Fire silver clay, china, ceramics, porcelain, stoneware, decals, enameling, jewelry, and glass in Paragon?s digital Caldera kiln. It makes glass compatibility and glaze color tests fast and easy. It fires rapidly to 2350°F/1287°C. With a separate top and bottom, it is stackable and completely portable. The kiln is easy to carry to seminars. Take it with you on vacation. For a digital kiln that can do this much, the Caldera is surprisingly affordable.
To strengthen the firing chamber, the firebrick corners are fitted together with L-shaped notches. This type of joint lasts longer than the butted joint and the "picture frame" mitered joint found on competitive brands. Rugged construction makes this kiln a little workhorse.
Imagine the glass you could make with this kiln: Sag, slump, and fuse. Make small bowls, pendants, earrings, cufflinks, and even bracelets. Enjoy the glittering beauty of dichroics. This kiln will give you a haven of creative enjoyment that you will especially appreciate when life gets hectic.
You will never outgrow a small kiln. If you later buy a larger kiln, continue to use the small one for testing or small projects. Perfect a new design in the small kiln before running production quantities in the large kiln. A small test kiln is invaluable in solving ceramic glaze problems and perfecting difficult glazes such as crystallines.
The heat of the kiln is magical and offers wonderful surprises. Stained glass, enamels, and ceramic glazes undergo a complete transformation in the kiln. Opening a kiln to view your treasures is a festive moment that you will never outgrow. Artists have said, "Woohooo! Opening a kiln is a celebration!"
This kiln is built to last. Elements are coiled from the finest high-temperature wire available. They use heat-dissipating element connectors refined and proven over many years in Paragon kilns.
The Sentry Xpress controller fires in either Ramp-Hold or Cone-Fire mode. Control both heating and cooling with simple 3-key operation. The Caldera includes a safety on/off toggle switch.
The Sentry Xpress 3-key controller is packed with features. It includes two modes: Single Segment and 8-segment Ramp-Hold.
Features of the Sentry Xpress 3-key Controller for Ceramic Kilns
- Fire to a pyrometric cone by merely entering cone number and slow, medium or fast speed.
- Program Review lets you check the program you are about to fire.
- Set a temperature alarm to remind yourself to close a vented lid.
- Design Ramp-Hold programs with up to 8 segments (steps).
- Skip a segment in Ramp-Hold during firing.
- Hold (soak) the temperature in both Cone-Fire and Ramp-Hold.
- Control both heating and cooling in Ramp-Hold.
- Add hold time in Ramp-Hold during firing.
- Change the target temperature in Ramp-Hold during firing.
- Temperature Display throughout firing and cooling in your choice of °F or °C
- Thermocouple Offset adjusts the thermocouple readout.
- Set the Delay to turn on the kiln later to suit your schedule.
- Error Messages report mechanical problems such as a disconnected thermocouple, stuck relay or broken element.
- 12 Month Warranty
- LED Lights show whether you are in program, review, or firing mode.
- Colorful, illustrated instruction manual. Download it from the ?Additional Information" section below to review these features in more detail.
Add 4 ½" of height to the Caldera with a collar. The Caldera-BC collar has a 7½" x 2" door on the side for annealing glass beads.
- 2 ½" insulating refractory firebricks
- Dropped, recessed brick grooves protect the element for long life.
- Louvered switch box, heavy duty wiring for years of reliable service.
- The Caldera, even with a collar, still fires to 2000°F/1093°C
- 4 - 2" x 2" x 2" firebrick blocks included with each kiln, to be placed under the kiln during firing.
