Fuseworks FW849 Beginner's Microwave Kiln

This is my second kiln. I had fused literally hundreds of dichroic pieces in the first one. The first kiln was working just fine until a cabochon that was being fired, split and the pieces moved to the edge of the kiln and fused onto the side. Entirely my fault and no fault of the kiln. I immediately sent for another kiln. I love the kiln. I will be ordering yet another if the second one suffers a similar fate.

So far I have had reasonable success with this microwave kiln. I'm just now honing my techniques, and advise anyone who uses these to view the plethora of great YouTube videos available online about fusing glass jewelry (Glaze Jewellery in New Zealand) and about fushing glass in general (aaeglass). There are others, too, but these are my favorite sites for technique and inspiration. I've shown my very first piece, a kitty pendant for my niece. aaeglass also has a very good selection of glass decals that you fire onto the surface of your finished fused glass. They work very well, and the technique is demonstrated on YouTube and probably their website as well.

It's ok. The biggest disappointment was that there were no practice pieces or starter kit included. The purchase of a glass starter kit can run you as much as twice the amount of the kiln if you don't shop around. Don't plan on giving this to a child, it will be an expensive dust collector in no time.

I bought this as a holiday gift for a friend of mine who is a jewelry designer. We were flipping through Mark Montano's newest craft book (The Big ___ Book of Bling, which is super fun!) and found a section where he had used this kiln to melt glass for various jewelry products; the way my friend focused in on the pages like a laser, I knew I had to get it for her!It sounds a little bit like devil magic, but you can use this small kiln to melt and fuse glass in a regular microwave. The temperature inside the kiln can reach 1400-1600 degrees Fahrenheit, so be sure to read ALL of the safety instructions and don't let children use it, especially without supervision. You'll also want to be sure that you read all of the instructions about picking glass, because if you pick two different types of glass that have different COEs (coefficient of expansion) the glass can break while cooling and ruin your projects. Luckily, Fuseworks also sells lots of small packs of different types of glass pieces that all have a COE of 90.The pieces you can make with this are really spectacular and can enhance your craft projects or jewelry designs. At less than $100, I found this to be a great investment for my friend who is a serious craftsperson, but there are lots of great everyday ways to use these fused glass pieces.

I got this for Christmas and I was very excited to get to use it; however when I made a practice project it went horribly wrong. I am a very careful person I read the instructions carefully and re-read them. I made sure I had 90 Coe glass and I didn't mix glass types. I made a simple project put it in and when I fired it, it melted way too much and I took it out to let it cool and when it was cool the glass was stuck to the sides and won't come off. I'm very unhappy that I did everything i was supposed to and the kiln created this problem.

I guess I had too high expectations for this product. I was hoping that it would completely fuse the glass, but instead it just tacks it. I could do that with glue. It has been put on a shelf to remain there, most likely, forever.

I already had a microwavable kiln , so buying another one, doubled the amount of jewellry I can make as I can use both , one after the other and let them both cool for the same amount of time. I did not need more of the equipment that came with the first one. They both work well.

I'm having great fun with this little kiln. I just wish it was bigger!