The Paragon SC3 series kilns are versatile, robust, low-cost, jewellery kilns. You can fire metal clays such as Art Clay, PMC, bronze clay, and copper clay, use glass clay, anneal beads, do enamelling, fuse glass, heat-treat metals, and work with many other materials and processes.

They're ideal for your arts centre, college, course venue, craft class, engineering workshop, glass works, home business, jewellery studio, medical laboratory, school, or technical facility.

Cherry Heaven TV has made a short on-line slideshow featuring these popular kilns: click the Cherry Heaven TV player above. The slideshow starts with the Paragon SC1, and continues with the larger SC2 and SC3 variants.

The Paragon SC-2 heats to 1095°C: hotter than an enamelling kiln or a glass-fusing kiln. It's rated at 230V 1745W, so it can use a regular mains socket. The heating elements are embedded in ceramic fibre: an important safety feature. It has a comprehensive digital programmer that remembers your settings.

If you want a smaller kiln look at the SC-2. If you want a hotter kiln, for ceramics, look at the Caldera-A. If you want a larger hotter kiln look at the Xpress-E12A. I've included photos and a specification table below, for comparison.

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, 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 larger photos, hold your mouse over the zoom buttons below. The photos are 480px x 360px and about 60KB so, if you're not on a fast internet connection, they'll take a short while to download.

The Paragon SC3.

The Paragon SC3B.

The Paragon SC3W.

The Paragon SC3BW.

The Paragon SC1.

The Paragon SC2.

The Paragon Caldera-A.

The Paragon Xpress-E12A.

The Paragon SC-3 series kilns are 1095°C, four sided, square, ceramic-fibre, front-opening kilns, with easy-to-use, eight segment ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmers.

There are four versions: the regular SC3, the SC3B with a bead annealing door, the SC3W with a heat-resistant glass viewing-window, and the SC3BW with a bead-annealing door and a heat-resistant glass viewing-window. In the table below, the smaller SC1, SC1W, SC2, SC2B, SC2W, SC2BW, the hotter Caldera A, and the larger and hotter Xpress E12A are included for comparison.

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

The SC series kilns heat from both sides, not from both sides and the back. This minimises the front-to-back temperature difference that's common with smaller kilns.

The SC series elements are embedded in ceramic fibre, an important safety feature if you like to open the door or bead door whilst you work. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.

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.

It's widely believed that glass viewing-windows will cloud permanently or crack by about 925°C. The glass used in the Paragon Caldera, FireFly, SC, and Xpress series kilns has been time-tested at 1260°C.

Although there's cross-over, 1095°C front-opening ceramic-fibre kilns that heat and cool quickly, such as those in the SC series, are preferred for Art Clay and PMC metal clays, dichroic glass, enamelling, glass clays, and mixed-media jewellery.

1290°C top-opening firebrick kilns that heat and cool evenly, such as those in the Caldera, FireFly, and Xpress series, are preferred for ceramics, porcelain, pottery, and stoneware, especially as firebrick kilns are better suited to continual high temperatures.

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.

The Paragon SC3 is 50mm taller than the Evenheat E-360 Sierra. In March 2010, the Evenheat was at least £130 more expensive, which is probably why so few people sell them. And copy-kilns don't have Paragon's international, informed, and supportive user-base, or EU spares and repair centres.

The Paragon SC-3 is over five times larger than the KilnCare EN1, and 95°C hotter. It has a built-in digital programmer, whereas the EN1 has a remote controller, stand, and cable: more stuff on your worktop. In March 2010, the EN1 was at least £230 more expensive.

The Paragon SC3B has a bead door: the KilnCare EN1 doesn't. The SC3W door includes a 50mm x 50mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window: the EN1 just has a small peephole.

The Paragon SC3B, with a bead door, is over seven times larger than the KilnCare Bead Cube, and 175°C hotter. It has a built-in digital programmer, whereas the BeadCube has a remote controller, stand, and cable.

The Paragon SC-3B, with a bead door, is nearly one and a half times larger than the KilnCare Maxi, and 445°C hotter: making it much more versatile.

It's large enough to accommodate the charcoal-filled stainless steel container needed to fire BronzClay and CopprClay, both described further down this page.

Owners call it 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, small kiln, or studio kiln. This diversity is a good reflection of its popularity.

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.

A sheathed thermocouple replaces the normal US bead-style. It prevents the possible corrosion, and eventual failure, of the bi-metallic tip: usually caused by gases produced whilst heating some types of glass.

A lever door catch replaces the normal ball catch. The ball catch was difficult to adust, being either too tight or too loose, whereas the lever catch can easily be tightened, loosened, bent slightly, or removed and straightened, to allow for use and preference.

The Paragon SC-3 is a low-cost home-business kiln. It's a 1095°C, four-sided, square, ceramic-fibre, front-opening kiln, with with an easy-to-use, 8-segment ramp-hold, Sentry Xpress 3-key digital programmer.

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

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 2000W, so it can use a regular mains socket. It's small enough to use in your home, school, craft workshop, jewellery studio, or take to a course venue, as it only weighs about 18Kg.

The outer steel case measures 336mm x 311mm x 432mm, and is slotted for air circulation: so it keeps cool. The door opens 180°, so you won't burn your hand taking your work out. And there's a top vent for lost-wax casting and other processes that might release fumes.

The ceramic-fibre firing chamber, enclosed in an inner steel case, measures 199mm x 204mm x 195mm internally, and heats from both sides, with the fast-firing elements safely embedded in the fibre.

Uniquely, our UK SC-3 kiln has a sheathed thermocouple which prevents the possible corrosion, and eventual failure, of the bi-metallic tip: usually caused by gases produced whilst heating some types of glass.

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 one 139mm x 139mm x 6mm ceramic-fibre shelf for Art Clay and PMC: they're not sticky or temperature critical.

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 178mm x 178mm 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, three 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 SC-3B door includes a 165mm x 64mm bead-anealing letter-box style door and a bead-mandrel holder. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC3.

The Paragon SC-3W door includes a 50mm x 50mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC3.

The Paragon SC-3BW door includes a 165mm x 64mm bead-anealing letter-box style door, a bead-mandrel holder, and a 75mm x 25mm heat-resistant glass viewing-window. Otherwise, it's the same as the SC3.

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.

There are two makes of silver clay and gold clay: Art Clay and PMC. Although we chose to distribute, and sell, Art Clay, both fire in a similar way. So any kiln suitable for Art Clay will be just as good for PMC.

Art Clay, sometimes called silver clay, gold clay, metal clay, or precious-metal clay, is made by Aida Chemical Industries. It's a clay-like material made of fine silver or gold powder and a water-soluble organic binder.

As it's fired, the binder vapourises, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid 999 silver or 22 carat gold: real metal, not something that just looks like metal.

Art Clay and PMC are easy to fire: put your dried pieces on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time. Several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one furniture kit.

To learn more about Art Clay, use the art clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, extra shelf kits, and related products in the on-line shop.

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.

There are two makes of bronze clay: Prometheus Bronze Clay made by Odak, and BronzClay made by Metal Adventures. They're both clay-like materials made of fine bronze powder and a water-soluble organic binder.

As they're fired, the binder vapourises, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, 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. However, they're fired in different ways:

Prometheus Bronze Clay is easy to fire: put your dried pieces on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold time. Several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one furniture kit.

BronzClay is fired in a special way: your work needs to be firmly embedded in activated charcoal granules in a stainless steel container and covered with a lid. The container 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 stainless steel container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The Xpress E12A is over three times larger inside than the FireFly. To learn more about the Xpress series kilns, use the main menu link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then choose xpress.

To learn more about bronze clay, use the bronze clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, the stainless steel container, charcoal, and related products in the on-line shop.

There are three makes of copper clay: Art Clay Copper made by Aida, Prometheus Copper Clay made by Odak, and CopprClay made by Metal Adventures. They're all clay-like materials made of fine copper powder and a water-soluble organic binder.

As they're fired, the binder vapourises, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, and the metal powder sinters, leaving solid copper: real metal, not something that just looks like metal. However, they're fired in different ways:

Art Clay Copper and Prometheus Copper Clay are easy to fire: put your dried pieces on a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold-time. Several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one furniture kit.

CopprClay is fired in a special way: your work needs to be firmly embedded in activated charcoal granules in a stainless steel container and covered with a lid. The container 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 stainless steel container for the E-12A measures 265mm x 162mm x 152mm and holds 3 litres of charcoal.

The Xpress E12A is over three times larger inside than the FireFly. To learn more about the Xpress series kilns, use the main menu link below the menu bar near the top of the page, then choose xpress.

To learn more about copper clay, use the copper clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, the stainless steel container, charcoal, and related products in the on-line shop.

GlasClay is made by ClayMania in vibrant colours. It's a clay-like material made of fine glass powder and water-soluble organic binders.

As it's fired, the binder vapourises, releasing very small amounts of non-toxic carbon dioxide and water vapour, 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 a kiln shelf and programme the temperature and hold time. Several shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you might want more than one furniture kit.

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.

GlasClay is sold as a kit, comprised of six different colours in 25gm pots: Black Opal Bullseye CB 90 0100 25, Canary Yellow Opal Bullseye CB 90 0120 25, White Opal Bullseye CB 90 0113 25, Grenadine Red Uroboros CU 90 606 25, Cornflower Blue Opal Uroboros CU 90 408 25, and Apple Jade Opal Uroboros CU 90 726 25. They're all COE90: read this pop-up.

To learn more about glass clay, use the glass clay link below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy ArtClay, bronzeclay, copperclay, glassclay, the stainless steel container, charcoal, and related products in the on-line shop.

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.

This internet resource belongs to Cherry Heaven, a shop in Corfe Castle village near the National Trust Estate. Cherry Heaven sells a diverse selection of exclusive essentials and luxuries.

Cherry Heaven is an EU distributor for Paragon Kilns made in Texas USA, Advance Kilns made in Canada, Efco Kilns made in Germany, Kitiki Mini-Kilns made in Turkey, and UltraLite Kilns made in the US.

Cherry Heaven is a UK distributor for Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan, BronzClay and CopprClay, both made by Metal Adventures in the US, and GlasClay made by ClayMania in the US, and an EU distributor for AccentGold For Silver paint and Metal Clay Veneer, both made in the US.

Cherry Heaven 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 one third the area of Texas and one fortieth the area 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.

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

The on-line shop link is below the menu bar near the top of the page. You can buy kilns, kiln shelves, shelf paper, metal clays, glass clays, ceramic blocks and cloths, reminder timers, digital pyrometers, glare-resistant glasses, heat-resistant gloves, fire extinguishers, spare parts, and accessories. Alternatively, visit Cherry Heaven in Corfe Castle village.

Unlike most internet shops, you won't have to create an account, log on, register, remember a password, sign up, join a club, or volunteer all your personal and debit card details to discover that, at the last moment, the total is more than you expected because the VAT and a delivery charge were obscured.