Do I NEED a bead door?

[Billie]

Incidentally, I believe the reason that the bead collar affects the temperature is not because of the door opening, I think its because the extra height prevents the kiln from going up so high, but I could be wrong there.

That's right 

[Zeldazog]

I have a caldera with bead collar. The kiln "stacks" together, and has clips.  When you want to fuse, you remove the collar.  I don't know what your contact is talking about when he says permanently fixed... 

That's what I thought it would be, seeing as the base just clipped on (isn't that how it is used as vitrigraph kiln, base off, kiln on supports??

[Hules]

I have a caldera with bead collar. The kiln "stacks" together, and has clips.  When you want to fuse, you remove the collar.  I don't know what your contact is talking about when he says permanently fixed... 

This is what I'd hoped it would do - I wanted to remove the collar when I wanted to fuse or fire my ceramic pendants.  To be honest all the thinking about it has rather taken the shine off buying a kiln    I wouldn't want to buy a kiln that was deemed unsafe and the others don't quite do everything I need.  I think I will be going for the Caldera with the collar though.  I've no plans to remove the collar when it's switched on or stick any mandrels in the elements either.  And I've heard that it is a good kiln.

Julia

[Billie]

I have a caldera with bead collar. The kiln "stacks" together, and has clips.  When you want to fuse, you remove the collar.  I don't know what your contact is talking about when he says permanently fixed...  

This is what I'd hoped it would do - I wanted to remove the collar when I wanted to fuse or fire my ceramic pendants.  To be honest all the thinking about it has rather taken the shine off buying a kiln    I wouldn't want to buy a kiln that was deemed unsafe and the others don't quite do everything I need.  I think I will be going for the Caldera with the collar though.  I've no plans to remove the collar when it's switched on or stick any mandrels in the elements either.  And I've heard that it is a good kiln.

Julia

Don't be put off.  It's a great multi-purpose kiln.  Great for fusing small pieces, working with PMC, and annealing beads.  And there's no way you can remove the collar when it's switched on and up to temperature, unless you have asbestos hands  

I have a caldera with bead collar. The kiln "stacks" together, and has clips.  When you want to fuse, you remove the collar.  I don't know what your contact is talking about when he says permanently fixed...  

That's what I thought it would be, seeing as the base just clipped on (isn't that how it is used as vitrigraph kiln, base off, kiln on supports??

Yep, it stands on 4 little "feet"

And to optimise space, I use some stainless steel mesh I bent into an "L" shape as well so that I can get 2 to 3 rows of mandrels in when annealing as I go.  I just put the beads from the flame at the end closest to me, then shove them along to the other side of the bead door when they're no longer tacky.  You can get quite a lot of beads/mandrels in.

[Zeldazog]

Hi Julia

I know exactly what you mean about the "taking the shine off", I felt like that when I was looking.  It is so difficult to find the right one if you know you're going to use it for more than one thing.

As much as I love my Hot Start, it will only be good of batch annealing if/when I/my son starts beading, no good for enamelling, and can just about reach a very low biscuit firing, so not perfect.


I thought the Caldera was fab, I really did, and sometimes I wish I had kept the one I ordered, especially with what eventually followed...

I needed to be able to move the kiln, put it away, and when I got the Caldera, I found that the positioning of the handles made it awkward for me - because I was going to have to put it in a cupboard, etc.

But whatever you do, DON'T let this put you off, because that was my particular set of circumstances, in my home.

I ended up buying the Hot Start, which at the time of my indecision, was put on offer, and I paid a wee bit less for it than I would have the Caldera.

Daft thing is though, the Hot Start was the same - needed to be able to be put away, and it was a lot bigger and heavier, and therefore I couldn't pick it up.  So one of my clever brothers made a trolley for it, so it can be wheeled away in the understairs cupboard.  And I have found, if its out, chuck a table cloth on it, and it makes a half decent addition to the dining table!  We put extra food dishes on it last Xmas.

The daft bit being, if I had thought about the trolley idea for the Caldera, it would have remained the absolutely, ideal kiln - specially as I now dabble in ceramics!  And if I only have a small amount, then it can take ages to get them fired in the big kilns at Uni.  So in a lot of ways, I STILL wish I had the Caldera, cos I could do ceramics, fusing (sometimes I don't want need to run the big kiln, good job its economical!)), enamelling using the bead collar that I would add later....

[Hules]

Thanks for that, decision made then!  You've both made me feel a lot better!!

Julia x

[GoodMonkey]

I love my Caldera and I fuse glass in it without removing the bead collar (too lazy) and it works very, very well.