Kiln Glass Artists

Kiln Glass Artists When purchasing a kiln for glass fusing, it is important that you purchase a kiln that has all the necessary items to accomplish this technique.
I have recently been asked to help an art teacher at a local school. Although she knows a little about glass fusing, she wants to teach this craft to her students. After a long discussion with her, I went to the class to see what supplies they had already purchased.
Kiln Glass Artists The district had purchased a kiln for around $800. They had also purchased other supplies for the class. I went to the school to see what kiln she was planning on using to teach these 200 plus students.
The kiln she had purchase was about medium size, but was not suited for teaching glass fusing. If you have never purchased a kiln, or done glass fusing, you might think that any kiln would work, right? Let me enlighten you by using this particular kiln to demonstrate what is needed to accomplish glass fusing.

Kiln Glass Artists All kilns are diverse and unique. No two kilns will heat up or cool down the same. There are big differences when the kilns are different sizes. It might take one kiln forty-five minutes to reach 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, while another kiln might take an hour to reach this same exact temperature. Since this kiln did not come with a pyrometer, there was no way to tell what the temperature would be inside the kiln.
On this particular kiln, there was no viewing window. This is not uncommon for kilns, and not actually a necessity. Without a viewing window you can't seeKiln Glass Artists  what is happening inside the kiln. If there was a viewing window and no pyrometer, at least you could use the window to judge the process inside the kiln.
There was a peep hole on this kiln. Although it was located on top of the kiln. Since heat rises, it could be a hazard to try to peek inside the kiln through a peep hole located on top of the kiln. The temperature inside will reach well over 1000 degrees Fahrenheit and the scalding heat could burn your skin.
There was no kiln shelf for this kiln. Now, a kiln shelf is not necessary to do glass fusing. But, in glass fusing, it is helpful to have air circulating around your fusing pieces. The circulating air heats up the glass at even temperatures. You can fuse on the kiln bottom, but it is usually suggested that you place your items on posts so that you achieve the needed air circulation.