Hi
One day when I have saved my pennies and my family are heartily sick of pasta and baked beans (not together ;)) I want to buy an SC2 kiln, probably with a bead door. If I get that one, will I need shelves inside if i wanted to anneal in batches??? Husband seems to think it's not just the kiln I'd have to buy but also a load of bricks and shelf accessories. Duh? Is that correct? If so how much more and are they really necessary? :-[
You'll need the shelf if you want to fuse, rather than having molten glass right on the kiln floor, but not for plain beadmaking.
Ah! Ok thanks Mary. Not planning on fusing, (not even sure what that is!) really want to do just beads and more beads.... ;)
The SC2 comes with a ceramic shelf, some fibre shelf thingies and some propping up brick things (it's been a long day! :D), so you shouldn't need to buy anything extra!
Quote from: Spookyjewel on June 06, 2008, 09:39:22 PM
The SC2 comes with a ceramic shelf, some fibre shelf thingies and some propping up brick things (it's been a long day! :D), so you shouldn't need to buy anything extra!
Mine didn't. It had one fibre shelf but not the other bits. They were listed separately. You don't need them for beads anyway.
My sc2 didn't come with a shelf either. But I did buy one separately and I can now do two layers of beads when I batch anneal. I use shelf lining paper to protect the shelf.
You need something like this to batch anneal your beads and to maximise the space and the cost
(http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s194/kazkebab/MeshmandrelstandL.jpg)
This was from a previous posting on here.
You can get this holey stuff from B&Q and cut it to fit - attempting to ensure that the holes line up ;D
Make sure you run the kiln empty with this in before putting any beads in as a lot of oxide comes out of the metal and will discolour the beads - though they will come clean with detergent if you decide not to bother!
Kaz
I batch anneal mine using the bead kebab method too. You can get an awful lot of beads in in one go :)
If you have a kiln, with a bead door, you may as well anneal as you go.. I have not batch annealed yet, although I suppose I should get some fibre blanket just in case..
That "kebab" thingy does look good. I think I need to make me one of those.
I'll get my Hubbie on to to it right away.
One friendly piece of advice, looking at the kebab thingy shot, please be carefull when loading the SC2 in this way.
Make sure the power is turned off as the elements are not too far from the surface of the chamber walls and it would be quite easy I guess to prod a rod into the fibre wall with unpleasant results.
With a little common sense though, as I'm sure you all have, it looks a great way of getting plenty of beads in.
When I batch anneal, I have the ceramic shelf on the bottom of the kiln and I use the brick thingies to rest my 'bead kebabs' on.
I batch anneal at the moment because I've only been getting the odd hour here and there to make beads, so obviously can't wait for the kiln to heat up! It's also because I'm tight and would rather fill the kiln up than only put 5 or 6 baeds in it. It's whatever suits you best, really.
QuoteMy sc2 didn't come with a shelf either. But I did buy one separately and I can now do two layers of beads when I batch anneal. I use shelf lining paper to protect the shelf.
I guess I was lucky getting the extras with my kiln, then!
Thanks for that. -Spookyjewel - where did you get your kiln from? My thoughts on firing sound like yours. I'd probably only want to batch anneal too, only get the odd stolen hour....
Lee - what sort of kiln is that one in the above pic? Is that one an SC2? Looks about the right sort of size I'd be looking to buy....
Quote from: turnedlight on June 07, 2008, 08:56:21 AM
If you have a kiln, with a bead door, you may as well anneal as you go.. I have not batch annealed yet, although I suppose I should get some fibre blanket just in case..
Possibly, if your kiln's at home!!!
Kaz
I anneal as I go, but I still use the shelf, but not the wee legs ::)
Quote from: Mand on June 07, 2008, 04:39:34 PM
Thanks for that. -Spookyjewel - where did you get your kiln from? My thoughts on firing sound like yours. I'd probably only want to batch anneal too, only get the odd stolen hour....
Lee - what sort of kiln is that one in the above pic? Is that one an SC2? Looks about the right sort of size I'd be looking to buy....
Sure looks like one to me mate
Mand - I got mine from Warm Glass.
http://www.warm-glass.co.uk/
I got mine from thekeepsakeco-co-uk on ebay ( http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-Paragon-SC-2-Kiln-with-Bead-Door_W0QQitemZ8256615247QQihZ018QQcategoryZ3090QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262 ) but it's the same people as www.paragonkilns.co.uk. £539 for the SC2 with bead door, ceramic shelf, shelf posts, fibreboard, 2 year guarantee and free delivery!
Mand, I got mine from Warm Glass too, mine came with a shelf thing that looks like a teracotta tile, 4 leg things and another softer tile. When I am batch annealing my own beads (I don't do it to anyone else's!!) I just pile them up on the tile resting on the floor and they have all come out fine, but I usually do 2-6 bead kebabs resting on the leg things.
God does any of that make sense!
Yes it makes perfect sense.. to me at least ;D
hi
a couple of extracts from www.electrickilns.co.uk:
The SC elements are embedded in ceramic fibre, an important safety feature if you like to open the door or bead door whilst you work. However, never get careless: kilns are very hot and connected to the mains.
The SC-2 series kilns heat from both sides, not both sides and the back. This minimises the front-to-back temperature difference that's common with smaller kilns.
It's very important to understand what the shelf kit consists of, why you might need a different one, and why you might need more than one:
The recommended furniture kit, included in the price, consists of one 139mm x 139mm x 6mm ceramic-fibre shelf for Art Clay and PMC: not china paint, dichroic glasses, enamels, or fused glass.
If you want to do china painting, enamelling, or glass work, you'll need a thicker shelf and four shelf posts. These come as an extra kit: one 178mm x 178mm x 15mm cordierite shelf and four 25mm x 25mm x 12mm posts.
Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. A thick shelf, on posts, heats and cools evenly: particularly important for glass work.
Cordierite is brittle: if you drop the shelf, it'll break. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses.
Depending on the sizes of your pieces and the number of pieces you want to fire, three shelves can be stacked to make better use of your time: so you may want more than one furniture kit. However, remember that glass needs radiant heat and is better fired on one shelf rather than between stacked shelves.
For enamelling and glass fusing, you'll need to put kiln paper on the shelf to stop anything sticking: it's simpler and cleaner to use than glass separator.
thx
rob