The Paragon KM series kilns are versatile, robust, low-cost, heat treating kilns. You can anneal tall glass figures, heat treat metals, temper knives and swords, and work with many other materials and processes.

They're ideal for your home, school, college, craft centre, engineering workshop, medical laboratory, technical facility, or knife-making studio.

The KM is a deep kiln, so it can hold knives, swords, and any long glass or metal parts. The KM14D and KM24D can use a regular mains socket. All the kilns in the KM series have a comprehensive 12-key digital programmer that remembers your settings.

If you need help choosing or have a specific project, mail or call. However, all the kilns are described on their own pages.

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

For smaller plug-in table-top kilns, such as the Paragon SC-1, SC-2, SC-3, BlueBird, Caldera, CS ClamShell, FireFly, Fusion, Home Artist, KM, and Xpress, the Kitiki MiniKiln, and the UltraLite, stay here at Electric Kilns and use the links below the menu bar near the top of the page.

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, transfer now to Paragon Kilns using the Paragon Kilns link above the menu bar near the top of the page.

To look at a larger photo, hold your mouse over the zoom button below. The photo is 480px x 360px and about 30KB so, if you're not on a fast internet connection, it'll take a short while to download.

The Paragon KM-14D.

The Paragon KM-24D.

The Paragon KM series kilns are 1290°C, four-sided, firebrick kilns, with comprehensive, ramp-hold, Sentry 12-key digital programmers. The KM14D and KM24D can use a regular mains socket.

There are four versions: the front-opening KM14D, KM24D, KM36D, and KM45D, in ascending order of firing-chamber size, the model number being the interior depth in inches: the only difference.

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

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 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.

For help, or in the unlikely event of a fault, you can talk to an engineer in the UK. However, home checks, adjustments, and repairs are quick and easy, needing little more than a PoziDriv screwdriver, and you can watch an on-line video or call for help. Alternatively, we can repair the kiln in our workshop at Cherry Heaven.

Paragon kilns have been re-engineered and comprehensively tested for the UK, so will work in the EU and most other countries. They're CE Marked and comply with EU safety standards.

They use regular single-phase 230V mains, so 230V EU elements replace the 110V US elements. Although the maximum temperature remains unchanged, the EU kilns heat up faster: useful if you want to repeat firings.

The heating elements are either embedded in ceramic fibre, or the kiln has a door or a lid cut-off switch: an important safety feature. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

The Paragon KM-14D is suitable for annealing, heat treating, and knife making. Although you can also work with many other materials and processes, the kilns are deep so not suited to small items.

It's a 1290°C, four-sided, rectangular, firebrick, front-opening kiln, with an easy-to-use, ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 12-key digital programmer.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 1200W, so can use a regular mains socket. It needs a strong table as it weighs about 50kg.

The outer steel case measures 584mm x 533mm x 368mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. The door is hinged on the bottom, and is kept closed by the counterbalanced handle.

To comply with EU safety regulations, the kiln is fitted with a door switch which cuts off power to the elements whenever the kiln is opened: an important safety feature included in the price.

The firebrick firing chamber measures 140mm x 368mm x 108mm internally, and heats from both sides and the back, with the fast-firing elements lying in grooves in the 64mm thick bricks. The door has a peephole-vent in the middle.

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

It's very important to understand what the shelf kit consists of, why you might need a different one, and why you might need more than one:

The recommended furniture kit, included in the price, consists of four knife holders, eight ceramic supports, a heat-treating fork, and a pair of heat-resistant gloves.

However, to work with china paints, dichroics, enamels, or glass, you'll need a thick heavy shelf and four shelf posts. These come as an extra kit: one 125mm x 125mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm posts.

Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. A thick heavy shelf, lifted up on small posts, heats and cools evenly: particularly important for glass work.

Cordierite is brittle: if you drop the shelf, it'll break. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses. You can buy extra shelf kits in the on-line shop.

Depending on the sizes of your pieces and the number of pieces you want to fire, two shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you may want more than one furniture kit.

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

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 kiln paper, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side. You can buy shelf paper in the on-line shop.

The Paragon KM-24D is suitable for annealing, heat treating, and knife making. Although you can also work with many other materials and processes, the kilns are deep so not suited to small items.

It's a 1290°C, four-sided, rectangular, firebrick, front-opening kiln, with an easy-to-use, ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 12-key digital programmer.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 1800W, so can use a regular mains socket. It needs a strong table as it weighs about 63kg.

The outer steel case measures 584mm x 775mm x 368mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. The door is hinged on the bottom, and is kept closed by the counterbalanced handle.

To comply with EU safety regulations, the kiln is fitted with a door switch which cuts off power to the elements whenever the kiln is opened: an important safety feature included in the price.

The firebrick firing chamber measures 140mm x 610mm x 108mm internally, and heats from both sides and the back, with the fast-firing elements lying in grooves in the 64mm thick bricks. The door has a peephole-vent in the middle.

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

It's very important to understand what the shelf kit consists of, why you might need a different one, and why you might need more than one:

The recommended furniture kit, included in the price, consists of four knife holders, eight ceramic supports, a heat-treating fork, and a pair of heat-resistant gloves.

However, to work with china paints, dichroics, enamels, or glass, you'll need a thick heavy shelf and four shelf posts. These come as an extra kit: one 125mm x 125mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm posts.

Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. A thick heavy shelf, lifted up on small posts, heats and cools evenly: particularly important for glass work.

Cordierite is brittle: if you drop the shelf, it'll break. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses. You can buy extra shelf kits in the on-line shop.

Depending on the sizes of your pieces and the number of pieces you want to fire, two shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you may want more than one furniture kit.

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

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 kiln paper, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side. You can buy shelf paper in the on-line shop.

The Paragon KM-36D is suitable for annealing, heat treating, and knife making. Although you can also work with many other materials and processes, the kilns are deep so not suited to small items.

It's a 1290°C, four-sided, rectangular, firebrick, front-opening kiln, with an easy-to-use, ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 12-key digital programmer.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 3600W, so can use a regular mains socket. It needs a strong table as it weighs about 80kg.

The outer steel case measures 584mm x 192mm x 368mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. The door is hinged on the bottom, and is kept closed by the counterbalanced handle.

To comply with EU safety regulations, the kiln is fitted with a door switch which cuts off power to the elements whenever the kiln is opened: an important safety feature included in the price.

The firebrick firing chamber measures 140mm x 914mm x 108mm internally, and heats from both sides and the back, with the fast-firing elements lying in grooves in the 64mm thick bricks. The door has a peephole-vent in the middle.

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

It's very important to understand what the shelf kit consists of, why you might need a different one, and why you might need more than one:

The recommended furniture kit, included in the price, consists of four knife holders, eight ceramic supports, a heat-treating fork, and a pair of heat-resistant gloves.

However, to work with china paints, dichroics, enamels, or glass, you'll need a thick heavy shelf and four shelf posts. These come as an extra kit: one 125mm x 125mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm posts.

Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. A thick heavy shelf, lifted up on small posts, heats and cools evenly: particularly important for glass work.

Cordierite is brittle: if you drop the shelf, it'll break. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses. You can buy extra shelf kits in the on-line shop.

Depending on the sizes of your pieces and the number of pieces you want to fire, two shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you may want more than one furniture kit.

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

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 kiln paper, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side. You can buy shelf paper in the on-line shop.

The Paragon KM-45D is suitable for annealing, heat treating, and knife making. Although you can also work with many other materials and processes, the kilns are deep so not suited to small items.

It's a 1290°C, four-sided, rectangular, firebrick, front-opening kiln, with an easy-to-use, ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 12-key digital programmer.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 4560W, so can use a regular mains socket. It needs a strong table as it weighs about 50kg.

The outer steel case measures 584mm x 1270mm x 368mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. The door is hinged on the bottom, and is kept closed by the counterbalanced handle.

To comply with EU safety regulations, the kiln is fitted with a door switch which cuts off power to the elements whenever the kiln is opened: an important safety feature included in the price.

The firebrick firing chamber measures 140mm x 1143mm x 108mm internally, and heats from both sides and the back, with the fast-firing elements lying in grooves in the 64mm thick bricks. The door has a peephole-vent in the middle.

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

It's very important to understand what the shelf kit consists of, why you might need a different one, and why you might need more than one:

The recommended furniture kit, included in the price, consists of four knife holders, eight ceramic supports, a heat-treating fork, and a pair of heat-resistant gloves.

However, to work with china paints, dichroics, enamels, or glass, you'll need a thick heavy shelf and four shelf posts. These come as an extra kit: one 125mm x 125mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm posts.

Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. A thick heavy shelf, lifted up on small posts, heats and cools evenly: particularly important for glass work.

Cordierite is brittle: if you drop the shelf, it'll break. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses. You can buy extra shelf kits in the on-line shop.

Depending on the sizes of your pieces and the number of pieces you want to fire, two shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you may want more than one furniture kit.

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

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 kiln paper, ensures easy separation between your glass and the kiln shelf. One side feels slightly smoother than the other: that's the glass side. You can buy shelf paper in the on-line shop.

All programmable kilns work in the same way. The thermocouple tells the programmer the current temperature. Depending on the programme settings, the programmer switches the elements on or off to control the heating or cooling rate or the target temperature.

When the target temperature is reached, the elements are switched 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 noticeable at low temperatures than at high temperatures. For example: 300°C will probably overshoot to 340°C whereas 800°C will probably only overshoot to 810°C before starting to fall back.

The overshoot represents the temperature of the thermocouple, not the temperature of your work on a thick shelf. But take it into account if you're working with very temperature-critical materials or processes,

During the hold-time, with the elements still off, the internal temperature falls. Although the programmer will soon switch 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 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, a window, or a peephole.

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

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

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

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 careful 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 fire or 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 if you have a long break before returning to your kiln work.

The Kitiki Studio provides a comprehensive Art Clay educational programme as classes, masterclasses, workshops, and Art Clay Level 1 and Level 2 teacher-certification courses, as well as classes for related materials and techniques.

Arts and crafts events, introductory workshops, studio open-days, guest-teacher masterclasses, and general jewellery courses, are often added. If you're interested, mail or call.

This is a Cherry Heaven on-line shop and an EU distributor, sales, support, spares, and repair centre for kilns: it's not a bead, ceramics, crafts, glass, 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.

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.