[Jewelry making - Article 00063] - [Orchid] Recommendations for burnout kilns

[Kathy Johnson]

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    It looks like my ancient Kerr 666 kiln is dying, and it picked a
    really terrible time to do it. It was giving me trouble a few weeks
    back, not heating to the same temp twice in a row when set at the
    same setting. I took it in to CR Hill for a check-up. They had it for
    a week and could find nothing wrong with it, so they sent it home. 

    I've been casting twice every 24 hours for the past 8 days, working
    on a large project for a customer. This afternoon I put the last 4
    flasks of the project in to start a burnout. I set it to reach about
    350F and left it for 3 hours. I went down later to turn it up to
    about 800F, and left it for 3 more hours. I just went down to turn it
    up to 1300F, and it's still at about 400F, and the investment in the
    flasks is still gray and dirty. I turned the temperature dial way up
    and watched for half an hour, and it does not seem to be getting any
    hotter. I left it at the setting that *should* take it to 1300F, and
    I'll let it sit there overnight, but I'm not expecting it to complete
    the burnout. Miracles occasionally happen, but rarely in my
    workshop... 

    Of course this would happen on a Saturday night of a holiday
    weekend, when I can do nothing about it until the following Tuesday.
    So much for meeting this project's deadline... Fortunately, none of
    the waxes in those flasks were originals, they were all pulled from
    molds. So nothing irreplaceable will be lost but time. 

    It looks like I'll be buying a new kiln soon. I've only got 110 volt
    power outlets in my workshop right now. 

    What I'd like are recommendations for good brands/models of burnout
    kilns that can run on 110 volt power. My current kiln is only 6"x 6"
    inside, and holds 4 flasks. Are there any reliable 110 kilns that are
    bigger than this? What's the best 110 volt kiln for this use, and who
    has the best prices?

Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Pet Jewelry
http://www.fgemz.com
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