Chilipepper or Paragon Bluebird

cates1372 · #1 2012-08-29, 2:08pm

Hi! Newbie here!!

I'm not sure if this is the correct place to ask this question...but...I'm looking into purchasing a kiln. My dilemma is....do I go for the Chilipepper or the Paragon Bluebird? I can get the Chilipepper for a reasonable price (used/about 1yr old/used maybe 5 times) or I can pay about $100 more for a brand new Paragon Bluebird. Any suggestions...input....thoughts? I'd really appreciate the help.
Thank you,
Deb

echeveria · #2 2012-08-29, 2:19pm

I have a Chilipepper and a Bluebird XL - I like them both. The XL is a brick kiln, and very versatile. I can do PMC, small pottery, small fusing, beadwork, etc.

The Chilipepper is very portable, so I can take it places if I need to. It heats up faster since it is fiber. It has been a real workhorse, and is what I use most of the time. The Bluebird is a lot bigger, and it seems like a waste to power up that whole kiln when I rarely fill up the Chilipepper.

If you are looking at the fiber Bluebird, I would figure out which one based on the size you want. Unless you work long hours and make a lot of beads at one time, the Chilipepper will probably do.

Lizzydee · #3 2012-08-29, 7:38pm

have a chili pepper - love it

tammydownunder · #4 2012-08-29, 11:42pm

Have a look at the Glasshive. It's a great kiln and even better customer support.

cates1372 · #5 2012-08-30, 5:05am

Thanks for the input! I've pretty much looked at every kiln out there (or at least my eyes feel like I have! lol) I've only been doing lampwork for about a month....and I'm loving every minute of it!

I'm currently using the mini bead annealer from Devardi and it works great - but I'm lucky if I can fit 8 beads in there at once (had a few stick together! grrrrrr!!) but for the most part, it does the trick. Last weekend I made roughly 20 beads and it took me ALL day because I had to wait for each batch to anneal. I'm just looking for something that will fit a good amount of beads without breaking the bank. I can also get the Chilipepper fairly quickly and don't have to wait for one to be built or shipped. I also like the portability of the Chilipepper as I'm currently doing all my work in my sister's garage. Can anyone tell me, on average, how many beads can you fit into the Chilipepper at once?

Thanks!!
Deb

SilverReflections · #6 2012-08-30, 5:36am

You can fit a lot of beads in there. I think only days in which I'm working for maybe 12 hours and doing many small beads along with my focals have I managed to "run out of room". I stack the beads when needed after they have had some time to get to the kiln's temperature, although you may need/want to set your holding temp just a tad lower before annealing. When I only had a 10 amp circuit the chili pepper was definitely a great choice however now that I have a 15amp circuit again I'm using my glasshive kiln which I love. I believe my relay failed in the chilipepper though it could be my coil after maybe 1.5 to 2 years. I think I had read somewhere on LE that that was a common issue with the kiln although I may not be remembering that correctly... I need to fix it though just in case for a backup.

Overall if you can get a good deal on the chilipepper and it's close by I'm sure you'll be happy compared to what you are using now. Enjoy!

Prism · #7 2012-08-30, 6:13am

I have the Chilipepper and love it. I have had it a few years and do batch annealing once every couple of weeks and sometimes once a month. It holds a lot of beads and I have never had a problem with it.

kwelna · #8 2012-08-30, 6:27am

Wht about a JenKen with a bead door? then you can anneal and slump?

cates1372 · #9 2012-08-30, 9:33am

Quote:

Originally Posted by SilverReflections

You can fit a lot of beads in there. I think only days in which I'm working for maybe 12 hours and doing many small beads along with my focals have I managed to "run out of room". I stack the beads when needed after they have had some time to get to the kiln's temperature, although you may need/want to set your holding temp just a tad lower before annealing. When I only had a 10 amp circuit the chili pepper was definitely a great choice however now that I have a 15amp circuit again I'm using my glasshive kiln which I love. I believe my relay failed in the chilipepper though it could be my coil after maybe 1.5 to 2 years. I think I had read somewhere on LE that that was a common issue with the kiln although I may not be remembering that correctly... I need to fix it though just in case for a backup.

Overall if you can get a good deal on the chilipepper and it's close by I'm sure you'll be happy compared to what you are using now. Enjoy!

How do you stack the beads in the Chilipepper?

Croft Eeusk · #10 2012-08-30, 11:02am

I asked about kilns a week or so ago myself & every answer I got was 'go with Glass Hive'. Looked at their website - they had a variety of sizes to fit work type [hobby/beginner, shop, number of doors, etc.] and nice prices. So

I just ordered from Glass Hive. They said it's a 3-4 week wait, more likely toward the 3. But that's jake w/me, I'm

dj

echeveria · #11 2012-08-30, 1:03pm

To stack beads in a Chilipepper, just scoot them over after they have been in there at least 5 minutes or so. Beads that have come to kiln temp should be able to be put on top of each other with no harm, since you are well below the temperature that would make a bead tacky. We get 50-60 beads in one during classes. It is definitely handy if you are going to carry it around.

I used to have this steel grid in mine that I cut from a piece of something I got from Lowes. But I got tired of farting around with it, and just put everything on the kiln floor, and skootch stuff over if I need more room. MAKE SURE to use your pliers to move the mandrels if they are short and you want to grab them close to the kiln door.

I think the relays do go bad after x amount of use. They are about $3 each. I have a stockpile, even though I have never had to replace one.

SilverReflections · #12 2012-08-30, 1:48pm

I actually use some kiln post supports which I had handy (they sell metal racks or you could use a firebrick) on one side of the kiln so that when I first put my bead in I can keep the bead off of the bottom of the kiln and away from other beads. Once I make my next bead and put it in beside it I just move my old one over (being careful to grab the end of the mandrel b/c they are hot close to the door) and rest it on the floor of the kiln. I still try to avoid having the beads touch each other as a precaution (the kiln temp spikes a bit over the hold temp when bringing the temp back up after having the door open) and put them in a v pattern on the floor of the kiln, i.e. Some are closer to the door on the bottom and some are closer to the back of the kiln on the bottom which works well for smaller beads. But if I run out of room doing this I will still put some on top of each other which we do at Playing with Fire with no problems. Think we've had 200 or so beads in the kiln from a class day before. But I have very very occasionally had the beads "kiss" in my own kilns which is such a bummer if they were nice which is why I avoid it if possible.

SuzyQ · #13 2012-08-31, 5:53am

I like Kathy's comparison.

I have two chili peppers and can fit about 75 beads in each if I really need to. (not suggested though, it's tricky) I got a stainless steel piece of metal that has little holes in it. I jammed it into the back leaving a bit of room between it and the back wall. I poke the mandrel in a hole when I put the beads in the kiln. As it fills up I move previous beads to the floor and put new ones in the holes above. Not all of my beads can touch so I keep the second layer in and then add more to the upper layers of holes.

wolflo · #14 2012-08-31, 6:47am

Quote:

Originally Posted by echeveria

To stack beads in a Chilipepper, just scoot them over after they have been in there at least 5 minutes or so. Beads that have come to kiln temp should be able to be put on top of each other with no harm, since you are well below the temperature that would make a bead tacky. We get 50-60 beads in one during classes. It is definitely handy if you are going to carry it around.

I used to have this steel grid in mine that I cut from a piece of something I got from Lowes. But I got tired of farting around with it, and just put everything on the kiln floor, and skootch stuff over if I need more room. MAKE SURE to use your pliers to move the mandrels if they are short and you want to grab them close to the kiln door.

I think the relays do go bad after x amount of use. They are about $3 each. I have a stockpile, even though I have never had to replace one.

KATHY; Good information about relays...where do you buy them?

echeveria · #15 2012-08-31, 7:35am

I got mine from a bulk buy that David Houpt did a while back. If you do a search for relay bulk buy, you may find the thread, and it may tell you where he got them. Or pm him. I am sure he will cough up his source!

pyro369 · #16 2016-08-14, 11:12pm

Hi! New melter here.
I am going to be making pipes and pendants and need a kiln.
I have narrowed down my choices to these fine products.
I plan on potentially traveling and doing demos in the future.
Which kiln would you recommend for me?