Kiln purchase and studio Q's

[Momliz]

Hi..

I want to purchase my first kiln. I want to have a bead door for lampworking and also the ability to fuse. Any ideas on a kiln to purchase. I plan on setting up a studio in the next 6 months.. I cant wait !!

I also have to decide whether to use natural gas or propane and what type of oxygen from either a tank or a machine.. any ideas?? I know i do not want a hot head.

I will be setting up in my basement.. any ideas on basement set up?

thanks, liz

[prairieson]

Take a look at the Paragon F-120... 11"x11" inside, large enough for small fusing projects and a guillotine door with a smaller " bead hatch. It's something to start your search anyway.

In a basement studio I'd heavily recommend against propane, for safety's sake.

[Momliz]

thank you for the kiln suggestion. My hubbie will probably pipe in natural gas.
Any thoughts on the O2?

[Diane (clarus)]

Hi Liz, I have a kiln from Arrow Springs and love it. It has tall bead doors which make it very easy to get beads in and out, plus it has blocks to put into that space when I get around to trying fusing, PMC, enamels, etc. It's a very versatile kiln.

An oxygen concentrator is significantly easier and cheaper than tanked oxygen. First choose which torch you'll get and then you can look for recommendations on what works with what.

Don't forget about ventilation - there's a ton of info in the Safety section, plus feel free to ask specific questions there.

BTW, Hot Heads are great starter torches, but if you can swing getting an entry level oxy/gas torch (Bobcat, Minor, Mini CC, Minnow, among others), do it.

Good luck!

-Diane

[lldesigns]

I second Paragon - they have several models to choose from. The Caldera can do fusing and ceramics as well as beads and it still runs on standard current. You can get it with a digital controller, bead door, window to check fusing projects, and more.

[melody]

The Skutt bead kiln is a great kiln to bead in and to fuse smaller projects. It has a controller which is very user friendly and when you get into a bigger Skutt (and you will!) the controllers are all the same.

[RSimmons]

I'd second the vote for the Skutt. I've got a GM10 with a bead door that's a good multi-purpose kiln.

Be sure that you sort out your ventilation before you start running your torch in a basement.

Robert