Hi All,
After losing a few lovely beads to the Bad Bead Fairy (they break overnight) my OH is getting so fed up with my tantrums that he is recommending i get a kiln to anneal my beads.....by this he means he will buy me one as a Christmas present.
I have been looking around and really like the Kilncare range - obviously the big pink Maxi is more than attractive to me but possibly too big for my needs. So that leaves the wee Bead Cube. I wondered if any of you have one of these and could give me an idea of how many beads i could fit in there and whether i can just stick the beads straight in on their mandrels after making them? I can see in the pic of the Bead Cube that there are some rests for mandrels so assume that you can.
Any feedback would be welcome so i can browbeat OH into buying it as an EARLY Chrimbo pressie! ;)
Ah! But is the maxi too big for your needs now but will it be what you need in a years time...?
I can't remember who told me, but I recall being very impressed at how many beads the little cube could handle - I think it was something like 30. Didn't Di trial it?
Yes Di is running one now, perhaps she may pop on to tel you more.
Basics are, place your bead in whilst still hot and rest it on the small ceramic rest supplied, once it has cooled to kiln temperature it can be moved to the other side of the chamber. As you continue this you simply put one bead on top of another if you want to work that way.
Using this method 30 beads is not out of the question, size depending ofcourse.
Lee brought me around the beadcube to look at. Its a cute little kiln! I'd say 20-30 beads in it? Or 12 of my huge beads, lol - but they are huge! Fab little starter kiln for peeps who dont have a lot of money, or are limited in space in their shed etc.
It does look awfully cute!! :)
Lee's gonna bring it around to me when I next have lots of beads still on mandrels (just de-mandrelled them before I had the idea!) - so he can give you a definitive answer to the how many beads will it fit question.Coz I'd be interested myself, in case I ever need a "travel kiln". Will take pictures too.
Couldn't resist a peek at that one myself - it's so dinky. The price list doesn't come up for some reason - could you tell me how much it's going to set your OH back, Grandma?
Hi, yep, we are hearing the price page is iffy and also people are missing the information buttons so the weby-chappy-folk are taking a look at altering the site for us.
Anyway, here is the script from the information page on the Bead Cube.
"The Bead Cube is both designed and priced to be an entry level beader but is also ideal if space is an issue.
The Bead Cube has been on test with Diana East, one of Britain's most prominent bead artists and the results were favourable.
"The market has been in need of a Kiln like the Bead Cube for too long, it is small, well built, very affordable, reliable, will do more than just beads such as simple fusing and PMC. Importantly, The Bead Cube is very safe so using the kiln was worry free and easy". Diana East.
The kiln is small and very light, weighing in at just 6.1kg making it ideal for travelling and also for use in areas where space is often at a premium.
The kiln is of "muffle" construction meaning that the chamber is of an "all in one" bucket type chamber where the elements are around the outside of the hard refractory muffle and so fully protected. The result is that the kiln requires no door switch and touching the elements accidentally is impossible if the muffle is not damaged regardless of kiln temperature.
The kiln plugs into the KCR1 controller. The KCR1 has been designed for total ease of use and offers adjustable programs with 9 segments in each program. Each segment is a heat/cool rate, a target temperature and a hold.
Full digital display, power used, forward segment feature, pause button are all in the controller.
The Bead Cube comes with a refractory tile and stilt to raise the tile to door level. This will allow the kiln to be used for trying other mediums such as fusing or PMC right through to its maximum temperature of 920c although the kiln is primarily a bead annealer.
The stilt can also be used as a mandrel rest for hot beds as they cool to annealing temperature.
The Bead Cube comes complete with 13amp plug and 24 month guarantee on all parts excluding the element.
The Bead Cube comprises of
1 x Bead Cube kiln.
1 x KCR1 controller.
1 x floor tile.
1 x floor tile raiser/ mandrel rest.
Price £425 including delivery and V.A.T.
WEIGHT INTERNAL SIZE - WxDxH EXTERNAL SIZE - WxDxH POWER MAX. TEMP.
6.1KG 120mm x 130mm x 70mm
225mm x 275mm x 205mm 900W 920°C "
Quote from: *rowanberry* on September 19, 2008, 01:06:22 PM
Lee's gonna bring it around to me when I next have lots of beads still on mandrels (just de-mandrelled them before I had the idea!) - so he can give you a definitive answer to the how many beads will it fit question.Coz I'd be interested myself, in case I ever need a "travel kiln". Will take pictures too.
That would be great, thanks
rowanberry and everyone else. You lot really are helpful. Thanks too to Lee ;)
It
would be nice to have a huge pink kiln that i could call my own but to be honest i am only a hobbyist and a newbie at that so getting OH to dig that much deeper in his cobweb encrusted pockets might be a little adventurous for now. I generally make the very maximum of 12 beads at a time and they are'nt very big so a wee kiln (which i will be calling George) will probably tick all the boxes for me.
I look forward to hearing your feedback
rowanberry :)
Aw. A kiln named after me......
(mine's called villa killekulla)
Lee,
Are your kilns available to buy now? Or would they be on backorder?
Also, not sure if it is just me, but I would love to see some better photos of the Maxi. The ones on your site are very arty, but the "meat and bones" photos that I really want to look at there are just a little too small for me to really appreciate all the design details.
Would be really handy if those photos could be a bit larger, or simply clickable to view full size maybe?
I am also a little confused as to the controllers. Is all the controller housed on the size of the kiln, as the paragon ones are, or are the gubbins of the controller seperate? (just trying to envisage how the kiln would plug in, logistics and all that)
Can they be run off extension cables for those of us shedding it?
Emma
Quote from: mizgeorge on September 19, 2008, 09:26:44 PM
Aw. A kiln named after me......
(mine's called villa killekulla)
Interesting name George, is there a meaning? Mine's called Klint :)
Mine's called Toasty
George's name sounds way posher though!
Emma
lol - the name's down to Elinor I'm afraid. We've been reading a lot of Pippi Longstocking recently, and it was a very small leap from Villa Villekulla (Pippi's house). It's funny, I haven't taught her any Swedish (far too useless a language), but her pronounciation is always perfect.
Emma - I SO hope the poshness of the name could rub off on some beads sometime!
George, I am so glad you came online and answered, I almost could not refrain from answering. Brilliant play on words, love it. What do you mean, scandinavian useless language???? :o ;D
When is your cricket coming? You are going to sooo love it!!
How do people think the Bead Cube compares to the Paragon SC2?
Roy :)
Thanks for the comments on the website, we are presently reviewing the site with a look to erasing a few minor issues on there so all comments, positive or negative are always welcome.
The MAXI and the Bead Cube plug into a seperate controller, the KCR1. The KCR1 then plugs into a normal 13 amp socket. It can plug into an extension lead without too much trouble as the kilns are relatively low in their power consumption. Remember it is advisable to fully un-roll the lead first to keep it cool.
There are 2 reasons for not incorporating the control into the kiln, the first being that the KCR1 was designed to also be an add on controller, a "one fits all" if you like and using it this way makes it extremely easy to swap in the event of a problem. Secondly, we are no fan of Electronics and heat being mixed. That's not to say there is an issue with kilns that do incorporate the controls in this way, it's just a that we prefere to keep the electronics away from the heat. The KCR1 sits on the bench adjacent to the kiln or it can be mounted to the wall.
Now then, onto availability. The MAXIs are now being finished and we have Bead Cubes boxed and ready. Unfortunately, these kilns have taken off quicker than we anticipated and left us short on KCR1s.
The KCR1 is a brand new concept and a number of pre-production models were made to get the ball moving. We immediately got 250 of them on the go which we are waiting for now. So in answer to the question, the kilns are ready but the controls we wait for.
Obviously, the MAXI, MAXIne and Bead Cube are to be off the shelf kilns and when the controls come in they should be forever in stock. It's just, as I say, we have underestimated the initial demand, which I hold my hands up to. :(
Quote from: Dee on September 21, 2008, 09:44:49 AM
Quote from: mizgeorge on September 19, 2008, 09:26:44 PM
Aw. A kiln named after me......
(mine's called villa killekulla)
Interesting name George, is there a meaning? Mine's called Klint :)
Hey Denise you can now tell Martin there are 2 other people who name their Kilns lol ;)
Quote from: Lee - Kilncare on September 22, 2008, 09:51:28 AM
Thanks for the comments on the website, we are presently reviewing the site with a look to erasing a few minor issues on there so all comments, positive or negative are always welcome.
The MAXI and the Bead Cube plug into a seperate controller, the KCR1. The KCR1 then plugs into a normal 13 amp socket. It can plug into an extension lead without too much trouble as the kilns are relatively low in their power consumption. Remember it is advisable to fully un-roll the lead first to keep it cool.
There are 2 reasons for not incorporating the control into the kiln, the first being that the KCR1 was designed to also be an add on controller, a "one fits all" if you like and using it this way makes it extremely easy to swap in the event of a problem. Secondly, we are no fan of Electronics and heat being mixed. That's not to say there is an issue with kilns that do incorporate the controls in this way, it's just a that we prefere to keep the electronics away from the heat. The KCR1 sits on the bench adjacent to the kiln or it can be mounted to the wall.
Now then, onto availability. The MAXIs are now being finished and we have Bead Cubes boxed and ready. Unfortunately, these kilns have taken off quicker than we anticipated and left us short on KCR1s.
The KCR1 is a brand new concept and a number of pre-production models were made to get the ball moving. We immediately got 250 of them on the go which we are waiting for now. So in answer to the question, the kilns are ready but the controls we wait for.
Obviously, the MAXI, MAXIne and Bead Cube are to be off the shelf kilns and when the controls come in they should be forever in stock. It's just, as I say, we have underestimated the initial demand, which I hold my hands up to. :(
Any ETA on the controllers. Enquiring minds want to know how long they have to save their pennies 8)
Emma