Buying a kiln for jewellery making  - a few guidelines.

Having bought several jewellery kilns I thought that I might
be able to point potential buyers in the right direction when choosing
one and hopefully avoid some of the pitfalls I've encountered. I haven't any
bias as to brands but have based this mainly on kilns branded as Efco and Uhlig
as that is mainly what I have bought and think these are the most common jewellery kilns that I see on Ebay. I have found both makes are very good, if you get a good kiln.  I particularly like
the Efco 135's and Uhlig U15's or U17's and think they offer the best value for money.

I guess like all the categories on Ebay there are good and bad sellers. I have bought
from quite a few now, most have been one off sellers who were moving on to a bigger
kiln, and I've got a decent deal but also from abroad and from a couple of regular sellers, one from which I now buy a lot of my kilns as they are always as described. I don't think I'm allowed to
recommend or  advise against particular sellers so I haven't,  but hopefully I have given you enough information to help you in your purchase and avoid an expensive mistake.

There are many things to bear in mind when choosing a kiln so here are the main
points as I have found them:

#1: Size / type and condition - There two types of kilns that I regard as suitable for jewellery work.
    They are usually described something like 'Jewelers Muffle Kiln'  or 'Jewelers Enameling Kiln'
    or variations on that. The enameling kilns are usually much cheaper than a muffle kiln but are
    not as versatile.You can do things like PMC or ArtClay (but you will need to add a controller),
    and glass based tasks are pretty much impossible as, without a muffle to insulate the chamber
    they fluctuate and lose their heat far too quickly for successful work. A muffle kiln is a much
    more versatile kiln, but must always be used with a controller. They have an insulated door or
    'muffle' and can usually be used for a full range of jewellery/kiln tasks including glass work, and 
    would normally have a  higher end or top temperature than a enameling kiln and  usually run hot enough  to use to smelt (melt) precious metals for casting.

    First thing to decide: does the kiln look like its been well looked after?  The best
    guide for this is not always the visual appearance of the outside, as even from new
    a kiln will scorch suprisingly quickly when used, and some sellers do repaint
    tatty machines to make them look as though they are in brilliant condition.
    The first kiln I bought was from abroad, it looked fantastic in the photos
    but was a real 'dog' when it arrived!
    A better guide is the chamber itself. The chamber should look as clean as
    possible. This is important for performance, as a heavily enamel
    stained kiln will not perform well, as it needs to work too hard and will produce
    an uneven heat which results in 'hot spotting' of your work which will ruin delicate
    pieces. Some light enamel staining is probably to be expected, and a
    used machine will certainly have some discolouration, yellowing or even smoke stains inside
    and probably around the threshold and muffle;  neither should put you off from buying. Put basically a machine that has a badly stained chamber has not been used with shelves. Someone  who doesn't use shelves doesn't value their tools that much and hasn't looked after the machine.
    I would rather buy an old machine that is in good condition, than a new looking
    one that has had a hard life.  Many kilns you look at will have hairline cracks
    in the chamber, the Efco's seem particularly prone to this. Personally
    it doesn't put me off buying as long as they're not too bad, they don't
    usually get any worse, and can be easily and successfully repaired with kiln
    cement.   Ask the seller if they'll supply a small quantity with the kiln, if they know
    their stuff, they will always have some available, and won't mind giving a scrap away!

    Do not buy a repainted machine unless the seller is owning up to it being repainted and can assure you that its been done using the correct high temperature paint.  This is very important.   Other paint will scorch the first time you use the kiln and may even cause a flash fire!   A lot of the kilns I look at on Ebay have been repainted with Hammerite as it looks, at first glance, like the 
    manufactures original paint. It is not the same though and is particularly dangerous due to it's high VOC content. Its not that difficult to tell wether a kiln has its original paint or not.   All the Efco
    badged kilns will be a light blue satin finish that is still used today and are quite easy to recognise
    when you've seen a few. The Uhligs can be trickier;  older machines should be a very light silver / grey colour with a slightly hammered finish, these are the most common machines that I see
    repainted to look as though they are new. They are usually repainted with hammerite, and can get quite a good colour match, and it can be very hard to tell if they have been repainted or not. I would say it's safe to assume that any silver coloured Uhlig that looks in mint condition will have been repainted, as Uhlig have not coloured their machines silver for a many years now.  All the Uhlig range is now a nice bronze / copper colour with a hammered finish, again quite easy for someone to match, so look at the chamber if the seller says the paint is in great condition does the chamber tell the same story?  Ask the seller directly.  You will see a few kilns that are bare metal, I would avoid them for two main reasons:  bare metal on a kiln will rust very quickly, even galvanised steel, this is a two way attack from inside and out. The bare metal is relatively cold when the kiln is not in use and so moisture condensates, water + heat  = rust. Don't believe me?  Look at an exhaust pipe on an  old car - the same process is in operation. It's also worth condering that if a manufacturer doesn't care enough to finish their product properly then how much have they put into it's build quality?!   The worst examples I've seen for this have come from Eastern Europe and Turkey - I  personally wouldn't buy them as I've found them to be very poor quality compared to the German made  kilns - think cars!When was the last time a Polish car was top of your wish list!

    If I've gone on about the paint too much then its because I think its that important! It's very
    dangerous to have a machine that is not painted in the correct type of paint and it's very difficult
    and expensive to rectify as the kiln will have to be stripped right down to componant level
    for repainting. Personally I would rather buy a tatty looking machine with it's original paint than
    one that I think has had a repaint. I speak from experiance here!
  
    As to getting the size right - it's really down to doing some working out. If you're going to
    be content with doing smaller pieces of jewellery (rings, pendants etc)...then just about
    any of the compact machines will suffice, but do allow for some space around the biggest
    object you intend to fire, I calculate at 15mm in all directions, and work my size from that.

#2  Controllers - it is very important to know wether the kiln you're considering needs or has a
      controller with it.  They are expensive to buy new and you see very few used ones on Ebay.
      All the muffle or 'proper' jewellery type kilns will require one, only kilns that are designed only for enamel work only, do not. Even then it is desirable to have a controller as you will not be able to use the kiln for any other tasks such as PMC or Artclay.  A simple analogue regulator type is all
     you really need. These are very easy to use and once you've calibrated it to your kiln will give great results and pay for itself very quickly with increased production and no more ruined work pieces.I did buy a more complex digital controller once, but found it very complex and difficult to use especially when I wanted to use a different temperature setting. I think its better to go for a cheaper,simpler one and use the change to buy a temperature meter.
     It might be worth asking the seller wether they have one available, as they would probably have
     bought one with the kiln and you might get a bargin if they forgot to list it. I have twice now!

#3. Does the kiln come with instructions, shelves any tools etc?...Only one of the kilns I've bought
     has had it's original instructions with it (out of 11 from 7 different sellers).  It's nice to
     have them but not essential as they are not that informative and only really cover the very basics
     like plugging in a controller and general electrical safety. One of the sellers I have bought several
     kilns from does include an excellent guide that covers most aspects of setting up and general
     safety. This is much more useful as it can be a daunting experiance when you get your first kiln.
     As mentioned before it is very important to always use shelves with your kiln. It prolongs the life
    of the machine and helps get good results whatever you are firing.  Shelves come in various types
    mainly they are made from either # steel,  mesh type or solid these are mainly used for enamelling
    as they allow the bottom of the object to heat fully. # Mullite or brick type - these are good for most  types of task and probably the most useful to have.# Fibre ceramic blanket -  great for delicate PMC/Artclay items and good for annealing glass beads where a flat surface would        mishape a bead. It's good to get some shelves free with a machine as they are expensive, hard to find and will often need trimming to size which can be difficult.  It's also nice to get free tools like tongs, spatulas etc...as again they are very expensive and can be hard to find.  Don't be swayed by lots of extras like enamels unless your going to use them, as they can be bought cheaply anyway just look around ebay.

Best advice (as with most Ebay deals!)
# Read the auction fully - has  the seller done an indepth write up, do they list any flaws or have they skipped over them. Is it suitable for your particular task and establish the highest temperature that the kiln can reach if things like casting metal are going to undertaken.
# Look at the photos - one picture isn't enough to judge properly;  it's an expensive purchase and you will want to get value out of.  At least get a couple of pictures of the chamber.
# Check feedback and ask the seller questions - if they know their stuff, and are selling a decent kiln they won't mind answering.
# Insist that the kiln is well packed for posting and that the muffle is packed - this really helps when in transit.

Hope that's not been too boring;  any comments or things you think I've left out then please feel free to contact me, but please don't ask me about particular kilns, as I'd hate to get it wrong!

Joe.