Most people buy their first kiln for the material or process they're currently working with, but then become interested in something else.

There's quite a choice: annealing beads, firing Art Clay, BronzClay, CopprClay, and PMC metal clays, casting glass, glass fusing, firing ceramics, china painting, enamelling, fusing dichroic glasses, heat treating metals, laboratory testing, lampwork, making mixed-media jewellery, melting silver, porcelain, pottery, raku, sagging, slumping, stained glass, and stoneware.

Although kilns are initially designed for a specific material or process, there's always flexibility. For example, the SC-2B is a 1095°C bead-annealing kiln but, as Art Clay 650 silver fires at between 650°C and 850°C, it could also be used for Art Clay and PMC, small-scale glass fusing, dichroics, and enamelling.

And, although the Janus 1613 is a 1290°C ceramics kiln, most glass work is done below 925°C, so it could also be used for fusing, sagging, and slumping: and Art Clay, PMC, china painting, dolls, glass, gold, porcelain, pottery, silver, and stoneware.

So, before buying a kiln, think about it's wider future use: is it for a home or business, where it will be used, will it need to be moved, can it use a regular socket, what's its maximum temperature, how are the elements arranged, will the lid or door open conveniently, will the firing chamber accommodate your work leaving room to experiment, and how many kiln shelves can you stack up inside?

Buying a second-hand kiln does have risks: you don't know if the elements have been over-fired, the programmer may have an intermittent fault, the relays may be sticky, the thermocouple might not be accurate, it could have been poorly repaired, you'll have no guarantee, and, if it does fail quickly, the seller won't take it back.

Paragon kilns are thoughtfully and robustly engineered, so you're buying a kiln with a future.

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.

For many people, buying a kiln is a once-only event. A comprehensive internet resource lets you research and compare kilns in your own time. However, there's a lot to read and there'll inevitably be repetition as kilns have common features.

Although you can mail or call for help, I've separated the smaller table-top kilns that can use a regular mains socket. For the Paragon BlueBird, Caldera, FireFly, Fusion 6, Fusion 7, Home Artist, SC2, SC3, and Xpress kilns, transfer now to Electric Kilns using the Electric Kilns link above the menu bar near the top of the page.

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

Your choice of kiln will depend on wether you want to produce single unique pieces to wear or give, make a batch of similar pieces to sell, fire your students' assorted work, or work on large panels or three-dimensional objects.
In a course centre, fast heating might be vital to allow students to comlete their set pieces. As an example, an SC2 will heat from cold to 650°C in twenty minutes: an Xpress E14A will take 45 minutes.

There are three main factors that affect the rate at which a kiln can heat and cool, and its maximum temperature: the electrical power, its internal size, and the firing chamber material.

The fastest to heat would be a high power, small, ceramic-fibre kiln, and the slowest to heat would be a low power, large, firebrick kiln. In both cases, a digital programmer can control the heating rate.

Over the decades, the US model numbers have become increasingly complicated, using an inconsistent mix of names, letters, numbers, and dashes. They might have historical significance but now, often, don't mean anything logical.

To make it clearer, we use the same numbers, the ones in the table, throughout. Our UK naming convention uses B for a bead-annealing door, W for a glass viewing-window, and BW for both.

SC meant Small Ceramic, not SilverClay. There is no longer an SC-1 kiln, the SC-2 is called an SC2 or SC2-1, the SC-2B is called an SC2 Bead Door, the SC-2W is called an SC2 Vista, the SC-2BW isn't called anything, the SC-3 is called an SC3 or SC3-4, and the SC-3BW isn't called anything.

A meant painted finish; Caldera-X meant it has a plain collar; E meant enamelling front-loading; Q meant ceramic front-loading; SC meant small ceramic-fibre, not silverclay; TNF meant Touch n Fire; and Xpress meant digital programmer. The suffix 3, as in TNF 66-3, meant that the firebricks are 3 inches thick.

The 14-9SSP has a firing chamber about 14in x 9in. SSP means single set point, although it has a fully-programmable Sentry Xpress 3-key digital controller.

The Caldera-B is called a Caldera-BC, and the Caldera-C is called a Caldera-X. GF means Glass Fusing but the catalogue doesn't use it. GL means glass, but the GL series were numbered confusingly: at best, ADTSD means painted finish, digital programmer, with top, side, and door elements.

The Ovation 925°C ten-sided glass kiln is called an Ovation 10, and the Ovation 1290°C ten-sided ceramics kiln is called a Janus Ovation.

The TNF-27-3 is about 27in across inside and has 3in thick firebricks. However, the TNF-66 is not 66in inches across and the Fusion 8 is not 8in across, but 8 sided.

The Xpress E-10A is called an E10AXpress, the Xpress E-12A is called an Xpress E-12T, the Xpress E-14A is called an Xpress-E14A, and the Xpress Q-11A is called an Xpress-Q-11A.

Paragon 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 differences:

Kilns made outside the UK have been re-engineered and comprehensively tested for the UK and Europe. They work on a regular, single-phase, 230V supply. 230V is the EU standard, although there are minor local and national variations.

They're CE Marked and comply with EU safety standards. The heating elements are either embedded in ceramic fibre, or the kiln is fitted with a door or lid switch: an important safety feature.

Apart from the manual Caldera-S and FireFly-S, they all have digital programmers. You can set up to four sequences: mixes of heating, holding, and cooling segments which will run automatically and then stop. There are no restrictive features such as single-sequence use or pre-set programmes.

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. To complicate price comparison, many suppliers show internet prices that don't include VAT and delivery. Other suppliers only reveal prices in a paper catalogue or after a lengthy phone call.

Choosing the right kiln is important, especially if you're not sure which materials you'll want to work with. If you need help, mail or call.

The smaller kilns, up to 3120W, can use a regular mains socket. The 1095°C 3120W Xpress E-14A is the largest kiln, internally, that can use a regular mains socket.

Above that, you'll need a dedicated power supply, 30A, 45A, 65A, or 75A, straight from the main fusebox. To learn more about power supplies, use the start link below the menu bar, then choose help.

To comply with EU safety regulations, all kilns with exposed elements are fitted with an additional switch, included in the price, that cuts off the power whenever the door or lid is opened. So, there's no chance of turning on the kiln, putting some work in, and getting a shock. However, always take extra care.

The nature of safety switches is that they're not big 60A switches, but low current switches that turn off the main relay or relays. This technique is common in industrial equipment.

Most modern kilns use an electronic programmer, or digital controller, such as the Orton Sentry. A programmer allows you to set up accurate drying, heating, holding, and cooling sequences: and do something else whilst the sequence is running. The programmers are easy to use, and the sequences can be saved for the future.

Paragon kilns don't have programmers with pre-set sequences: you can choose the sequence temperatures, times, and heating and cooling rates.
As a beginner, pre-sets may seem to be an advantage. However, having experimented, many people fire materials, or combinations of materials, at different temperatures and for different times than are recommended.
And, later, you might want to work with other processes and materials such as: china painting, dichroic glass, dolls, enamels, fusing, glass-bead annealing, glazes, gold paints, low-fire ceramics, sagging, and slumping.

The programmer is partly controlled by a temperature-sensing thermocouple. However, kilns on full heat will overshoot the set temperature briefly before settling back. Using the kiln for low-temperature processes, such as baking Fimo Polymer Clay, needs care.
The effects of this overshoot can largely be prevented by setting a lower temperature or a lower heating rate. Usually, this has no effect on your work, but keeping a kiln log will help you learn how to set temperatures.

To learn more about the Sentry programmers, more link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then choose programmers, or help.

A kiln's maximum operating temperature sets limits on the materials and processes you can use. 1290°C is the highest temperature that standard kilns reach: above that, the materials and construction have to change, and the cost increases dramatically.

Porcelain and stoneware need about 1290°C; low-fire ceramics about 1095°C; glass fusing, sagging, and slumping, enamelling, and bead annealing about 925°C; Accent Gold about 900°C; PMC about 850°C; and Art Clay about 650°C.

The maximum temperature is not related to the wattage: so a 4800W kiln does not get twice as hot as a 2400W kiln. The temperature depends on the elements, the firing chamber volume, and the programmer.

As with any device you buy, a kiln is not designed to be run full-on all the time. So, if you need to fire at 925°C for a long time, buy a 1095°C kiln, not a 925°C kiln. To give you a feel for temperature, here are the melting points for a few common materials:

I sometimes get asked if there's a platinum clay: there is, but it's an industrial product. Platinum melts at 1772°C, so a platimum clay would probably need to fire at around 1600°C: beyond the maximum temperature of conventional kilns.

There are three temperature scales: Celsius, sometimes called Centigrade, Fahrenheit, and Kelvin. The everyday descriptions are:

In the Celsius scale, water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C. Celsius is the international standard.

In the Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32°F and boils at 212°F.The Fahreneheit scale is still used in the US and conversationally in the UK.

In the Kelvin scale, absolute zero is the hypothetical, but unattainable, temperature at which matter exhibits zero entropy. It's defined as being precisely 0°K or -273.15°C. Celsius and Kelvin are used in scientific work.

To convert Celsius to Fahreneit, multiply by 9, divide by 5, and add 32. To convert Fahrenheit to Celsius, subtract 32, divide by 9, and multiply by 5.

Although a small kiln, such as the SC-2, can easily be moved by one person, most kilns need two people: so make sure that your kiln, and the two people carrying it, can fit through doorways, along corridors, around corners, and up or down stairs.

Kiln outer dimensions include the programmer and any other hardware. Conventionally, the dimensions are given in the order: length, width, and height. In the US, width is often called depth: languages are context sensitive, so it should be clear what is meant if a road is 6.40m wide and a swimming pool is 3.75m deep.

The first two dimensions represent the flat space needed. Weight is usually the shipping weight, including the weight of the recommended furniture kit: usually, about 5% of this is packing.

Kiln inner dimensions should allow you to comfortably load and unload your work. If you want to use several shelves, allow for the height of the posts and the thickness of the shelves. Shelves don't need to be a snug fit: the hot air won't circulate, and the shelf edges will scratch the inside of the firing chamber.

Think carefully about the internal height of a ceramic or glass kiln: you might start off with panels, plates, and bowls, but then want to make higher jars, pots, and vases.

Kilns need to be in an open, well ventilated space, not in a cupboard or closet. To learn more about the kiln work area, use the more link below the menu barnear the top of the page, then choose help.

HOME COOKING

If you use your kiln at home, check your building and contents insurance: a standard policy may not cover you against an accident arising from using a kiln, especially if it's used by a business.

If you're running courses at your home or workplace, you may need public liability insurance. And check that you have complied with local health and safety regulations and change-of-use planning consent. These might include providing protective eyeware, fire extinguishers, first-aid training, disabled access, a bathroom, and fire exits.

DAMAGED IN TRANSIT

Kilns regularly leave the US factory for the UK using reserved air cargo to minimise the freight charges. Air cargo typically takes four days. Sea freight takes at least seven weeks: or longer, as resellers often secure advance payments then wait to collect enough orders to fill a container.

The smaller kilns are usually in stock, ready for next-day delivery to your address. The larger kilns are 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.

If you call first, you can collect one of the smaller kilns from our shop: Cherry Heaven in Corfe Castle village. However, a larger kiln, such as a crated Fusion 10, weighs 106kg and is 1300mm across, so it won't fit in a regular car.

Your kiln will usually be delivered by one of the well-known shipping companies, such as Concordia, Fedex, UPS, Amtrak, or City Link. When you sign for it, write unexamined by your signature. If there's any damage, don't touch the packing and call the shipping company.