After much deliberation (and a conveniently timed kiln sale at Warm Glass) I made the decision to upgrade my kiln from the Hobbyfuser 3 to the Cub-Fuser, both made by the UK manufacturer Kilncare.
The main differences between the two kilns are the size – my new kiln can fit almost double the work inside! – and the programmer, which instead of 9 available programmes, has 32. Both of these changes mean that I will save a lot of time in the studio and spend less time waiting for the kiln to cool so that I can put it back on. If I plan it well, it may also mean I put the kiln on less often, which is great for both my wallet and the environment.
This Cub-Fuser also has the GX insulation system, which means it is more environmentally friendly, using less energy to go to a full fuse than previous kilns of the same size.
The only drawback is I am yet to test all of my firing schedules and feel a little daunted by the immediate road ahead. Any glass artist will tell you that whilst there are standard firing schedules to refer to, no two kilns are exactly the same. This means that it takes time to ‘get to know’ each kiln, and I will probably have to do a fair bit of testing and tweaking before I can feel confident in my expectations from this new kiln.
Wish me luck!
