Yomshanti Posted March 6, 2020 Report Share Posted March 6, 2020 I am contemplating purchasing a used Cress FX23-C kiln on Offerup for $250. The seller is the second owner and states that she has used it for glass slumping. She tells me that the elements are in working order. I can’t find this model online and was wondering if any of you are familiar with it and can tell me more about it. My husband has made pottery before but has never fired his own work. The seller has many pictures posted about the kiln and we can see that it is manual, not digital. Is a manual operated kiln harder to use? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? Just want to know if without having a technician looking at this kiln, if it is worth it. Thanks so much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnaVela Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Hi, I just went through the hassle of purchasing (super cheap) a used manual kiln and there are tons of things to consider. Starting from where to place it, how are you going to connect it (check voltage, plug, amp, breaker etc). Next visually inspect the kiln, you can find many posts on the forum on used kilns and what is acceptable or not. Check the kiln sitter, tube assembly, elements. If you can turn it on - even better. Ask if any furniture comes with it (shelves, posts), it can get very pricy depending on the model. Just to give you an idea: I got a very gently used manual Cress kiln for 75$ had to re-wire it (~50$), new tube assembly (50$), it came with some shelves, but I still had to buy a new furniture kit (~80$). Plus all small accessories to start firing: kiln wash, cones, peephole plugs, another 50$ easy. If you need a new breaker, electrical work it can get very expensive, also if elements are old and you’ll have to change them consider that as well, it’s not cheap. I personally very happy with what I’ve got and it’s totally worth it, I finally don’t need to wait two weeks to fire my pieces in the studio and pay 70-80$ each time. Hope this helps a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 A friend had given me a B23-HC that was very used and was rated for ^6. It was a manual kiln and I had fired it to ^6 twice which took a very long time (over 14 hours). I decided to continue using it for low-fire work and that worked out just fine for a year or so. Then I had the opportunity to pick up an FX23C that was supposedly used infrequently for $500. When I went to pick it up the owner said she was moving and getting out of ceramics. We fired it on the spot and the elements glowed, so I took her word for it that it was in good condition. The bricks were good and everything was clean. She also told me that I had to take her supply of dried up clay in boxes which would have weighed 300# wet. It is all earthenware which corroborated her telling me that she just did ^06 firings with the ^10 kiln. When I had gotten it home, I purchased an Orton Cone-Fire controller for around $550, hooked it up and am happily doing all my ^6 firings. Just recently I removed the kiln sitter to eliminate any mis-firings due to forgetting to set the timer or pushing the start button. If yours was used for glass slumping, the elements are probably not over-worked and should be in good shape. I would suggest that you fire it up on site just to make sure that the elements do heat up before you part with your $$$$. As AnnaVela says, the accessories can run up your total cost as will an electronic timer, but I think you would be ahead of the game over buying a new kiln... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 On 3/5/2020 at 7:30 PM, Yomshanti said: I am contemplating purchasing a used Cress FX23-C kiln on Offerup for $250. The seller is the second owner and states that she has used it for glass slumping. She tells me that the elements are in working order. I can’t find this model online and was wondering if any of you are familiar with it and can tell me more about it. My husband has made pottery before but has never fired his own work. The seller has many pictures posted about the kiln and we can see that it is manual, not digital. Is a manual operated kiln harder to use? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? Just want to know if without having a technician looking at this kiln, if it is worth it. Thanks so much! Fx should be a cress kiln, you probably can call cress for info in the C model. I think this is a small test type kiln 30 amps. I would get as much information on it as I could to make sure it fits your desired firing. Voltage, wattage, size, cone, etc...... Cress phone number from their web page 7758842777 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 The FX23C is the Cone 10 version of the B23_HC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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