Kiln

[slaneclark]

I think the main thing is to get a kiln that fits your budget and your space.  You can get bogged down with all the details.  I started fusing about 2 years ago and bought a used Kress ceramic kiln 1 year ago (it’s huge) for $250 on CraigsList.com.  It took me 1 year to get the house wiring done (had to upgrade our electrical panel for a variety of reasons) and the electronics working.  Bottom line is that it does all that I want it to do; it’s been a great learning experience — even the times I really didn’t want to learn!  All kilns have their pluses and their minuses and you can find yourself obsessing over the details.  I even have a little kiln my dad made 40 years ago that I use for slumping and tack-fusing (my first kiln).  I’ve learned a lot from that little dinosaur as well.  Good luck and my advice would be to dive in and get started.  At some point, the obsession will take over and you’ll be getting an additional kiln as well…  You’ll find yourself haunting glass shops for their cast-offs (the window glass/framing people are usually very generous with their scraps), dreaming up ways you can cut down on all the other bills so you can feed the addiction; I could go on and on, but you’ll find out for yourself.  Welcome to the warm side!  Best Wishes, Shelley