Flameworking, Lampworking,
and Glass Beadmaking

You have reached the source!
We were the first company to make and produce beadmakers kilns!
You may find other kilns on the internet that have tried to copy our design,
but none competes with our quality, design, price or unique features of our HG series kilns.
Sundance established 1975.

Lampworking Kilns

25 different kilns for flameworking, lampworking and glass beadmaking

What is the basic difference between all of these kilns? Mostly size and price. The smaller the kiln, the less the price. There are also two different styles of kilns, Quartz and Modular Stacking. Click here to see the differences. All are made by us! Sundance.

Check other places in this WEB site for Fusing Kilns and Glassblowers kilns.

Model #	Kilns	Details & Pricing	Floor Size	Width & height of side door opening	Price
Gas Kilns Heated by Gas!		Click here for details	6½" x 8½" 9" x 9"	6½" x 2-1/4" 9" x 2-1/4"	$219 $285
BlueBird XL		Click Here for Details	9" x 20"	20" x 2"	List $880 Our Price $795
5621		Click here for details With Built In Digital Controller!!	8" x 8"	6"	$545
5676		120V 11 Amps With Built In Digital Controller!!	8-1/2" wide 12" deep	6"	$690
F11 & F18		Click Here for Details With Built In Digital Controller!!	11" x 11" or 18" x 18"		$950 or $1745
1409		Click here for details	14" octagon	9"	$550

Click Below for Different Kilns
Beadmaking Kilns	Crucible Kilns	Fusing Kilns
Lampwork/Sculpture/420 Kilns	Glassblowing Kilns	PMC Art Clay Silver Kilns

 

The HG kilns are better!

• Our HG line of kilns are made by Sundance. We invented the front door brick kiln! We have evaluated the few worthy bead kilns now made and we found HotGlass to be the best quality, more features and at the best price! There is no choice or question what kiln is the best!
• These HotGlass kilns can also be used for fusing, glass annealing, enameling or ceramics. Most other bead kilns do not.
• These HotGlass kilns are priced lower than any other bead kiln on the market. Prices start under $350 for a full featured bead and fusing kiln with pyrometer for reading temperature and a dial control switch for adjusting the temperature!
• The HotGlass kilns are Fiber Free for those of you who do not like to have ceramic fiber in your studio. (Some of our HotGlass kilns come with a fiber cloth door, but this cloth is not necessary and can be removed.)
• These HotGlass kilns have several unique features not found in other brand bead kilns.
  • Fiber cloth door. This feature is ingenious! This easy to open cloth door helps keep the heat in and wraps around any glass rods or mandrels sticking out of the kiln.
  • Optional built in bead rack. And not just a regular bead rack. This allows one to stack across and upward so three or four times as many beads can be put in these kilns each beadmaking session! This makes our kilns three to four times larger than other kilns of the same size!
  • Wooden handles. Other brand kilns have metal handle lids or doors which are worthless when the kiln gets hot.

  The fastest way to order any of these kilns is to call us toll free at 1-888-4HOTGLASS.

Our prices are too low? - We often hear "There must be something wrong with Sundance's Kilns. The price seems to low!" Well .... were not sure why our competitors kilns are so expensive. Many look just like ours. If they look like ours, they have copied our original design. Sundance kilns are the best quality at great prices, but if the price seems too low, throw us an extra $100 if it will make you feel better.

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Click Here for Kiln Making Materials - Brick, fiber, Elements, etc.

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Crucible Kilns

Click Here for Controllers and Pyrometers

Controllers and Pyrometers

Do you need a kiln for lampworking?

There are two reasons you would need a kiln designed for lampworkers:

• When you are done working the bead in a torch, you need to cool your bead slow enough so it will not thermal shock and crack. A kiln will easily do this. It is important to note that you may still have stress in the bead even if you have cooled the bead successfully without cracking. The glass bead must also be properly annealed.
• Annealing the glass bead is accomplished by holding the bead at a particular temperature for a particular period of time. Only a kiln will do this. The temperature depends on the type of glass you are using (Moretti is about 940 degrees F) and the length of time depends on the thickest part of the bead (a typical time might be 15 minutes. Longer won't hurt). In other words the larger the bead the longer the annealing time. Beads can be cooled, then at any time later, put back into a cold kiln and brought up to temperature for annealing, orthe annealing can be done immediately by putting the bead, still on the mandrel, directly into a hot kiln right from the torch flame. A HotGlass kiln is specially designed so a bead can be safely put directly into a hot kiln.

There are four popular methods of cooling glass beads.

Cooling the bead by slowly removing it from the torch flame. This is called flame annealing. Many artists use this method of flame annealing even if they are using a kiln.

• This may keep smaller sized beads from thermal shocking
• This method can do some annealing for any sized bead if done properly.

Placing your beads between two layers of fiber blanket. See more about this.

• This method may keep smaller beads from thermal shocking.
• This method does nothing to anneal your glass bead.

Bury your bead deep in a hot crock pot filled with hot vermiculite.

• This method may keep smaller beads from thermal shocking.
• This method does nothing to anneal your glass bead.

Place your bead in a heated kiln.

• Using a kiln will keep any sized bead from thermal shocking.
• Using a kiln will anneal your glass bead if kept at the correct temperature for a sufficient period of time.

How is a Lampworking Kiln different
from a Ceramic Kiln?

 

A ceramic kiln would work as a bead kiln. But a Bead Kiln has many desirable and safe features. Remember, beads are put into a kiln while it is on and hot!

• Safety if you put a bead, still on the mandrel, into a ceramic kiln and you accidentally touched one of the exposed element wires, you will become electrocuted! Our Bead Kilns protect you so you will not become shocked!
• Heat yes! when a kiln is used for glass beadmaking, it is kept at about 1000 degrees F. When you open a ceramic kiln at 1000 degrees to put in a bead, you will be hit with a lot of heat. Our HotGlass kilns have a special opening on the side, which allows you to easily and safely insert your beads comfortably. Simply lift up the loose cloth door and place the mandrel into the bead rack.