HI Trish,
Sadly is has no switch-just plug in for on and unplug for off. It doesn't say that in the description, and I gues I 'assumed' it would have an on/off switch. I knew it didn't have any temperature control but thought it would be usuable 'for now' by careful watching of the pieces as the enamel melted.

I'm looking at digitial temperature controls and they are more than what this kiln cost... sigh.... I don't know why they would sell this without some better instructions on how to use it. I think I am going to have to try to sell it on Craigslist and save up for another Paragon.

I am so dissapointed.

yes, that was what I was saying= it states it has no temperature control so I'm asking how to fix the situation as it is sold for enameling.

Since Thompson is an enamel seller and making/selling this there must be some way to use it 'as is'.  I assume that I'm not the only person on the planet who has bought this unit so there must be some way to enamel with it or after market thing that can be added that doesn't cost another $300

Barbe, I have an old Paragon E9A electric kiln which my husband purchased new in the late-70's.  It has just a plug, with no on/off switch and no temperature controls.  I used it to make the 5" diameter cloisonné for my tree frog box (it's pictured on my Grains of Glass page).  So it is possible to use such a kiln on a large, complex piece but it's not easy!

I found that it was very difficult to avoid over-firing because it had to be unplugged at just the right time so it wouldn't overheat.  If I unplugged too soon, this large piece couldn't heat up enough to fuse the enamel.  My wires were perfectly shaped and fired into the enamel at first, but the over-firing caused them to move on subsequent firings.  I also think the wire movement was made worse when I didn't put fresh enamel in each cell on every firing (it was so big that sometimes I just filled one area and fired).  The wires probably would have been more stable if there had been an equal amount of enamel on both sides of the wire; the side of the wire with a deeper layer of enamel seemed to pull or push the wire out of place when over-fired.

Have you looked for a used kiln with temperature controls?  I decided to buy a $200 used kiln with a pyrometer from the craft center where I took classes.  This thing must be at least 60 years old and it looks ancient but it's really big inside, and after I replaced the heating coils it worked very well.  Buying a used, good-quality kiln with a pyrometer seems like a better value than spending the same amount for a pyrometer to put on an inexpensive kiln.

yes, you can buy a good quality controller for about $39 on ebay from china.

Enter a search like "AC/DC 12-24V PID Digital temperature controller + 25A SSR&K Sensor Thermostat"

I bought one for the day my kiln stopped working (which has not happened yet) from a seller called business668fa .  Item number: 320791187074

You need a very basic knowledge of electricity and a box (wooden is ok) to hold the components.

It would do the job very well!

hope this helps.

Brendan

 I use to have a Paragon SC2 Kiln with I loved, but a few years ago had to sell it (I have regretted that every day!).  I have been trying to torch enamel but don't like the results so had just enough $$$ to buy the Thompson Electric Furnace Kiln (fire brick). It is a very basic kiln with no temperature controls. The link is : http://thompsonenamel.com/product_info.php?cPath=189_191&products_id=262

I thought it would be good enough for me to work with while I save money for a better kiln. I tried it yesterday and seemed to over fire everything. Even if I only left them to the very end of the orange peel stage, the edges are still black.. NOT happy!  I don't want to be stuck with something I can't use effectively.

Does anyone have this kiln and can you offer any tips? Also-is there an inexpensive pyrometer or controller I could easily add to this?  I don't want to spend another $200 on a controller for a $250 inexpensive kiln if possible. 

Thanks