fusing, sagging, slumping, and lost-wax casting, although it could be used for most materials and processes that fall within its size and temperature limits. There's room for nine 100mm x 100mm glass tiles.

The Paragon Fusion 16 comes in three versions: the regular Fusion 16, the Fusion 16B with two bead-annealing doors, and the Fusion 16W with a heat-resistant glass viewing window.

To learn more about the Paragon Fusion 16, use the fusion link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then scroll down.

US-made kilns often have live heating elements that are exposed whenever the door or lid is open. To comply with EU safety regulations, an additional switch, included in the price, is fitted to cut off the power whenever the kiln is opened. Exposed live elements are very dangerous, and illegal in the UK.

There are two makes of silver clay and gold clay: Art Clay and PMC. Although we chose to sell Art Clay, both fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

Art Clay, sometimes called silver clay, gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, is made by Aida Chemical Industries. It's a clay-like material made of fine silver or gold powder and water-soluble organic binders.

As it's fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver or 22 carat gold. Real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

To learn more, use the art clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy clays and related products in the on-line shop.

If you're currently using PMC, try Art Clay. There are differences in the feel, the shrinkage, the strength, the surface lustre, the product range, the pricing, and the general commercial setup if you're running a serious business.

There are three makes of bronze clay: Prometheus Bronze Clay made by Odak, Bronze Clay made by MetalMania, and BronzClay made by Metal Adventures. They're clay-like materials made of fine bronze powder and water-soluble organic binders.

As it's fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid bronze: an alloy of 89% copper and 11% tin. Real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

I can't recommend one clay as being the best. There are differences in the feel, the firing, the shrinkage, the strength, and the surface patinas, so try them and experiment: they're not expensive.

To learn more, use the bronze clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy clays and related products in the on-line shop.

There are four makes of copper clay: Art Clay Copper made by Aida, Prometheus Copper Clay made by Odak, Copper Clay made by ClayMania, and CopprClay made by Metal Adventures. They're clay-like materials made of fine copper powder and water-soluble organic binders.

As it's fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid copper. Real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

I can't recommend one clay as being the best. There are differences in the feel, the firing, the shrinkage, the strength, and the surface patinas, so try them and experiment: they're not expensive.

To learn more, use the copper clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy clays and related products in the on-line shop.

GlasClay is made by ClayMania in vibrant colours. It's a clay-like material made of fine glass powder and water-soluble organic binders. Just add water.

As it's fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the glass powder fuses, leaving solid glass. Real glass, not something that just looks like glass.

Glass Clay is ideal for three-dimensional work as it frees you from the constraint of working with flat glass. Perhaps the most exciting opportunity is to make your own beads without a torch.

To learn more, use the glass clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy clays and related products in the on-line shop.

This is a Cherry Heaven on-line shop and an EU distribution, sales, support, spares, and repair centre for kilns: it's not a bead, ceramics, crafts, glass, hobby, or metal-clay shop, selling a few kilns to a market niche.

Although it's an internet resource, you can still mail or call an engineer about kilns, power supplies, home diagnostics, repairs, spares, safety issues, a special project, or reselling opportunities.

This internet resource belongs to Cherry Heaven, a shop in Corfe Castle village near the National Trust Estate. Cherry Heaven sells a diverse selection of exclusive essentials and luxuries.

Cherry Heaven is an EU distributor for Paragon Kilns made in Texas, USA, and has been commended for an outstanding performance as one of Paragon's top-selling distributors over 2007 to : a pleasing outcome since the UK is only one third the area of Texas and one fortieth the area of the US.

Cherry Heaven offers a comprehensive list of products, including Kitiki, Odak, Paragon, Art Clay, BronzClay, CopprClay, GlasClay, AccentGold, ClayMania, Lindstrom, Metal Adventures, Prometheus, UltraLite, materials, and tools.

Founded as a family business in 1948, Paragon Industries is now the world's leading manufacturer of electric kilns and furnaces, and has built over 380 000. The 4 830 square metre site, in Mesquite, Texas, employs over 70 full-time staff.

Paragon continually monitors design and manufacture, leading to versatile, practical, safe kilns. Every kiln goes through a fifteen-step quality check, with a technician following the build, and is inspected before shipping. Paragon kilns are thoughtfully and robustly engineered, so you're buying a kiln with a future.

Paragon kilns conform to the demanding UL 499 standard in the US, and are CE Marked for the EU. Paragon is Greek for Model Of Perfection.

The kiln prices include the recommended shelf kit, and the legally-necessary lid or door safety switch where appropriate.

The smaller kilns are usually in stock, ready for next-day delivery to any address you nominate. The larger kilns are only made to order, take about ten working days to build, and will arrive in a crate or on a palette.

Paragon in the US doesn't have a warehouse full of ready-to-go kilns, and it's not feasible to showcase the extensive range at the Cherry Heaven shop in the UK, especially as most kilns are protectively packed for shipping.

The on-line shop link is below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy kilns, kiln shelves, shelf paper, metal clays, ceramic blocks and cloths, reminder timers, glare-resistant glasses, heat-resistant gloves, digital pyrometers, fire extinguishers, kiln tables, tools, spare parts, and accessories. Alternatively, visit Cherry Heaven in Corfe Castle village.

Unlike most internet shops, you won't have to register, log on, remember a password, or complete all your personal and debit card details to discover that, at the last moment, the total is more than you expected because the VAT and a delivery charge were obscured.