The UltraLite Kiln is the smallest kiln in the UK, and ideal for drying and firing Art Clay and PMC silver clays, enamelling, glass fusing, gold leaf keum-boo work, and making jewellery. It's an 845°C, 250W, on-off, low-cost, compact, round kiln, with a lift-off lid.

The UltraLite Kiln is a ceramic-fibre micro-kiln that heats and cools quickly. It's ideal for low-budget small-scale work in your home, school, craft workshop, or jewellery studio, or at an arts centre running jewellery courses.

The UltraLite Kiln weighs just 1kg, so is easy to take to craft fairs, demonstrations, and exhibitions. If you already have a larger kiln, use an Ultra Lite for drying metal clays, firing single pieces, or quick tests. If you run courses, use several so that more experienced students can optimise their time, rather than wait for the slowest to catch up.

The UltraLite Kiln is bought as an Art Clay kiln, a craft kiln, an enamelling kiln, a glass-fusing kiln, a hobby kiln, a jewellery kiln, a keum-boo kiln, a PMC kiln, a precious metal clay kiln, a SilverClay kiln, a small kiln, or a trinkets kiln, depending on its perceived use.

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The UltraLite Kiln is the smallest kiln in the UK, and ideal for drying and firing Art Clay and PMC silver clays, enamelling, glass fusing, gold leaf keum-boo work, and making jewellery. It's an 845°C, 250W, on-off, low-cost, compact, round kiln, with a lift-off lid.

The UK kiln is rated at 230V 250W, so can use a regular mains socket. It heats and cools quickly, but costs very little to run. It's small enough to use in your home, school, craft workshop, jewellery studio, or take to a course venue, as it only weighs about 1Kg.

The US-made kiln has been modified for UK voltage, it's CE marked, and the power cable has a regular UK plug. It comes with a 0.4m power cable, so you might need a short extension. If it's a multi-socket extension, each socket should have a switch so that, when you turn the kiln off, you don't turn other things off as well.

The ceramic-fibre body measures 127mm x 65mm externally, and is mounted on a 62mm high metal stand. There's a front cut-out for access, which also acts as a vent for any processes that release fumes.

The ceramic-fibre firing chamber measures 76mm x 38mm internally, and only heats from the bottom, with the fast-firing element safely embedded in a removable fibre disc. Putting the lid off-centre will effectively vent the kiln and reduce the temperature.

The recommended firing kit for the UltraLite, included in the price, consists of one 77mm x 4mm cordierite firing disc for Art Clay and PMC metal clays. Cordierite is a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture.

Cordierite is brittle so, if you drop the shelf, it will usually break. Although shelves can be repaired, it's not worth the risk as, if they break again, it will be just as you put your delicate unfired pieces in the kiln. It's a good idea to have spare shelves, especially if your business depends on your kiln or you're running courses.

Kiln shelf paper will stop enamels and glass sticking to the firing disc. Kiln shelf paper is simpler and more convenient to use than glass separator for stopping enamels and glass sticking to the firing disc.

Because the kiln only heats from the bottom, you can't stack the discs and fire several layers of work at the same time. However, two extra discs allow you to put one on the lid to dry metal clays and use the other to lay out your next pieces ready for firing.

The two red-brass hot-lids, one of which has a shallow hollow for round pieces, are generally used for keum-boo work, and are described below.

The Ultra Lite Kiln is a good first-kiln, popular with keum-boo artists. Apart from its internal size, the only minor limitation is that, although 845°C is hot enough for silver metal-clays, it's not hot enough for gold metal-clays, ceramics, porcelain, pottery, and stoneware: they need a 1260°C or 1290°C kiln.

Although the elements are embedded in ceramic fibre, an important safety feature, never get careless: kilns are hot and connected to the mains.

The UltraLite Kiln doesn't use a conventional kiln shelf supported on short posts. Instead, it uses a firing disc made from cordierite: a magnesium aluminium silicate that resists thermal distortion and fracture. The disc protects the floor of the firing chamber.

If your metal clay pieces are delicate or irregularly shaped, put some ceramic-fibre cloth on the firing disc so that they're supported during drying and firing. Kiln shelf paper will stop enamels and glass sticking to the firing disc.

Because the kiln only heats from the bottom, you can't stack the discs and fire several layers of work at the same time. However, two extra discs allow you to put one on the lid to dry metal clays and use the other to lay out your next pieces ready for firing.

The red-brass hot-lids are used for keum-boo work. There are excellent descriptions of keum-boo on the internet so, rather than repeating them here, you'll need to research the subject. However, here's a brief description:

Keum-boo is a simple technique that bonds pure gold foil to another pure metal, such as fine silver, producing a rich gold colour. Because the gold foil is thin, the cost of adding pure gold to your work is low.

When pure silver and pure gold are brought to the correct temperature, under pressure, the molecules mesh easily to create a permanent bond. This diffusion bond occurs well below the soldering temperature for either metal.

Pure silver usually needs no preparation. Sterling silver needs treating to remove other metals from the alloy and leave a layer of pure metal on the surface.

All small, fast-heating, ceramic-fibre kilns, such as the UltraLite Kiln, have firing characteristics you need to be aware of. Due to the cut-out at the front, work placed near the front won't get quite as hot as work placed near the back. Also, putting the lid off-centre will effectively vent the kiln and reduce the temperature.

These variations won't affect metal clays, but might affect enamels and glass. So, if you work with temperature-critical materials or processes, you'll need to experiment at the beginning.

To learn about your kiln keep a firing log, tabulating the material you used, the position of your work on the firing disc, the firing duration, and the success of the end result.
The log is vital if you're experimenting with dichroic glass, enamels, glazes, and other colour-dependent materials, and a skilled artist will use the temperature variations to advantage for different effects.

It's very important to understand that the UltraLite does not have a controller or a programmer. There are limitations, although you may be perfectly happy with what it can do rather than unhappy with what it can't.

The UltraLite isn't programmable, but it's perfect for short stop-start processes that aren't temperature-time critical and aren't limited by the kiln's 845°C maximum temperature.

The UltraLite heats to its maximum temperature and stays there until you turn it off. For many people doing small-scale work, that's enough, although it helps if you buy a small digital timer to remind you that time's up.

To learn more about the Paragon SC2, SC3, and other small kilns that can use a regular mains socket and stand on a typical 600mm wide worktop, you can transfer to a dedicated internet resource: use the Electric Kilns link above the menu bar.

Electric Kilns is about inexpensive small kilns, such as the Kitiki Mini-Kiln, and the Paragon BlueBird, Caldera, EZ Beader, FireFly, Home Artist, SC-2, SC-3, and Xpress. They can use a regular mains socket and stand on a typical 600mm wide worktop. To transfer to Electric Kilns, use the Electric Kilns link above the menu bar.

Paragon Kilns also includes larger kilns, such as the Paragon Fusion, GL, and Pearl for glass, and the Paragon Dragon, Iguana, Janus, Ovation, TNF, Viking, and Vulcan for ceramics, porcelain, pottery, raku, and stoneware. To learn more, transfer to Paragon Kilns, using the Paragon Kilns link above the menu bar.

Paragon Kilns offers advice on how to choose and use a kiln and accessories, provide a power supply, set up your work area, take safety precautions, fire different materials, and make checks and repairs.

The on-line shop includes the UltraLite, firing disks, hot-lids, spares, kiln paper, digital pyrometers, reminder-timers, fire extinguishers, ceramic blocks and cloths, heat-resistant gloves, glare-resistant glasses, and other tools and accessories. Alternatively, visit the Cherry Heaven Shop in Corfe Castle village.

Cherry Heaven, through Electric Kilns, is an EU distributor for Paragon Kilns made by Paragon Industries in the US, and, through The UltraLite Kiln, an EU distributor for the Ultra Lite Kiln made by JEC Products in the US.

Cherry Heaven, through The Kitiki Studio, is a UK distributor for Art Clay made by Aida Chemical Industries in Japan, and an EU distributor for AccentGold For Silver paint and Metal Clay Veneer, both made in the US.