Denice

Nice looking teapot,   does it pore well?   I have trouble with pouring,  they look good but are nonfunctional     Denice

This kiln won't work for 5/6 glazes,  when you do find a kiln to buy find out how many firings are on the elements.   When I buy a used kiln I always figure the least amount of work that will need to be done to it is having it rewired.   The last time I bought wires for a Skutt kiln that size it was $300.   My husband changed them out for me so I didn t have to pay for installation.  I sold my Cone 10 1027 Skutt kiln two years ago with fresh wires for 600 dollars.    Denice

I don't know if it would be a strong enough plastic but a peanut butter jar might work.   The other day I was making a sandwich and I accidently switched lids with the mason jar the jelly was in.  It worked!  The peanut butter was store brand the same size as a mason jar.    Denice

Thank you for the pep talk,  I am going to start calling tomorrow, I tried Friday and everyone was closed.  What I am going through is nothing compared to what you had to endure.   I  wouldn't sell your equipment,  stuff it in a corner.   You will be wanting to get back into it in a few years.   I sold my kickwheel  after I bought a used Brent.    The man who bought it  was around 45 years old,  he had done pottery in high school.   The day he purchased it he just found out he had been appointed to a high level security job with the government.   Several months later  I received a photo of a pot and a message that my kickwheel had saved his life.   He said his new job had so much stress that throwing every night is the only thing that kept him sane.  You better hang on to it,  who knows there maybe another pandemic in a few years.    Just a thought,  have you ever considered making teapots,  you can start out with a one cupper and work your way up.   With love Denice

Hi Joesph  I was wandering how your test firing came out.   I did a test firing a couple of weeks ago and it was a real bummer.   I turned on my heater today to get my studio warm  enough to get some work done.  Our dog is on the mend,  but I am the one with a problem now.   My doctor found a aggressive skin cancer on my face,  I am trying to fight my way through the doctors.   I want the best treatment for me,  right now I am still on the tread mill to surgery.  Denice

I am glad you found some time to work in your studio.   Isn't it amazing how much life can  take over and eat up all of your spare time.    We had contractors working on our house in August and September.   My sister and her husband visit from California in October.   My son who lives in Costa Rica visited the first two weeks of November.   You think we could have a quiet Thanksgiving weekend.  OH NO.  My dog eats a plastic plant,  it is stuck in his stomach and he is vomiting all over the house.   Off to vet and have a $5,000 surgery,  he is home now but under heavy medication.   The next two weeks he has to be carefully cared for,  my husband and I are taking turns.  Hope you had a great Thanksgiving dinner.    Denice

Congrats on the new kiln,  I bought the slightly shorter model like your about 9 months ago with a Genisis controller.   I was also hesitant to jump into controlled firings,   I had been using a dual Skutt digital thermocouple set up for 15 years.  The L&L  had a larger diameter than my old Skutt so my husband put commercial casters on it.  I keep it in a corner and then roll it out to load, fire and unload.   With it deep in the corner I have room to work with my other kilns.  I will be checking out John Blicks firing schedules.  Have fun!    Denice

I also use my reclaim clay for extrusions and hand building,  my throwing clay is also good for hand building.   One of my college professors showed us how he threw with very little water.   Everyone in the class loved throwing that way,  you and the wheel were easy to clean up.   The pot on the wheel was tighter  and easier to move than a sloppy wet pot.  Denice

Welcome to the forum,  I hope you learn a lot I know I do.  I especially enjoy helping people on the forum,  I have been a potter for 50 years.    The most important thing is to enjoy the time you spend on the forum.     Denice

Bummer,  they probably took it to sell it on ebay.   Haven't had anything stolen out of my yard yet,  it will happen eventually.  We have fives houses on our street and every house has someone that works from home.  We are retired but our neighborhood is busy,  I think it keeps crime down.     Denice

Ow that sounds like that could cause a lot of problems,  our friend carried a heavy mailbag for 35 years.   When I was 20 I worked in a dental lab and had to stand on a ladder and  lift a 25 lb bag of plaster over my head and dump it in the plaster bin.   They finally gave the job to a man,  it was causing to much commotion with the other workers.  The other women didn't think I should do that job and the men  would look up my skirt (uniform).   I don't think that type of work did long term damage to me,  I am 70 and have MS and can still pick up a 25lb  bag of clay off the floor with one hand.   I laid out my mural yesterday,  I have to remake quite a few tiles.   It is three dimensional and is a landscape of Arizona so getting a good fit has been quite challenging.     Denice

Glad to hear that you have a new focus on your throwing.   I am still wondering what my next focus will be when I am finished with the mural I have been working on.   I am unloading the last of the bisque today,  I going to lay it out and make sure all of the pieces fit before I glaze.  Be careful with that shoulder  my husband's best friend just had major shoulder surgery,  he is a retired mailman.    Denice

I am with you on this,  I like the old arrangement of the forum.     Denice

Congratulations on your new house and studio,  you will love having a real studio.   I have had areas in homes that I worked  in and even a tiny building  but they were never a real studio.    We built our new house and  a studio  plumbed  and wired for a potter (me).   I love it,  I could live in it,  when you get settled you will love your studio.    Denice

I am sorry this happened to you,  I hope your surgery goes well.    Denice

Offsets sounds like the firing method  I have for a  kiln that is firing to cool on the bottom.   I put a C5  instead of  C6 in the sitter,  when it clicks off I turn it back on.  Then I adjust the temperature turning the knobs manually watching my dual Skutt thermocouple  until the whole kiln is the right temp.   I will take a look at my Caldera manual and learn how to do offsets with a thermocouple that is programed.  Denice

What is the difference between cone offset and thermocouple offsets,  I have never heard of offsets before.   You live in a area that is closer to the manufacturer,  the closest company who sold it was Brackers in Kansas City.   You had to order it online and they didn't have the upgraded elements or Genisis  controller on the order form.  Their price was much higher than Neil's I wondered if they had given me the sale price.  He recommended that I try to order it from them and pick it ourselves to save on freight.   Kansas City is about 200 miles from us my husband said he wanted it shipped.   Neil made it easy!

e23M-3  Neil was a lot of help in picking the size.  He asked me what kind of work I did,  He said I needed a kiln that was deeper  than the L&L 18" kiln.   He said I picked a good time to buy one,  they are 25% off and L&L is increasing their prices Feb I.   Now I have to sell or give away 3 kilns,  my old 1027 Skutt, small fairly new Duncan and a 20 year old AIM test kiln.  I am not sure anyone will want the test kiln,  you have to be a serious potter  to buy a test kiln.   I already purchased  a new XL Caldera with the new Genisis controller for testing.  Which L&L did you buy for your retirement years?      Denice

I hope you have a good time.  One summer I took a three day tile course at a junior college.  We slept in a dorm at night and found our own meals during the day.   I had been making tile for several years and thought maybe I  could increase my knowledge on the subject.   At the beginning of the first day I realized that I was mistaken.  Most of the people there had never worked with clay.  The class was doubled book and one of the teachers was sick. A overwhelmed teacher asked me if I would help with the class.  I really enjoyed helping the students,  I think I would have been bored out of my mind  with the elementary presentations.  Denice

Congratulations you have us beat by 10 months,  did you do anything special?  Denice

I was wondering if you did a little shaking in your area.   We have had a few small earthquakes in the past but no damage.   Tornado's take a toll on the houses in my area.   Merry Christmas   Denice

I hope you get some great shots,  have fun.   Denice

I have never used one but from what I have read the controller has several preset firing programs.   The controller will increase  the temperature  at the right time until the firing is finished.  Some of them have customized programs you can make for down firing or holding.  It depends on the controller on the kiln.  My kiln was delivered today,  I haven't unpacked it yet,  the packing slip said the interior space was 7.5x7.5x8.0.   Slightly larger than my old AIM test kiln.  I need to straighten up my kiln room and pack up the AIM kiln  before I unpack the Paragon.    Denice

My mother in-law would buy me gift certificates at our local ceramic supplier.   I would try to buy something more substancial  than general supplies.   A few things I remember buying is raku tongs,   caulking gun extruder and kiln shelves.  Most people who have visited my shop get a dazed look in their eyes and leave confused about the equipment involved in clay.   They do get a little excited about the kiln room.  Denice

I just got back from a trip to the MT Rushmore area and haven't heard any thing about the kiln.   They said it would take 6 weeks to get one.   I have a AIM test kiln that is 27 years old, it needs rewiring again and isn't computer controlled.    With the newer cone 5\6 glazes needing to be down fired or hold I decided to go with a computerized test kiln.   I read nothing but good reviews on the paragon caldera.  I bought the one that is slightly larger,  I am already wired for it.   If your looking for a kiln you can do small production in you should buy a larger kiln,  I believe the Caldera is 10x10 inches.   I will probably be asking a lot of questions on the forum when I receive it, my first computerized kiln.    Denice