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Please give any advice you can. I'm buying my first kiln and I really don't want to pick the wrong one. I've been researching online, but need some advice and answers.

A little about me: I have been taking glass classes for about three years, and want to start doing work at home. I am looking for a smallish kiln to start with, but it must accomodate a 10"x10" square. I do fused glass plates and glass castings. My castings are usually done with window glass or frit, never a crucible, and range from 1" to 3" thick.

-What is a sitter?
-In my classes we always talked about temperature, never about cones. What's the deal with cones? What do they mean?
-Should I get a 120V or 240V kiln? I'd prefer to do 120 so that I don't have to hire an electrician, but would having 120 mean that I'm getting a weaker kiln?
-Should I chose a kiln with top or side elements, or both?
-I know someone who is selling a paragon GF7B....so far it looks really good. Are there problems with this kiln? Any ideas about if it's the right kiln for me?

Please give me any advice any of you have out there. I really do not want to make a costly mistake and get the wrong kiln.

Thank you!
-Stephanie

The paragon Gf-7b looks likes a nice little kiln. Made for glass, 120 volt, top and side elements. It is small, but sounds like a good starter kiln.

Paragon's website.
http://www.paragonweb.com/catalog.cfm?t ... item_id=53

Typically kilns don't hold their value in resell. Be patient, look around you might find a better deal. Go as large as your budget allows. Even though you only want to do 10"x10" pieces now, later you'll want to go bigger.

People use ceramic kilns, side elements only, but a ramp controller is a must.

Hope this helps. Others will fill in the blanks.

BobB

Hi,

From the website, it looks like the kiln you mention takes a 13" round shelf. I don't believe a 10x10" square would fit on this shelf (I think you'd need a 15" round shelf at the very least.) I'm always surprised when I do the math at just how big a circle needs to be to accomidate a certain sized square!

Hope this helps,
Michelle

When I bought my first large kiln I just called Marty at Centre DeVerre. Over the course of 2 days I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with him discussing brands, type of kiln, and just shooting the breeze.

120 does not mean you are getting a weaker kiln. If I am correct, it may take a bit longer to ramp since you have less amperage to draw, but will reach the same max temperature as a 240. A 120 draw will limit how large a kiln you can get.

Top vs top and side elements will really depend on the depth of the kiln and if you are going to have multiple shelves. If you plan on using more than one shelf, then yes, get top and side elements.

I would not get the largest kiln you can afford. Get the kiln you need for now or may need in the very near future. You may buy a large kiln now and then decide you never do enough work to fill it and fire as often as you like, or you may want a front load, or may even decide you want another of equal size to have varing firing schedules. I would think short term in your kiln choice and save your cash for more glass.

BobB wrote: Go as large as your budget allows. Even though you only want to do 10"x10" pieces now, later you'll want to go bigger.

BobB

Boy, isn't that the truth? I can't believe how quickly I outgrew my kiln.

Just a little side note: If you happen to be looking at a Skutt Hotstart, it's a great little kiln, but the controller will not let you adjust the annealing times. that's just fine if you only want to do a few layers of glass, but is problematic if you want to get into castings, pattern bars, or anything else thick.

Good luck!

Mira