The Paragon BlueBird series are plug-in, table-top kilns, usually used for annealing beads and glass work. They're 650°C to 815°C, four-sided, front-opening, two-door, ceramic-fibre kilns, with ramp-hold Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmers. In regular blue, or special-edition black, pink, purple, or turquoise.

You can batch-anneal glass beads threaded onto rods or mandrels, and anneal architectural parts, glass tiles, ornamental pieces, and stained-glass panels.

With the 815°C BlueBird XL. you can also try Art Clay metal clay, bronze clay, PMC silver clay, china paints, decals, dichroic glass, enamelling, glass art, glass clay, glass fusing, sagging, and slumping, laboratory testing, lampwork, lost-wax casting, making jewellery, and staining glass. And work with many other materials and processes.

They're ideal for your arts centre, bead shop, course venue, craft class, glass works, home business, jewellery studio, or school. The BlueBird Junior is great for bead classes and demonstrations, as it has a carrying handle and weighs just 15kg.

For prices, use the shop link below the menu bar near the top-right of the page. The prices are for a UK voltage CE-marked kiln, with two mandrel holders, a top-mounted mandrel-warmer, UK VAT, and UK mainland delivery.

Cherry Heaven TV has made an on-line photo book featuring these popular kilns: click the Cherry Heaven TV player above. It starts with the BlueBird Junior, and continues with the larger BlueBird and BlueBird XL.

To look at the pop-up photos, hold your mouse over the zoom buttons below: you don't need to click.

The Paragon BlueBird Junior.

The Paragon BlueBird Junior.

The Paragon BlueBird.

The Paragon BlueBird XL.

The Paragon Sentry Xpress 4.0 Programmer.

This comprehensive internet resource lets you research and compare kilns in your own time. There's a lot to read, but you'll make the right choice instead of an expensive mistake. The section about kiln furniture is very important.

There are two broad groups of kilns: small plug-in table-top kilns and large wired-in floor-standing and work-top kilns. Although there's cross-over, you can transfer to a more appropriate group using the link above the menu bar near the top of the page.

The Paragon BlueBird series are plug-in, table-top kilns, usually used for annealing beads and glass work. They're 650°C to 925°C, four-sided, front-opening, two-door, ceramic-fibre kilns, with ramp-hold Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmers. In regular blue, or special-edition black, pink, purple, or turquoise.

There are three in the series: the small 650°C BlueBird Junior, the medium 650°C BlueBird, and the larger and hotter 815°C BlueBird XL.

You can batch-anneal glass beads threaded onto rods or mandrels, and anneal architectural parts, glass tiles, ornamental pieces, and stained-glass panels.

With the 815°C BlueBird XL. you can also try Art Clay metal clay, bronze clay, PMC silver clay, china paints, decals, dichroic glass, enamelling, glass art, glass clay, glass fusing, sagging, and slumping, laboratory testing, lampwork, lost-wax casting, making jewellery, and staining glass, making it more versatile. And it's the largest bead-annealing kiln that can use a regular mains socket.

Other kilns have bead doors. If you want a regular kiln look at the SC-2B. If you want a hotter, similarly-sized kiln, for ceramics, look at the Caldera-AB. If you want a larger hotter kiln look at the Xpress-E12AB. I've included a specification table below showing the standard models, not all the upgraded versions.

Before looking at this kiln series in detail, here's a brief introduction to glass and some of the more common processes:

The main component of glass is silicon dioxide, often called silica: found naturally and plentifully as sand. When it melts, at around 1700°C, it's like syrup on a cold day. When it cools, it forms a rigid brittle glass called quartz glass.

To lower the melting point, and reduce the cost of melting, chemicals are added: typically sodium carbonate and calcium oxide. Other chemicals, and different heating and cooling processes, produce a range of colours and mechanical properties.

Chemically, glass is classed as an amorphous solid: not a liquid, as is widely believed. As it's heated, it becomes softer allowing it to be blown, moulded, poured, pressed, coated, decorated, engraved, or heat-treated.

A form of glass occurs naturally within the mouth of a volcano when the intense heat of an eruption melts sand to form Obsidian, a hard black glassy type of stone.

Dichroic glass has two different colours: a transmitted colour and a reflective colour, both of which change depending on the angle of view. For example blue-red will be blue in transmission and red in reflection.

During manufacture, quartz and metal oxides are vapourized onto the surface of the glass using a vacuum deposition process, forming a multi-layer crystal structure.

If two or more pieces of glass in contact are heated, they begin to soften and fuse together. With careful heating and cooling, the separate pieces of glass become one.

If glass is put on a mould and heated, it begins to soften and collapse, or sag, onto the mould: a common technique for making bowls and plates.

Sagging and slumping are often thought of as being the same. Correctly: during sagging, heated glass, supported at its edges, sags down in the middle to conform to a mould; during slumping, heated glass, supported at its middle, slumps down at its edges to conform to a mould.

The term warm glass refers to fusing, slumping, and other glass processes which take place at temperatures between about 600°C to 925°C. Although that doesn't sound warm, it is when you compare it to glassblower's working temperatures, which often exceed 1100°C. The term warm glass is often replaced by kiln forming.

If you're a beginner, you might have heard of lampworking. Very briefly, lampwork is the traditional name for glasswork that uses a gas torch to melt rods and tubes of clear and coloured glass. Once in a soft state, the shape is formed by turning and using tools.

Early lampworking was done in the flame of an oil lamp, with the artist blowing air into the flame through a pipe. Most artists today use torches that burn propane, natural gas, or butane, although kilns are becoming increasingly popular.

Beads are usually made on steel rods, or mandrels. When the beads are finished, the rods are removed leaving holes for threading the beads. Cold working techniques can be used, such as etching, faceting, polishing, and sandblasting.

During annealing, fabrication stresses are relieved as the molecules cool and arrange themselves into a regular stable matrix. Successful annealing is the key to creating glasswork that will remain attractive and durable. It's quite a long preocess, so an automatic kiln is essential.

An option is usually a cosmetic or practical variation, such as a pink respray, a right-hand hinge, a bead door, or an EU plug. An upgrade goes beyond the standard specifications, such as a higher temperature, a 12-key programmer, an electric kiln vent, or a USB interface. The photo shows a Paragon SC2 customised for an Art Clay and PMC studio: pink, with a RH hinge, and a maximum temperature of 925°C.

The kilns in this series are described in detail further down the page. It's important to read everything carefully so that you understand what they can and can't do, why some of the accessories, options, and upgrades might be useful, and how they compare with other kilns.

Not every option or upgrade applies to every kiln in this series. However, if they're appropriate, they're listed in the on-line shop, so just add up the ones you want: but order them with your kiln as they're often difficult, expensive, or impossible, to implement afterwards. It might help if you make a few notes of your own now? Mail or call if you need help deciding.

They use regular single-phase 230V mains so have 230V EU elements, not 120V US elements. They have UK 13A three-pin plugs: so they're ready to go. If you're not in the UK, use a plug adapter or cut off the UK plug and fit your own: it won't invalidate the guarantee. Alternatively, a special-order kiln can have an EU plug factory-fitted.

Most kilns can be re-engineered for 110V, 200V, 208V, or 240V, single phase or three phase, or 440V three phase. If you're interested, mail or call.

Although standard EU and US kilns have the same maximum temperature, set by the design and the programmer, some 1095°C firebrick kilns can be re-engineered to run at 1230°C, 1260°C, or 1290°C, making them versatile mixed-media kilns.

However, virtually everything can be done at less than 1260°C. At 1290°C, conventional kiln materials are nearing their limit so I suggest you only use 1290°C occasionally rather than full-on hour after hour.

Also, to maintain 1290°C, some upgraded kilns might need thicker firebricks, so they'll be slightly smaller inside: about 12mm on each side. Mail or call if you're interested, or need help deciding.

Kilns in the BlueBird, SC, and Xpress series are normally blue, but can be painted black, pink, purple, or turquoise. However, as they're made to order, they can't be returned if the colour isn't exactly the same as in the photo.

The door hinge is usually on the left. However, a right-hand hinge might be better if you're left-handed: unless the kiln will be in the left-hand corner of your studio or there's an obstacle that will make access difficult. Give this some thought.

Most of the medium-size kilns have a standard lift-up lid. Firebrick lids seem heavy to some people so, if you feel that a hydraulic-assisted or spring-assisted lid would be easier, mail or call.

If the kiln comes with a Sentry Xpress 3-Key ramp-hold programmer, you can upgrade to a Sentry Xpress 3-Key cone-fire and ramp-hold programmer, usually preferred for ceramics. Cone-fire is implemented in the programmer's software and is very easy to use: just set a cone number and start the firing sequence.

Or, you can upgrade any Sentry Xpress 3-key programmer to a Sentry 12-Key ten segment ramp-hold, or cone-fire and ramp-hold, programmer, with advanced firing features and connection options. The 3-key has a 12-month guarantee and the 12-key has a 30-month guarantee.

The Sentry 12-key programmer can be connected to your computer through a factory-fitted USB interface. The Control Master software allows you to control and monitor the firing, and analyse, arrange, print out, and save the data. If you want this feature, make sure you order the USB interface.

Most kilns come with a standard long-lasting electro-mechanical relay. However, if long-life and reliability are vital, you can upgrade to a mercury relay which has a lifetime of several million on-off cycles. Remember that some of the larger kilns have two or more relays.

Some bronze and copper clays, and some metals, need to be fired in activated charcoal granules in a stainless steel container. The SC2 and SC3, the Caldera-A, and the Xpress E9A. E10A, and 1193 can hold a one-litre container: most other kilns can hold a three-litre.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

If you want to touch anything hot or move your kiln before it's cooled off, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves. And, if you want to look into a red-hot kiln, wear glare-resistant glasses which protect your eyes from IR and UV.

Paragon kilns, made in the US, have been re-engineered and comprehensively tested for the UK, the EU, and most other countries. They're CE Marked and comply with EU safety standards. They're guaranteed for a year, and Paragon has an international, informed, and supportive user-base, and spares and repair centres.

The digital programmer shows degrees Celsius, not degrees Fahrenheit as in the US. If you need to convert, this is how to do it. However, if you want to work in Fahrenheit, you can make a simple change to the programmer.

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. An engineer can guide you on the phone, and there are on-line repair videos.

Every kiln comes with kiln furniture, included in the price, so that you can start work straight away. It's not an expensive collection that I've put together for you: one that you have to pay for but might never use.

What you get depends on which kiln you choose. For example: one full shelf, two half-shelves, several mixed shelves, a set of shelf posts, a bead-mandrel holder, glass separator, hot gloves, kiln wash, a knife-making rack, pyrometric cones, a tile holder, or other accessories. So, it's important to understand what's in the included furniture kit for the kiln you've chosen.

Usually, a shelf kit comprises one professional, durable, cordierite shelf and four 12mm high posts. It should stay on the floor of the firing chamber all the time in case you accidentally spill or melt anything: solidified glass is impossible to pick off without damaging the ceramic-fibre or firebrick. You don't get a soft, ceramic-fibre shelf, often described as free, that will gradually break up and need replacing.

During firing sequences with heating, holding, and cooling segments, the elements turn on and off repeatedly. In a small kiln, with little residual heat, the inevitable temperature changes can make glass crack as it expands and contracts. A thick heavy shelf stores heat and, because it's resting on posts, the air circulates, helping to even out any normal temperature fluctuations.

If you're buying your first kiln, you're probably interested in one material, such as silver clay, or one process, such as enamelling. However, after a few successes, and failures, most people want to try different materials, make larger pieces, experiment with combinations, fire more at a time, and soon become interested in something else: or everything else. Some start a business or run classes.

Depending on the material or process, and the sizes of your pieces, shelves can be stacked up on posts to make better use of the kiln space, your time, and the unit firing-cost: so you might want extra shelf kits.

If extra shelf kits are packed with the kiln, the delivery charge doesn't increase. Ordered later, not with the kiln, they need a box and protective packing and attract an extra delivery charge. Outside the UK mainland, this might be expensive. So, if you think you'll need them, order them with your kiln, along with any other accessories, materials, parts, or tools.

Although they look tough, most ceramics break if they're dropped, so it's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses.

Shelf kits usually include 25mm x 25mm x 12mm shelf posts, When flat, they're 12mm high: on their sides, they're 25mm. Other sizes, up to 150mm high, are available, so you can choose the shelf spacing that suits your kiln and your work.

For dichroics, enamelling, and glass fusing, put kiln paper on the shelf to stop the glass sticking: it's simpler and cleaner to use than glass separator. Bullseye Thinfire shelf paper, probably the most popular, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side.

Generally, glasswork needs radiant heat and will fuse, sag, or slump better on one shelf than between closely stacked shelves, although experienced glass artists often use several shelves succesfully.

Delicate pieces can be fired on a puffed-up ceramic-fibre cloth: on a shelf. Round pieces, that could roll to one side, can be fired on a hollowed-out ceramic-fibre block.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

If you want to touch anything hot, or move your kiln before it's cooled off, it's important to wear heat-resistant gloves. And, if you want to look into a red-hot kiln, even briefly, wear glare-resistant glasses to protect your eyes from IR and UV.

If your day-to-day work depends on your kiln and down-time will be disruptive or expensive, it's a good idea to have spares: extra shelves, a selection of posts, elements, a relay, and a thermocouple.

You can learn about ceramic blocks and cloths, charcoal, dust masks, glare-resistant glasses, glass separator, heat-resistant gloves, kiln vents, kiln wash, programmers, protective glasses, USB interfaces, shelf paper, tools, and other accessories, using the accessories link below the menu bar near the top of the page. And they're all in the on-line shop.

The Paragon BlueBird Junior is a plug-in, table-top kiln, usually used for annealing glass beads. It's a 650°C, four-sided, front-opening, two-door, ceramic-fibre kiln, with a ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can batch-anneal glass beads threaded onto bead rods or mandrels, and anneal glass figurines, ornaments, panels, and tiles. However, unlike the BlueBird XL, it's not hot enough for most other materials and processes.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 700W, so it can use a regular mains socket. It's ideal for occasional use at home or in a start-up business: it heats up quickly, it's fully programmable, and it's small enough to get out, use, and put away.

The outer steel case measures 508mm x 387mm x 406mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. There are two separate outward-opening letter-box style doors, each 190mm x 50mm, giving a total door width of 380mm, with an adjustable, two-row, 12-place mandrel holder. There's a carrying handle and an 8-place rod-warmer mounted on the top. The shipping weight is about 17kg.

The ceramic-fibre firing chamber measures 330mm x 159mm x 70mm high, and heats from the top, with the fast-firing element safely embedded in the fibre board top: an important and legally necessary safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate drying, heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

Although the Blue Bird Junior was designed for batch-annealing glass beads threaded onto bead rods, or mandrels, it isn't hot enough for most other materials and processes, so there's no included furniture kit. However, 650°C is hot enough to anneal glass figurines, ornaments, panels, and tiles, So, as you shouldn't fire anything on the unprotected floor of the firing chamber, you'll need a shelf kit:

There's a recommended kit, not included in the price: two durable 127mm x 127mm x 10mm cordierite shelves and eight 12mm shelf posts.

The Paragon BlueBird is a plug-in, table-top kiln, usually used for annealing beads. It's a 650°C, four-sided, front-opening, two-door, ceramic-fibre kiln, with a ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can batch-anneal glass beads threaded onto bead rods or mandrels, and anneal glass figurines, ornaments, panels, and tiles. However, unlike the BlueBird XL, it's not hot enough for most other materials and processes.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 1500W, so it can use a regular mains socket. It's ideal for occasional use at home or in a start-up business: it heats up quickly, it's fully programmable, and it's small enough to get out, use, and put away.

The outer steel case measures 686mm x 387mm x 368mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. There are two separate outward-opening letter-box style doors, each 254mm x 70mm, giving a total door width of 508mm, with an adjustable, two-row, 20-place mandrel holder. There's an 8-place rod-warmer mounted on the top. The shipping weight is about 25kg.

The ceramic-fibre firing chamber measures 508mm x 152mm x 70mm high, and heats from the top, with the fast-firing element safely embedded in the fibre board top: an important and legally necessary safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate drying, heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

Although the Blue Bird was designed for batch-annealing glass beads threaded onto bead rods, or mandrels, it isn't hot enough for most other materials and processes, so there's no included furniture kit. However, 650°C is hot enough to anneal glass figurines, ornaments, panels, and tiles, So, as you shouldn't fire anything on the unprotected floor of the firing chamber, you'll need a shelf kit:

There's a recommended kit, not included in the price: two durable 127mm x 127mm x 10mm cordierite shelves and eight 12mm shelf posts.

The Paragon BlueBird XL is a plug-in, table-top kiln, usually used for annealing beads, although you can fire metal clays, fuse glass, and do heat treating. It's a 815°C, four-sided, front-opening, two-door, ceramic-fibre kiln, with a ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

You can batch-anneal glass beads threaded onto bead rods or mandrels, and anneal glass figurines, ornaments, panels, and tiles. However, as it heats to 925°C you can try Art Clay metal clay, bronze clay, copper clay, PMC silver clay, glass clay, Accent Gold, Image Transfer Solution, Metal Clay Veneer, SilverEtch, china painting, dichroic glass, enamelling, glass art, glass fusing, sagging, and slumping, heat treating, laboratory testing, lampwork, lost-wax casting, making jewellery, and staining glass. And work with many other materials and processes.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 1700W, so it can use a regular mains socket.

The outer steel case measures 648mm x 483mm x 406mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. There are two separate outward-opening letter-box style doors, each 254mm x 114mm, giving a total door width of 508mm, with two, two-row, 10-place mandrel holders. There's an 8-place rod-warmer mounted on the top. It's 77mm deeper than the BlueBird, so you can use longer mandrels. The shipping weight is about 36kg.

The regular BlueBird XL, in the photo, comes with one normal bead-door and a single-row mandrel-holder, and one shorter bead-door and a double-row mandrel-holder. They're interchangeable, so you can swap them to suit the way you work. Or you can order the kiln with two normal doors or two shorter doors.

The firebrick firing chamber measures 508mm x 229mm x 114mm high, and heats from the top, with the fast-firing element safely embedded in the fibre board top: an important and legally necessary safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The electronic display prompts for heating rates, target temperatures, and hold times, making it easy to set up and re-use accurate drying, heating, holding, and cooling sequences.

Although the Blue Bird XL was designed for batch-annealing glass beads threaded onto bead rods, or mandrels, 815°C is hot enough for many other materials and processes, So, as you shouldn't fire anything on the unprotected floor of the firing chamber, you'll need a shelf kit:

There's a recommended kit, not included in the price: two durable 178mm x 178mm x 15mm cordierite shelves and eight 12mm shelf posts.

The internet is packed full with inaccuracies: accidental or intentional. There are unsubstantiated claims that whatever is being sold is the best, the newest, or the cheapest, and it's being sold by the largest dealer or the premier distributor.

This comprehensive internet resource helps you choose the right kiln, and avoid an expensive mistake if, several weeks later, you discover new materials or processes, want to make larger pieces, or find a promising business niche.

So, why buy a Paragon Xpress from Cherry Heaven?

The Orton Sentry digital programmers allow you to set up multiple sequences, each one with multiple heating, holding, or cooling segments: so you can choose the heating and cooling rates, target temperatures, and hold times, save the sequences, and re-use them. There are no restrictive features such as single-sequence use or pre-set programmes.

Pre-set fixed programmes might seem to be an advantage. However, having experimented and diversified, many people fire materials, or combinations of materials, at different temperatures and for different times than are recommended. So pre-sets would soon become a serious limitation.

The heavy-gauge nickel-plated copper wiring has high-temperature glass-braided insulation. The thermocouple, which senses temperature inside the kiln, is protected with a high-nickel stainless-steel sheath for long life.

Kilns from competing manufacturers typically don't have built-in programmers, don't come with professional shelf kits, have out-dated features, use restrictive pre-set programmes, aren't in stock, or there are no spares. They're generally more expensive, but smaller and don't get as hot, so less versatile. Misleading first-sight prices often exclude delivery and VAT.

Compared to broadly similar Paragon kilns, other kilns have a simpler programmer or no programmer, are smaller inside, don't get as hot, don't come with a shelf kit, or are considerably more expensive.

And, generally, there aren't any options and upgrades: left or right-hand doors, thicker firebricks, ceramic-fibre interiors, bead-annealing doors, viewing windows, extra peepholes or vents, 12-key programmers, mercury switches, electric kiln vents, auxilliary power outputs, RS232 or USB computer interfaces, and different shelf kits.

With some retailers, there wasn't a price list. With others, the same kilns were a lot more expensive. With some on-line order-forms, VAT and delivery were only evident after submitting all the personal and card details.

Here are a few facts that you can easily check for yourself, based on net-shop specifications and prices in June 2011 for Efco, Evenheat, Jen-Ken, and KilnCare kilns. However, buy a Paragon and, with the saving, you can treat yourself to a luxury five-star weekend break.

Compared to the single-door Jen-Ken Chili Pepper bead-annealing kiln, the BlueBird is 60°C hotter and over 100mm wider inside. Compared to the single-door Evenheat Fishbone Bead Annealer, the two-door BlueBird Junior is about 9kg lighter and has a carrying handle, and the two-door BlueBird is over 148mm wider inside. Currently, neither of these seemed to be available outside the US. If they were, they'd probably cost a lot more than the BlueBird and there might be spares and repair issues.

The BlueBird holds lots of beads. It can use a regular mains socket. It has a comprehensive digital programmer that remembers your settings. The fast-firing element is safely embedded in the ceramic-fibre board top.

Compared to the KilnCare BeadCube, the BlueBird is over four times wider inside and has a built-in digital programmer. The Bead Cube has a separate controller box on a separate stand, with extra cables.

Compared to the KilnCare Maxi, the BlueBird XL is 275°C hotter and over 80mm wider inside, and has a built-in digital programmer. The Maxi has a separate controller box on a separate stand, with extra cables. The Maxi only heats to 650°C so it's not hot enough for most other materials and processes.

And, generally, copy-kilns don't have Paragon's international, informed, and supportive user-base, or effective EU spares and repair centres.

Owners call the BlueBird XL their Art Clay kiln, PMC kiln, metal-clay kiln, bead-annealing kiln, bead kiln, bronze-clay kiln, copper-clay kiln, dichroic-glass kiln, enamel kiln, enamelling kiln, glass kiln, glass-clay kiln, glass-fusing kiln, jewellery kiln, jewelry kiln, lampwork kiln, silverclay kiln, or studio kiln. This diversity is a good reflection of its popularity.

The BlueBird XL is probably a better choice than the SC2B for studio classes, as it has nearly twice the internal floor space. However, the XL heats to 925°C whereas the SC2B heats to 1095°C.

Generally, programmable kilns work like this: as soon as the programmer's sequence starts, the kiln begins to heat up. The thermocouple tells the programmer the current internal temperature and, depending on the sequence you've chosen, the programmer turns the elements on or off to control the heating rate, maintain the target temperature, or control the cooling rate. When the sequence is complete, the kiln beeps, and the programme stops.

For safety, the programmer doesn't switch the full mains voltage. Instead it drives a relay, an electro-mechanical switch. The programmer uses a low voltage to activate the switch which turns the high voltage elements on or off.

When the target temperature is reached, the programmer switches the elements off. However, residual heat in the firing chamber allows the internal temperature to overshoot the target temperature briefly before starting to fall back.

This overshoot is more evident at low temperatures than at high temperatures. For example: 300°C will probably overshoot to 330°C whereas 800°C will probably only overshoot to 805°C before starting to fall back.

During the hold-time, with the elements still off, the temperature falls. When the programmer switches the elements back on, the firing chamber will initially absorb some of the new heat before the temperature recovers. The continual switching of the elements on and off causes the internal temperature to cycle around the target temperature.

Regardless of the thermocouple temperature, the actual temperature of your work will be slightly different, depending on its position on the kiln shelf, the vertical spacing of any stacked shelves, and its nearness to the elements, a lid, a door, a bead door, or a window. Learn to take it into account if you're working with temperature-critical materials or processes.

Remember that glass needs radiant heat and will fuse, sag, or slump better on one shelf at the bottom than between closely stacked shelves.

Kiln doors and lids are not meant to be a perfect fit otherwise, at high temperatures, there'd be no room for expansion and movement, and the door could stick and the ceramic-fibre or firebricks could crack.

All kilns smell a bit during the first few firings, just like a toaster or a fan heater. If you're worried about fumes, open a window.

Eventually, with normal use, kilns discolour slightly, inside and outside, and some firebricks might develop hairline cracks. Your kiln is a versatile, robust, red-hot tool: not an ornament.

Using your kiln successfully needs critical research and frequent tests, especially as things that work for your friends or teachers might not work in the same way for you. It's also very important to learn how to creatively use unexpected effects. So, keep a firing log:

Buy a durable notebook. Use a new page for every firing, and draw diagrams of the shelves, their vertical spacing, and the position of your work on the shelves. Along with your work, put a few scraps at different places on the shelves to learn how things change. Describe the material, the shape of your work, the firing cycle, and the end result.

A kiln log is vital if you're experimenting with temperature-sensitive materials, or working with coloured dichroic glasses, enamels, glazes, or paints, and a skilled artist will use the kiln log to advantage to re-create effects.

It'll be particularly useful if you have to repeat a commission, or you have a long holiday before returning to your studio.

If the kiln has a Sentry 12-key digital programmer, it can connect to your computer using a factory-fitted USB interface. ControlMaster software, included in the price, allows you to control and monitor the firing, and organise, analyse, print out, and save the data. If you want this option, make sure you order the USB interface.

There are two popular makes of silver clay: Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries and PMC made by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, in Japan. They're both clay-like materials made of fine silver powder and water-soluble organic binders.

Art Clay Silver and PMC Silver, sometimes just called silver clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, are easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

Although Paragon kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

Although we chose to work with, sell, and provide classes in Art Clay, both makes fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

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.

Currently, in January 2012, 50 gms of PMC+ Silver Clay from the UK distributor costs about 37% more than Art Clay Silver Clay. If anyone would like to comment on this, let me know and provide a reference.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, goldclay, and related products in the on-line shop.

There are three popular makes of bronze clay: Bronze Clay made by ClayMania, BronzClay made by Metal Adventures, and Prometheus Bronze ProClay made by Odak. They're all clay-like materials made of fine bronze powder and water-soluble organic binders. However, they're fired in different ways:

Prometheus Bronze Clay is easy to fire: wrap your dried work in kitchen tissue or ceramic cloth, put it on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. It can also be fired in charcoal.

Clay Mania Bronze Clay and MetalAdventures BronzClay fire in a special way. Fired normally, the surface would oxidise so, to minimize this, they're embedded in activated charcoal granules in a covered stainless steel container. Charcoal made from coconut shells produces a natural bronze colour, and charcoal made from coal produces a colourful range of patinas.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, 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.

The stainless steel container for the Paragon SC-2 measures 162mm x 176mm x 100mm, and holds 1 litre of charcoal. To fire larger pieces, or more pieces at the same time, you'll need a larger kiln, such as the Paragon Xpress E-12A. The container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The 1230°C firebrick E12A costs more than the 1095°C ceramic-fibre SC2. However, it's two and a half times larger than the SC-2 and is a versatile mixed-media kiln suited to continual high temperatures.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

Although Paragon kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

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.
However, as Prometheus Bronze Clay is easy to fire and costs less than the others, try it first? It comes as 100gm of soft clay in a packet, or 10gm of creamy clay in a syringe with three tips that you can cut or shape.

There's also Creative Bronze, which is almost certainly Prometheus Bronze Clay renamed. I'll leave it you to work out why ProBronze is £19.75 for 100gm with no delivery charge and Creative Bronze is £24.95 plus £4.95 shipping.

Currently, in January 2012, 100gms of Art Clay Silver Clay costs about 1100% more than Prometheus Bronze Clay and PMC+ Silver Clay costs at least 1370% more. If anyone would like to comment on this, let me know and provide a reference.

So, if you're still in the learning phase, you can try out ideas before possibly wasting your expensive silver clay. However, bronze is a beautiful metal so, as with many materials, you need to exploit its qualities and try to produce beautiful original pieces.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, goldclay, and related products in the on-line shop.

There are four popular makes of copper clay: Art Clay Copper made by Aida Chemical Industries, Copper Clay made by ClayMania, CopprClay made by Metal Adventures, and Prometheus Copper ProClay made by Odak. They're all clay-like materials made of fine copper powder and water-soluble organic binders. However, they're fired in different ways:

Clay Mania Copper Clay and MetalAdventures CopprClay fire in a special way. Fired normally, the surface would oxidise so, to minimize this, they're embedded in activated charcoal granules in a covered stainless steel container. Charcoal made from coconut shells produces a natural copper colour.

Art Clay Copper is easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. In most kilns, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one.

Prometheus Copper Clay is easy to fire: wrap your dried work in kitchen tissue or ceramic cloth, put it on a kiln shelf, and programme the temperature and hold time. It can also be fired in charcoal.

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

The stainless steel container for the Paragon SC-2 measures 162mm x 176mm x 100mm, and holds 1 litre of charcoal. To fire larger pieces, or more pieces at the same time, you'll need a larger kiln, such as the Paragon Xpress E-12A. The container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The 1230°C firebrick E12A costs more than the 1095°C ceramic-fibre SC2. However, it's two and a half times larger than the SC-2 and is a versatile mixed-media kiln suited to continual high temperatures.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

Although Paragon kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

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.
However, as Prometheus Copper Clay is easy to fire and costs less than the others, try it first? It comes as 100gm of soft clay in a packet, or 10gm of creamy clay in a syringe with three tips that you can cut or shape.

There's also Creative Copper, which is almost certainly Prometheus Copper Clay renamed. I'll leave it you to work out why ProCopper is £19.75 for 100gm with no delivery charge and Creative Copper is £24.95 plus £4.95 shipping.

Currently, in January 2012, 100gms of Art Clay Silver Clay costs about 1100% more than Prometheus Copper Clay and PMC+ Silver Clay costs at least 1370% more. If anyone would like to comment on this, let me know and provide a reference.

So, if you're still in the learning phase, you can try out ideas before possibly wasting your expensive silver clay. However, bronze is a beautiful metal so, as with many materials, you need to exploit its qualities and try to produce beautiful original pieces.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, goldclay, and related products in the on-line shop.

GlasClay is made by ClayMania in vibrant colours, based on glasses from Bullseye and Oruboros. It's a clay-like material made of fine glass powder and water-soluble organic binders. It's sold as a box of twelve colours in 12gm pots.

The colours in the table below are a rough guide, and the clay powder, mixed powders, fused glass, and re-fused glass will not all look the same. They're all COE90: read this pop-up.

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

GlasClay is easy to fire: put your dried pieces on some ceramic shelf-paper on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold time.

GlasClay can be shaped easily. You can make three-dimensional objects and free yourself from the constraint of working with flat glass. The size is only determined by the support you can give it. Perhaps the most exciting opportunity is to make your own beads without a torch.

The firing temperature and time are important: glass clays have to fuse, not melt. There's a difference between fusing and melting: During fusing, the binder in the glass clay vapourises and the glass powder particles bond to make solid glass. During melting, the glass powder particles liquify and lose their original clay-shape.

Particulates represent a health risk if they're breathed in, so wear a HEPA mask when cleaning out your kiln, mixing kiln wash, and working with charcoals, ceramic-fibre blocks, cloths, and papers. And, ideally, use protective glasses.

Although Paragon kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, goldclay, and related products in the on-line shop.

There are two popular makes of gold clay: Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries and PMC made by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, in Japan. They're both clay-like materials made of fine gold powder and water-soluble organic binders.

Art Clay Gold and PMC Gold, sometimes just called gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, are easy to fire: put your dried work on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time.

As they're fired, the binders vapourise, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 22 carat gold: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

Although Paragon kilns include a durable shelf kit so that you can start work straight away, several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time and reduce the unit-cost of firing: so you might want more than one.

Although we chose to work with, sell, and provide classes in Art Clay, both makes fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

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.

Currently, in January 2012, 50 gms of PMC Gold Clay from the UK distributor costs about 60% more than Art Clay Gold Clay. If anyone would like to comment on this, let me know and provide a reference.

To learn more, use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, goldclay, and related products in the on-line shop.

This internet resource is provided by Cherry Heaven, an international distributor, on-line shop, and support centre for kilns, materials, tools, and tumblers. It's not a bead, ceramics, crafts, glass, or metal-clay home-business, selling a few things to a market niche.

As it's on-line, there isn't a paper catalogue or a price list. However, you can mail or call a technician about kilns, power supplies, public area safety, a special project, business ideas, home diagnostics, repairs, or reselling opportunities.

Cherry Heaven is a shop in Corfe Castle village, in Dorset, South-West England. The surrounding countryside includes green farmland, dramatic cliffs, pretty cottages, historic buildings, sandy beaches, protected coves, open heathland, hill-top panoramic views, and peaceful villages. And lively seaside resorts. To look at some photos, use the dorset link.

Cherry Heaven is an EU distributor for Paragon Kilns, 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.

Paragon Industries started as a family business in 1948. It's now the world's leading manufacturer of electric kilns and furnaces, and has built over 420,000. The 4,800 square metre site, in Mesquite, Texas, USA, has over 70 full-time staff.

During manufacture, every kiln is checked at every stage by a technician and signed-off before shipping. They're simply but robustly engineered, and you're buying a comprehensive, versatile, safe, low-cost kiln: 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 Kitiki Studio provides a comprehensive Art Clay educational programme, as classes, masterclasses, workshops, and Art Clay Level 1 and Level 2 certification courses. If you're interested, mail or call.

The on-line shop link is below the menu bar near the top of the page, on the right: you won't have to create an account, register, log on, look up your membership number, remember a password, sign up, join a club, or agree to be emailed. And the total won't be more than you expected because VAT and UK-mainland delivery are included.