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Purchasing a Kiln for Glass Fusing
By Connie Brown

I have just been asked to assist an art teacher at a local high school. She wants to teach glass fusing to her students. I first went to the class to see what supplies they had on hand and what items they might need to order.

The teacher was very pleased because she had purchased a kiln for around $800 and had also purchased other supplies for her class. So, I was anxious to see what kiln she was planning on using to teach these 200 plus students.

The kiln she had purchase was quite large, but was not suited for teaching glass fusing. You would think that any kiln would do, right? Well, that is what I had always thought until I took a look at this brand new kiln.

Some of the key things you need when do the process of glass fusing is a pyrometer. What is a pyrometer? This tells you the temperature of the air inside the kiln. Although it does not tell you the temperature of the glass, the air temperature gives you a general temperature of your glass. If you have no idea what the temperature is inside, you do not have a clue as to what is happening to your glass. Every kiln is different and unique. It might take one kiln an hour to reach 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, while another kiln might take forty-five minutes to reach this same temperature. This kiln did not come with a pyrometer, so how was she going to know what was going on inside that kiln?

There was no viewing window. Most kilns do not have a viewing window, and that is alright for fusing. If you do not have a pyrometer, then it is a necessity to have a window so you can at least see what is happening inside the kiln.

But, this kiln did have a peep hole, which was located on top of the kiln. Now I do not know about you, but I do not really want to open a peep hole at 1000+ degrees Fahrenheit and have that hot air hitting me in the face. Since hot air rises, that is exactly what is going to happen with this peep hole.

A kiln shelf was not provided for this kiln. A kiln shelf is not necessary to do glass fusing, but it is extremely helpful to have air circulating around your glass pieces. The circulating air helps to ensure that your glass is heating at an even temperature.

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The kiln had a digital control knob. These are fantastic, but when using a digital knob, you have to be constantly observing your pieces to be sure to obtain the desired effect. When teaching a classroom full of students, there is no time to be standing watch over a kiln. If teaching a class, or even for personal use a kiln sitter is a desired and sometime necessary item. Also with a digital controller and no pyrometer, how can you decipher the temperature if you want to hold your glass?

It is important when purchasing a kiln that you spend your money wisely. Do your homework before you place an order for a kiln. Kilns are one of the most expensive items you will purchase when doing glass fusing. Check out the different kilns and see what items are standard and what are added items. Be sure that your kiln comes with a pyrometer if nothing else. This is a key item when purchasing a kiln.

For further information on glass fusing, please visit the Glass Fusing Made Easy web site.

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