while looking through an enameling book i came across something called a trinket kiln. i looked in the rio grande tool catalog and found one in there on page 493. i did some research and found it comes from a company called www.jecproducts.com. according to them: "The Ultra Lite Kiln was originally developed for fine metal granulation and enameling. The Beehive Model has been updated to fire Precious Metal Clay products: PMC+ and PMC3. A ceramic insert (see below) is required for firing. Body consists of high insulating ceramic fiber. Comes with Standard 15" Cord." the kiln looks kinda like a flying saucer and has a 3" diameter interior. it costs $141 from either rio or jec products. the "ceramic inserts" come 3 for $22 from rio and 3 for $20 from jec. i'm giving serious consideration to getting one of these. so far i've only made pieces in class cause i can't afford a real kiln and i don't like the idea of playing around with fire (torch, "gel fuel") on my kitchen table. this appears to be a workable middle ground. especially since i'm also interested in working with PMC and enamel.

QUOTE: the "ceramic inserts" come 3 for $22 from rio and 3 for $20 from jec.

I went through the same thing you did until my husband told me to just go for it and I bought a kiln. I was lucky on that one but I did consider the same kiln but what about the "ceramic inserts" ? Is that something you have to keep purchasing?

i think the inserts only need to be replaced if they break. how easily they break is then the question. i'm guessing they come in sets of three so you can have different pieces staged and ready to go. for the amount of pmc i'm doing right now i think a regular kiln would be overkill but from your other posts it sounds like you do enough work to warrant one.

QUOTE: ...but from your other posts it sounds like you do enough work to warrant one.

Actually I hope I can make my kiln pay for itself...eventually. I'm converting over from Gallery Vases to Jewelry and hoping to wholesale my pieces.

I also have a ranked 5 website just sitting out there that I think I'll utilize with the Jewelry and go through the SEO "Google [censored]" again maybe.

I have two daughters getting married, I'll need the money!

soooo are you going to be making the bridemaids gifts? having them walk down the aisle wearing your handcrafted pendants would be beautiful and also a nice bit of advertising... when you start to check out places to wholesale don't forget bridal shops. weddings and flowers go together like... well... a bride and groom...

I did offer to my daughter (April 07) wedding to make her jewelry. My sister-in-law has offered to make my step-daughters (May 07) wedding. She works for the Beadery in UK. I'm sure she'll do a wonderful job or maybe something of mine might catch her eye and we can do it together. That would also be an honor.

Thanks so much for the "Bridal Shop" tip. I just fired the porcelain last night and this evening hopefully I can fire the Silver Overlays.

MY Immediate GOAL...to take a "finished" picture for the forum and to wear a piece of jewelry I created. That's just too cool. Wearing those 9 lbs Vases around my neck were getting heavy! [:(]

I am thinking of buying a kiln. Where is the best place to buy one ?

I am also interested in buying a kiln, I would like one that has the option to be used for PMC, dichroic glass fusing, and lampwork bead making. Are there kilns for all three? I know these are all arts I would like to try in the near future so I would hope to buy one with all of these capabilities. How much is a kiln for all three? I've seen a LOT of variation in price.

Yes, there are some really good kilns out there. I bought my first kiln 10 years ago from these guys and just bought my baby kiln from them.

www.clay-king.com

Look for Small Kilns/120 Volts http://www.clay-king.com/smallkilns.htm

I purchased a digital Caldera Kiln that will fire Porcelain (2300+ degrees), Glass, PMC, Glaze...you name it, it's HOT for about $535 which included shipping.

Search the internet but I found the best help as well as prices. They also carry PMC plus ART Clay (soon)!

Thank you so much Dawn I will definitly be doing more research on these Kilns. I was under the impression that you had to pay like $2000 to get a nice kiln. I am so glad that I was wrong about that. I think I was getting them confused with those really BIG kilns. Thanks again.

I own an elite kiln, and I've successfully made a number of PMC3 pendants with it. The only thing I want to mention is to keep the lid off at first, because the PMC will probably ignite for a few minutes and then die out. Also, if you're not going to buy a separate regulator, leave the lid off for peridots and garnets.

My cost was $135, which included the clay inserts and shipping.