Product Description
REFURBISHED Prometheus Pre-Programmed Kiln PRO-7 PRG - SAVE UP TO A WHOPPING £180 (24%)!
If you're not looking for a refurbished kiln you can find our new stock here.
Prometheus 7 Programmable Kiln is a tabletop kiln, similar in size to a Paragon SC2. It is designed for firing precious metal clays like Art Clay Silver, PMC, and PMC Flex. It is also good for base metal clays, and glass fusing, enamelling, low fire ceramics, china painting, as well as annealing and hardening silver and gold.
It's a 1100°C front-loading kiln, with a built-in, easy-to-use, 3-key digital programmable controller.
The UK kiln is rated at 230V/1900W, so it plugs into a regular mains socket.
STRESS-FREE FIRING WITH PRESET PROGRAMMES
This kiln has 15 program slots, typically four are blank, and 11 are preset with really useful firing schedules, for media like silverclay (including Express and Extra Strength options), Art Clay Copper, adding gold, combining silver and glass - and more. * PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REFURBISHED KILNS MAY NOT BE PRE-PROGRAMMED. But this is easy to do yourself!
HOW DOES PROGRAMMES WORK?
The programmable controller means you can set what temperature you want the kiln to fire at (target temperature), and also tell it how fast you want it to heat up (ramp speed), and how long you want it to hold at the firing temperature (hold/soak time), and the kiln will then turn the heating off once it has completed the programme. If you want you can also say how slow it should cool down, and if it should hold at a temperature whilst cooling down.
You have 11 preset programmes, and 4 blank to set as you wish. Each programme can have up to 5 segments or steps. A segment could be like this: heat up at 300° C per hour, until you get to 800°C, then hold that temperature for 45 minutes.
To be able to set several segments with different heating speeds and temperatures are very useful if you're firing base metals, like copper and bronze (where you want to heat up slower and hold steady to burn the binder out at a lower temperature before the full firing at a higher temperature), or doing glass fusing (which needs a slow heating, and a slow cool down, with a soak/hold at a low temperature to anneal the glass once fused).
A good thing with programmes is that you only set them once, and they will stay there until you change them. So you could set one programme for firing silver clay, another for fusing glass cabochons, and another for that perfect Art Clay Copper firing schedule you've come up with.
This kiln has a Orton AutoFire Express Digital Programmable Temperature Controller (similar to the one on Paragon, Sierra, and Evenheat kilns).
SIZE
The outer steel case measures 360mm x 370mm x 435mm, and is slotted for air circulation, so it keeps cool. The door opens 180° upright and there's a small door vent.
The ceramic firing chamber, enclosed in an inner steel case, measures 230mm x 205mm x 155mm internally, and heats from the top, sides and bottom, with the fast-firing elements safely embedded in the ceramic.
IMPORTANT TO KNOW
It is normal for the metal above the door vent and the area around the door to discolour with use.
The chamber expands and contracts with each firing so hairline cracks are normal and may even show on a new kiln. These will not affect the function of the kiln. Any small cracks close up as the kiln heats up.
These kilns no longer have a latch on the door as their centre of gravity allows the door to close securely by itself.
This kiln doesn't come with a shelf - you can purchase a large fibre kiln shelf here or a hard kiln shelf kit here **
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Volts: 230V
Amps: 8.2A
Watt: 1900W
Controller: Orton Digital Programmable Temperature Controller - 9 programmes with 8 segments
Max Temp: 1100°C
Heating elements: 4; top, bottom and sides
External Size: 360 x 370 x 435 (width x depth x height) (mm)
Firing Chamber: 230 x 205 x 155 (width x depth x height) (mm)
Volume: 7.3 litres
Weight: 22kg
Box Dimension approx: 470 x 480 x 560 (width x depth x height) (mm)
Quick explanation of some kiln lingo:
Target temperature: the temperature you want your kiln to heat up to (or cool down to), i.e. the temperature you need to fire your material at.
Digital controller: how you tell your kiln what to do. With a digital controller you press buttons. Older (or simpler) kilns sometimes just have a rotary controller which you turn until you're happy with the temp. - digital controllers are much easier to control.
Ramp function: a function which allows you to tell the kiln how fast (or slow) it should heat up/cool down. Mostly used in glass fusing and for some base metal clay firings, or for other materials which needs heating and/or cooling under more controlled conditions.
Ramp speed: the speed at which the kiln heats up, or cools down.
Hold time: how long your kiln should hold the target temperature. E.g., fire at 650°C for 30 minutes - 30 minutes is the hold time.
Firing chamber: the inside of your kiln, where you place your things to be fired.
Kiln shelf: a small shelf on which you fire things. Never fire direct on the kiln floor.
Photos of kilns shown when you select the option. Each kiln comes with a limited 3 month warranty with Metal Clay Ltd.
