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Tips, Techniques, and Questions -- Technical questions or tips

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  #1  
Old 2018-11-10, 10:54am
Lilahannbeads Lilahannbeads is offline
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Default Can you use a ceramic kiln for annealing beads?

Hello there,

I have a question that I have not been able to find an answer to, even though I have been searching for quite awhile. I am hoping someone here with more experience would know the answer, or be able to point me in the right direction.

My mother has a Dunan Ceramic Kiln Model DK 1020-2 that she wants to sell me. It does not have specific temp controls, but rather settings such as "High Fire", "Low Fire" and such.

My only use for this kiln would be to anneal my glass lampwork beads, or possibly fused glass products. So I wanted to find out if it can even be used for this before I buy it.

Does anyone know the answer, or where I might find the answer?

Thank you all so much for your time and help.

Best,
Sarah
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  #2  
Old 2018-11-10, 11:21am
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Larysa Larysa is offline
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Sarah, you need a better temperature control for glass. Just search in this forum for the "lampwork kiln" or "annealing", and you will get more than enough answers and information for you to decide which kiln is best for you.
I myself had to choose Paragon SC-2. First, because no other brands have SCA certification for use here in Canada; second, it's not too heavy; third, I can use it for metal clay as well. Though, I'd love to buy Glasshive instead.
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Old 2018-11-10, 12:12pm
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echeveria echeveria is offline
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Beads require a hold time, then a slow ramp down - most have a controller to achieve the desired degrees per minute ramp down. You might could add a controller to the ceramic kiln, but it seems like it would be really big for what you want to do.
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Old 2018-11-10, 1:45pm
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Eileen Eileen is offline
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It is possible to do batch annealing in them, but not ideal. I would put the money toward one that you can put your beads in hot from the torch.
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Old 2018-11-10, 2:13pm
losthelm losthelm is offline
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Check with the manufacturer it maybe possible to change to a digital controller.
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Old 2018-11-10, 6:07pm
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As stated, a kiln setter is not adequate for glasswork annealing. One can purchase a new controller or build your own. Using a PID controller such as the Fuji PXR-3, in combination with a SSR, would be a choice for this application. It all depends if you desire to purchase or build.

Some folks have converted a Skutt 609 kiln and now can ramp the temperature up, down or hold. In general, a PID controller can hold a temperature in the rage of plus or minus one degree once properly setup. More than adequate for glassworking purposes.
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Old 2018-11-10, 6:37pm
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I just noticed that is is 240v, and way too big for your needs unless you already had it and were making do.
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Old 2018-11-13, 2:59pm
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speedingpullet speedingpullet is offline
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There are plenty of people who can make use of a ceramic kiln, so I'd be tempted to sell or swap it for a small glass kiln with a bead door and a digital programmer.


I have a Skutt GM10F, like this:



Its fully programmable, has an annealer door for beads and at 9"x9"x9" is big enough to fuse small glass pieces in.
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