Paragon Kilns is an on-line shop for the Paragon BlueBird, Caldera, Dragon, EzBeader, FireFly, Fusion, GL, Home Artist, Iguana, Janus, Ovation, Pearl, SC-2, SC-3, SNF, TNF, Viking, Vulcan, and Xpress.

They can all use a regular 230V mains supply, so will work anywhere in the EU. With the exception of the Caldera-S and FireFly-S, they all have digital programmers.

Broadly, they're suitable for annealing beads, Art Clay, casting glass, ceramics, china paints, dentistry, dichroic glass, enamelling, firing ceramics, glass fusing, heat treating, laboratory testing, lampwork, making jewellery, melting silver, metal clays, PMC, porcelain, pottery, raku, sagging, slumping, stained glass, and stoneware. They're ideal for your home, school, craft workshop, jewellery studio, course venue, or ceramic cafe.

The on-line shop includes Paragon Kilns, BullsEye ThinFire kiln paper, Orton Sentry Xpress programmers, Vent Master venting systems, ceramic blocks, ceramic cloths, digital pyrometers, reminder-timers, fire extinguishers, glare-resistant glasses, heat-resistant gloves, kiln shelves, kiln tables, and other tools and accessories.

You can shop here now: on line or by phone with a card, or by post with a cheque. Prices include a shelf kit, a door or lid safety-switch where appropriate, VAT, and insured door-to-door UK-mainland delivery: there are no other charges.

Paragon Kilns is part of Cherry Heaven, a shop in Corfe Castle village. Cherry Heaven sells a diverse selection of exclusive essentials and luxuries. To look at Cherry Heaven, use the Cherry Heaven link above the menu bar at the top of the page.

Paragon Kilns combine the best mix of practical features, robust manufacture, and low door-to-door prices. When comparing them to similar kilns from other manufacturers or resellers, there are important differences:

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

UK voltage used to be 240V and European used to be 220V. The EU decided to harmonise the voltage to 230V, but the implementation costs were too high for almost no real benefit. So, to appear harmonised, the legal voltage limits were changed to 230V, but within the range 216V-253V. Generally, in the UK, 240V is a reliable average.

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.

Paragon kilns, with the exception of the Caldera-S and FireFly-S, use Orton Sentry digital programmers. You can set four programmes, each with eight heating, holding, or cooling segments: so you can choose the temperatures, times, and heating and cooling rates. They don't have restrictive features such as single-sequence use or pre-set programmes.

The 1290°C FireFly and Caldera series kilns are the hottest table-top kilns that can use a regular mains socket. Above 1290°C, kiln technology uses different materials and becomes a lot more expensive.

The 1095°C Xpress E14-A is the largest table-top kiln that can use a regular mains socket. A 13A Fusion 8, smaller and with fewer elements, has been promoted to an innocent market: it's not recommended. It would take too long to heat up, might not reach its maximum temperature, and the temperature would change with local voltage variations.

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 delvery. Other suppliers only reveal prices in a paper catalogue or after a lengthy phone call.

To learn more about kiln types, use the kilns link below the menu bar at the top of the page, then choose. To make it easier, every detail about every kiln has been included. This inevitably means that there's a lot to read, and there might be some repetition.

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.

To learn more about tabletop kilns, such as the UltraLite Kiln, the Kitiki Mini-Kiln, and the Paragon BlueBird, Caldera, FireFly, Fusion 6, Fusion 7, Home Artist, SC-2, SC-3, and Xpress, transfer to Electric Kilns, using the Electric Kilns link above the menu bar at the top of the page.

The Paragon SC series kilns are low-cost, front-opening, ceramic-fibre kilns which heat and cool quickly. You can slump glass, anneal glass beads, melt silver, fire metal clays, and use many materials and processes, so they're ideal for your home, school, craft workshop, jewellery studio, or arts centre running jewellery courses.

The Paragon SC series kilns are suitable for Art Clay, PMC, metal clays, Accent Gold, Metal Clay Veneer, painting china, glass-bead annealing, decals, dichroic glass, enamelling, jewellery, lost-wax casting, low-fire ceramics, glass fusing, and small-scale sagging and slumping.

The Paragon SC series kilns come in two versions, as the SC-2 and the 50mm taller SC-3. They're both 1095°C, four sided, square, ceramic-fibre, front-opening kilns, with easy-to-use, ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmers. The Paragon SC-2 is the most popular small kiln in the UK.

The Paragon SC kilns are sometimes called Art Clay kilns, annealing kilns, beading kilns, craft kilns, dichroic glass kilns, enamelling kilns, glass kilns, glass fusing kilns, hobby kilns, jewellery kilns, jewelry kilns, lampwork kilns, metal clay kilns, PMC kilns, silverclay kilns, small kilns, or studio kilns.

Compared to similar kilns from other manufacturers, such as the Evenheat E-360 and the Sierra, the SC2 costs less. It's also been rebranded and repainted by several kiln resellers, which increases the prices.

Art Clay, sometimes called silver clay, gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, is made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan: it's a composite clay-like material, made of fine silver or gold powder and a harmless organic binder.

As it's fired, the binder vapourises 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 about Art Clay metal clays, Accent Gold, Metal Clay Veneer, buying and using kilns and tools, choosing a course, or discovering more at The Art Clay Club, use the , use the Art Clay link below the menu bar at the top of the page.

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

The on-line shop includes Paragon Kilns, BullsEye ThinFire kiln paper, Orton Sentry Xpress programmers, Vent Master venting systems, ceramic blocks, ceramic cloths, digital pyrometers, reminder-timers, fire extinguishers, glare-resistant glasses, heat-resistant gloves, kiln shelves, kiln tables, and other tools and accessories. Alternatively, visit the Cherry Heaven Shop in Corfe Castle village.

Cherry Heaven, through Electric Kilns, is an EU distributor for Paragon Kilns made by Paragon Industries in the US, and the Prometheus Pro kilns made by Odak Sanat in Turkey.

Cherry Heaven, through Advance Kilns, is the EU distributor for Advance Kiklns made by Advance Kilns in Canada, and, through The UltraLite Kiln, an EU distributor for the Ultra Lite Kiln made by JEC Products in the US.

Cherry Heaven, through The Kitiki Studio, is a UK distributor for Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan, and an EU distributor for AccentGold For Silver paint and Metal Clay Veneer, both made in the US.

Cherry Heaven has been commended for outstanding performance as one of Paragon's 2007 top-selling distributors: a pleasing outcome since the UK is one third the size of Texas and one fortieth the size of the US.

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.

All the kilns are designed to meet the demanding UL 499 standard in the US, and CE Certification in the EU. Paragon is Greek for Model Of Perfection.

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.

. The names Cherry Heaven, Paragon Kilns, Electric Kilns, The Kitiki Studio, Orton Sentry Xpress, Art Clay, The Art Clay Club, Art Clay World, SilverClay, PMC, Accent Gold, Metal Clay Veneer, and Fimo Polymer Clay, are registered trademarks.