Could anyone tell me what the difference is between a gas and an electric kiln (apart from the obvious one!) and are gas kilns easy to use? Would they be suitable for glass fusing and annealing beads, and is there anything specific I need to watch out for when getting a second hand one?
Thanks :)
Paula
Mate, I'm not best placed to offer the differences as we only get involved with electric here. I do know gas can be more severe but then again I also know a few companies that use gas for their glasswork.
Anyway, one thing I can tell you is re-sale wise, a lot more people would take an electric one than a gas one. I can confidently say this as I have a customer wanting to sell a small gas kiln and we can't find a buyer for them. If the kiln was electric we would find someone very quickly indeed.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
We've been learning how to use the gas kilns for ceramics, but I don't know anything about using them for glass.
Assuming all gas kilns are similar, then I would say they aren't particularly difficult to use - but you can't pre-programme them, so you have to be the kiln sitter (regulatiing heat is by means of turning a tap to allow more gas in) - the ones at Uni have a gas pressure tap and pyrometer, but most ceramists will use firing cones for checking temperature, as they are much more reliable
Also, the ones at uni have exposed flame coming into the kiln, so I don't know if there would be more hot or uneven zones than in an electric kiln
They are apparently far cheaper to run though, and if you ever consider ceramics, then you can do a reduction firing, which gives great results.
That's all I can tell you, and its with limited knowledge of what I have learned at Uni so far.
Zeldazog, it must just be your Uni kilns but you can have exactly the same controls on gas kilns as you do on electric.
I suppose it depends on the type of gas kiln you have.
HI Lee
Thanks for that - they are specifically kilns for ceramics, so that would explain that - so, you can pre-programme a gas kiln then, with ramps and holds and so on?
To be honest, I find that rather scary! I won't even have a gas oven, because I don't like the thought of a gas oven being on a timer - hob's okay, I am there!
Yes mate, you can fully program a gas kiln just like an electric.
But I'm like you pal, no fan of gas what-so-ever!