Paragon SC series question
 

Hello everyone,
I'm on the fence about getting a Paragon SC3. The SC series have the elements embedded in a fiber refractory casting. I have never had a fiber kiln before, but these SC series kilns look really great (on my computer screen anyway). I'm wondering if anyone has any experiences, (positive or negative) about the SC series, or smaller cast fiber kilns in general.

Here is a link to the SC-2, scroll down the page to see the embedded elements glowing through the fiber casting.

http://www.paragonweb.com/SC2_with_Window.cfm

I'm also curious if anyone feels that the skin temperatures are hotter on fiber kilns... I've noticed paragon's fiber kilns have a "second skin" to reduce skin temperature, which the refractory brick models lack. Is this an effort to circumvent a more rapid heat transmission found in fiber models?

I appreciate any and all input on the matter! Thanks very much!

I have an SC2. Love it. Had to replace the relay once but it was a cheap part and easy to replace. The skin doesn't seem hot to me.

I have one and I love it. I bought the one with the simple door because it was the only one available locally and then got the bead door separately and just screwed it in, no problem. I love it. It's a great little kiln.

I've got the SC3, love it, easy to program. I have mine set for enamelling, metal clay, batch anneal and garage

I have an SC2. Been using it for 9 years. Use it for annealing beads, fusing, metal clay and enameling copper. I don't know anything different as I haven't used any other type of kiln. My Glass Hive one is still sitting in it's box. 8-[

I have an SC2 as well - awesome kiln! I just love it, especially it's compact size. But you can load it up with a ton of beads, etc. Go for it :)

I have an SC -- can't remember whether it's the SC2 or SC3. I like it. I use it for metal clay and enameling as well as annealing.

However, if you make a lot of beads in one session, it might not be the best choice. You can get more mandrels in it than you might think, but it's definitely not a high-capacity kiln. If you produce a lot of beads during one session at the torch, you might consider one of the wider annealing kilns, particularly if you don't need the versatility of the SC series.

Also, if you make beads with enamel on the surface, you might want to choose a kiln with more space to keep the beads separated. The only way to get very many beads into an SC kiln is to pile them up. That's fine for most beads (after they've been in the kiln for a while and have cooled down from torch temperature to annealing temp), but because enamel has a lower melting temperature, if you pile up beads with enamel on the surface, they'll stick to each other.

I haven't had anything go wrong with my SC kiln, so I can't speak to the ease/difficulty of repairs. From what I've heard, the controller module is really easy to remove and reinstall if it needs repairs.

The outside gets warm but not what I'd call hot. As a matter of fact, a friend and I were doing some enameling on copper. Putting a wet-enameled piece on top of a kiln is a way to get the enamel to dry faster. We had a debate about whether the top of the SC kiln was warm enough for it to make any difference -- which I guess is an indication that it doesn't get very hot.

The glowing elements do look a little scary when they're that bright, but remember that the kilns are designed for metal clay, which takes much higher temperatures than we use. (If I'm remembering right, original silver PMC fired at 1760F or thereabouts.) The elements don't glow that much at annealing temp.

I have an SC3, the only draw back is the door. IT would be better for lamp working if the door opened up and not a standard swing door. If you have something in the punty door and forget and open the main door, your kiln gets swept clean.

If you are using the SC2 for beadmaking, you would order it with the bead door. You don't open the whole kiln - and the bead door can be shut for other types of firing :)

Oh, and I just saw them at the Glass Expo in pink and lavender!! Wish that had been an option when I bought mine way back when.

This. And me too, I saw them online in a bunch of different colors. I would have wanted it in white. I like the blue though.

Yep, LOOOOVE the SC-2 with the bead door....and I pile beads on top of each other that have been enameled on a regular basis and never had one stick to another. I use a piece of kiln furniture to set my hot from the torch bead on......then when I am ready to put a new one in I remove the old one and place it on the pile (I guess by then it is cool enough?) no probs though. Only when I put a HOTTIE in there on the pile....that wasn't pretty ! And I noticed for $50 you get the hot pink, lavender or turquoise color options now!! That is awesome :-)