Purchasing A Used Wheel

[FloCat]

I have the opportunity to purchase a used Pacifica GT400. It's about 10 years old. It's been stored in a garage, I suspect no climate control, so subject to seasonal heat and cold (East Coast, so it's been through many temperature and humidity extremes). Other than some basic dirt and mouse droppings I see no major physical problems, but will be taking a closer look soon.

First, what should I offer for this wheel?

Second, what should I look for when I take a closer look, as far as flaws and etc. Obviously, I want to run it to see if it runs, but aside from that, what are common possible problems. Also, I am concerned about the possibility of "creepy crawlies" setting up housekeeping in hidden areas of the motor housing, would this be possible? and is it fairly easy to check for that, if and when I purchase the wheel. Obviously, I won't be pulling the whole thing apart before I purchase it. I just don't want anything hatching in my house. Yuck!!!

Any helpful advise is very much appreciated.

FloCat

[Seasoned Warrior]

I have the opportunity to purchase a used Pacifica GT400. It's about 10 years old. It's been stored in a garage, I suspect no climate control, so subject to seasonal heat and cold (East Coast, so it's been through many temperature and humidity extremes). Other than some basic dirt and mouse droppings I see no major physical problems, but will be taking a closer look soon.

First, what should I offer for this wheel?

Second, what should I look for when I take a closer look, as far as flaws and etc. Obviously, I want to run it to see if it runs, but aside from that, what are common possible problems. Also, I am concerned about the possibility of "creepy crawlies" setting up housekeeping in hidden areas of the motor housing, would this be possible? and is it fairly easy to check for that, if and when I purchase the wheel. Obviously, I won't be pulling the whole thing apart before I purchase it. I just don't want anything hatching in my house. Yuck!!!

Any helpful advise is very much appreciated.

FloCat

 

 

I'd look at several things if I was buying a used wheel. To start with I'd want to see it run. While its running I'd listen for weird noises such as klunks or repeated sounds like squeaks which might indicate a bearing problem. I'd check the speed control, I'm not familiar with the specific wheel but there are different types of speed control from electronic to mechanical but all should change speeds gradually and smoothly. After the wheel stopped I'd grab the wheel and slowly shake it side to side both ritght to left and back and forward and backward and feel or any play in the bearings. I'd then rotate the wheel about its axis back and forth to see if there is play in the attachment method between the wheel and the motor shaft. Check to see if the bat pins are installed and solid (if you use bat pins, if not you might want to make sure the top is at least drilled and tapped for them). Oher than that a good visual inspection of the overall wheel wold be a good indication of how well it was cared for. I'd check any rubber components to see of they are cracked. Rubber is very susceptible to ozone and electric motors generate a fair amount of ozone. If the wheel has accessible brushes you should remove the brushes and check them for wear on their face, just make sure you replace them in the same position that you took them out. The brushes are usually behind two large plastic disks with a screwdriver slot in them and the discs are located at the bottom of the motor perpendicular to the shaft. Fortunatley the brushes are replaceable but if they have deep ridges the commutator may be damaged or may need to be turned.

 

Good luck!

Charles

[Pres]

I have the opportunity to purchase a used Pacifica GT400. It's about 10 years old. It's been stored in a garage, I suspect no climate control, so subject to seasonal heat and cold (East Coast, so it's been through many temperature and humidity extremes). Other than some basic dirt and mouse droppings I see no major physical problems, but will be taking a closer look soon.

First, what should I offer for this wheel?

Second, what should I look for when I take a closer look, as far as flaws and etc. Obviously, I want to run it to see if it runs, but aside from that, what are common possible problems. Also, I am concerned about the possibility of "creepy crawlies" setting up housekeeping in hidden areas of the motor housing, would this be possible? and is it fairly easy to check for that, if and when I purchase the wheel. Obviously, I won't be pulling the whole thing apart before I purchase it. I just don't want anything hatching in my house. Yuck!!!

Any helpful advise is very much appreciated.

FloCat

 

 

Other than some basic dirt and mouse droppings might lead me to look for chewed or frayed wiring. As mentioned, the belts may need replacement, and checking the wheel head to see if there is play my show bearing problems, It may also just be a loose allen nut.

[terraforma]

Well, Charles had very thorough and expert advice! Here's my take, based on my experience: First, check for smooth operation from the very slowest to the very fastest speeds. Second, how smoothly does the foot pedal operate - it may have gotten rusty over the years. Then, does the wheel head rotate level and smooth, or is there a wobble. Does the motor sound like it's happy, or are there noises that don't sound right?

 

I would offer as low a price as possible - that's what haggling is all about! (see below...)

 

Now, as far as the creepy crawlies, here's my experience - early this year I got an ancient Creative Industries MP wheel at a garage sale that a hobbyist had kept in her backyard for many years. Tested it and it ran fine; the only problems were a cracked wheelhead (easily replaced) and some rust, which I subsequently cleaned off and then repainted the metal parts. The unanticipated problem? As I unloaded the wheel from my car back at home I found a Black Widow spider on the underside, along with her clutch of eggs! She was quickly dispatched along with the eggs, and so far I see no sign of any of her descendents - luckily. That could have been a nightmare.

 

I suggest a thorough inspection and/or "bagging" the wheel and fumigating before you get it into your studio/garage/home. Better safe then constantly worrying about what's going to crawl out of your wheel!

 

And how much did I pay for that wheel? $10. That's right - ten dollars. She just wanted to get it out of her yard!

[Seasoned Warrior]

Well, Charles had very thorough and expert advice! Here's my take, based on my experience: First, check for smooth operation from the very slowest to the very fastest speeds. Second, how smoothly does the foot pedal operate - it may have gotten rusty over the years. Then, does the wheel head rotate level and smooth, or is there a wobble. Does the motor sound like it's happy, or are there noises that don't sound right?

 

I would offer as low a price as possible - that's what haggling is all about! (see below...)

 

Now, as far as the creepy crawlies, here's my experience - early this year I got an ancient Creative Industries MP wheel at a garage sale that a hobbyist had kept in her backyard for many years. Tested it and it ran fine; the only problems were a cracked wheelhead (easily replaced) and some rust, which I subsequently cleaned off and then repainted the metal parts. The unanticipated problem? As I unloaded the wheel from my car back at home I found a Black Widow spider on the underside, along with her clutch of eggs! She was quickly dispatched along with the eggs, and so far I see no sign of any of her descendents - luckily. That could have been a nightmare.

 

I suggest a thorough inspection and/or "bagging" the wheel and fumigating before you get it into your studio/garage/home. Better safe then constantly worrying about what's going to crawl out of your wheel!

 

And how much did I pay for that wheel? $10. That's right - ten dollars. She just wanted to get it out of her yard!

 

Wow, $10, that is one heck of a deal. I think that I could put up with having to eradicate a few arachnids for that price. Great idea of bagging it and fumigating!

 

Regards,

Charles

[FloCat]

Thanks for your help those of you who answered. I got the wheel. It is currently in my car awaiting my husband to help me get it out. I looked at the underside, not very, very closely, but close enough and didn't see anything scarey. Although I did get the black widow post AFTER I got it home. But it is from a fairly suburban neighborhood where people get exterminators for every little fly or ant that they see. When you say "bag it" and fumigate, I am imagining putting it into a big contractor bag and spraying Raid on it. Honestly, I hate using that stuff. If I just use a shop vac on it, if I can see how to open the area where the motor is, and carefully vacuuming or using the blower feature of my vac in there too, I think that should be sufficient right? I mean how deep into the motor can the creepy crawlies go. Eventually they'll be contacting electricity and high heat.

 

I believe I got it for a good price too, and she tossed in bats and all her tools and a nice tool satchel, all for 150.00.

 

So thanks again for your help. You did give me ideas of things to look for and it gave me a lot more confidence.

 

Flo

 

 

[Seasoned Warrior]

Thanks for your help those of you who answered. I got the wheel. It is currently in my car awaiting my husband to help me get it out. I looked at the underside, not very, very closely, but close enough and didn't see anything scarey. Although I did get the black widow post AFTER I got it home. But it is from a fairly suburban neighborhood where people get exterminators for every little fly or ant that they see. When you say "bag it" and fumigate, I am imagining putting it into a big contractor bag and spraying Raid on it. Honestly, I hate using that stuff. If I just use a shop vac on it, if I can see how to open the area where the motor is, and carefully vacuuming or using the blower feature of my vac in there too, I think that should be sufficient right? I mean how deep into the motor can the creepy crawlies go. Eventually they'll be contacting electricity and high heat.

 

I believe I got it for a good price too, and she tossed in bats and all her tools and a nice tool satchel, all for 150.00.

 

So thanks again for your help. You did give me ideas of things to look for and it gave me a lot more confidence.

 

Flo

 

 

 

Nnothing wrong with $150 either, I think that is a good deal for a working wheel. the definition of a good deal is when both the seller and buyer being fullyaware of all the variables of the deal agree on the price. If you are happy that is all that really counts. I think it is an excellent deal.

 

Regards,

Charles

[ctedin]

Well, Charles had very thorough and expert advice! Here's my take, based on my experience: First, check for smooth operation from the very slowest to the very fastest speeds. Second, how smoothly does the foot pedal operate - it may have gotten rusty over the years. Then, does the wheel head rotate level and smooth, or is there a wobble. Does the motor sound like it's happy, or are there noises that don't sound right?

 

I would offer as low a price as possible - that's what haggling is all about! (see below...)

 

Now, as far as the creepy crawlies, here's my experience - early this year I got an ancient Creative Industries MP wheel at a garage sale that a hobbyist had kept in her backyard for many years. Tested it and it ran fine; the only problems were a cracked wheelhead (easily replaced) and some rust, which I subsequently cleaned off and then repainted the metal parts. The unanticipated problem? As I unloaded the wheel from my car back at home I found a Black Widow spider on the underside, along with her clutch of eggs! She was quickly dispatched along with the eggs, and so far I see no sign of any of her descendents - luckily. That could have been a nightmare.

 

I suggest a thorough inspection and/or "bagging" the wheel and fumigating before you get it into your studio/garage/home. Better safe then constantly worrying about what's going to crawl out of your wheel!

 

And how much did I pay for that wheel? $10. That's right - ten dollars. She just wanted to get it out of her yard!

 

 

Wow, $10, that is one heck of a deal. I think that I could put up with having to eradicate a few arachnids for that price. Great idea of bagging it and fumigating!

 

Regards,

Charles

 

 

Wow, I'm jealous! I paid a lot more for mine a few years ago (though I got a lot of nice use out of it) and it's still going strong. These are great wheels.

[Marcia Selsor]

I paid $250 for an old Shimpo in great condition. Just make sure it runs smoothly. As Pres said , check the wiring ....cords can be replaced, shafts and bearings can be greased. Review the foot pedal action.

Marcia

 

 

[FloCat]

Well, I used the wheel I have written about a few times, the holidays rolled in. I didn't use it much. Now that I am back at it, the pedal doesn't work. Does anyone have a foot pedal for a GT400 knocking around, or an actuator that would work in it and/or the skill to fix the pedal I have? I know the only way I can get a new one is to pay 225.00 to get an upgraded control box and a new pedal. I cannot afford to get this, at this point and I am deeply frustrated, as I gave up my kick wheel due to the fact that it was much too hard on my back and knees (explanation too long to go on).

When I used the wheel, the pedal was a little temperamental, but it worked. Now it doesn't work at all. It doesn't even "hum" or click and I know that it is the pedal, because when I unplug the pedal from the control box, the wheel slowly turns. Thanks to anyone who can help. Flo

[Seasoned Warrior]

Well, I used the wheel I have written about a few times, the holidays rolled in. I didn't use it much. Now that I am back at it, the pedal doesn't work. Does anyone have a foot pedal for a GT400 knocking around, or an actuator that would work in it and/or the skill to fix the pedal I have? I know the only way I can get a new one is to pay 225.00 to get an upgraded control box and a new pedal. I cannot afford to get this, at this point and I am deeply frustrated, as I gave up my kick wheel due to the fact that it was much too hard on my back and knees (explanation too long to go on).

When I used the wheel, the pedal was a little temperamental, but it worked. Now it doesn't work at all. It doesn't even "hum" or click and I know that it is the pedal, because when I unplug the pedal from the control box, the wheel slowly turns. Thanks to anyone who can help. Flo

 

 

Hi:

 

I'm sorry to hear about your wheel. I am not familiar with the GT400 since I prefer the Lockerbies myself but I volunteer the maintenance for the p ottery program at a local JC. The wheels I see generally are either a wound resistor or a carbon resistor. If youo can remove the base plate from the control you can see whether it is a carbon resisstor or a wound resistor. If it is wound and your comments sound like it may be you may just need to clean the windings. Make sure the power is off or the wheel is unplugged. You should be able to clean the windings with some really fine emery paper and make them shiny. You should also turn the emery paper over and slip it under the contact arm and gently slip it out so that the contact arm is cleaned. Another way is to use contact cleaner available at your local Radio Shack. Spray the contact cleaner on and operate the pedal up and down a few times. The other possiblity is that you may have a broken wire. i'd inspect the wire to the commutator arm (the slider) and see if it is attached and then check the one at the end of the winding. Finally you can check the resistance at the point where the cable from the pedal connects to the wheel. An inexpensive volt-ohm meter (again from Radio Shack, you can go more expensive but the one from RS will work just as well) and check that the resistance changes as you push on the pedal. The pedal is really a very simple device and those are about the only things that can go wrong with it. If all the wires are intact and connected and the slider and windings are clean the wheel should work as designed unless there is a break in the circuit at the motor. Good luck.

 

Best regards,

Charles

[FloCat]

Charles, thanks for your help, but it's a tiny bit over my head. I photographed the inside of the pedal for some long distance help. If I sent you the photos, could you take a peek and see if you can point out to me what you are talking about. Can I post them to this forum or should I send them to you privately?

Hi:

 

I'm sorry to hear about your wheel. I am not familiar with the GT400 since I prefer the Lockerbies myself but I volunteer the maintenance for the p ottery program at a local JC. The wheels I see generally are either a wound resistor or a carbon resistor. If youo can remove the base plate from the control you can see whether it is a carbon resisstor or a wound resistor. If it is wound and your comments sound like it may be you may just need to clean the windings. Make sure the power is off or the wheel is unplugged. You should be able to clean the windings with some really fine emery paper and make them shiny. You should also turn the emery paper over and slip it under the contact arm and gently slip it out so that the contact arm is cleaned. Another way is to use contact cleaner available at your local Radio Shack. Spray the contact cleaner on and operate the pedal up and down a few times. The other possiblity is that you may have a broken wire. i'd inspect the wire to the commutator arm (the slider) and see if it is attached and then check the one at the end of the winding. Finally you can check the resistance at the point where the cable from the pedal connects to the wheel. An inexpensive volt-ohm meter (again from Radio Shack, you can go more expensive but the one from RS will work just as well) and check that the resistance changes as you push on the pedal. The pedal is really a very simple device and those are about the only things that can go wrong with it. If all the wires are intact and connected and the slider and windings are clean the wheel should work as designed unless there is a break in the circuit at the motor. Good luck.

 

Best regards,

Charles

 

[Seasoned Warrior]

Charles, thanks for your help, but it's a tiny bit over my head. I photographed the inside of the pedal for some long distance help. If I sent you the photos, could you take a peek and see if you can point out to me what you are talking about. Can I post them to this forum or should I send them to you privately?

Hi:

 

I'm sorry to hear about your wheel. I am not familiar with the GT400 since I prefer the Lockerbies myself but I volunteer the maintenance for the p ottery program at a local JC. The wheels I see generally are either a wound resistor or a carbon resistor. If youo can remove the base plate from the control you can see whether it is a carbon resisstor or a wound resistor. If it is wound and your comments sound like it may be you may just need to clean the windings. Make sure the power is off or the wheel is unplugged. You should be able to clean the windings with some really fine emery paper and make them shiny. You should also turn the emery paper over and slip it under the contact arm and gently slip it out so that the contact arm is cleaned. Another way is to use contact cleaner available at your local Radio Shack. Spray the contact cleaner on and operate the pedal up and down a few times. The other possiblity is that you may have a broken wire. i'd inspect the wire to the commutator arm (the slider) and see if it is attached and then check the one at the end of the winding. Finally you can check the resistance at the point where the cable from the pedal connects to the wheel. An inexpensive volt-ohm meter (again from Radio Shack, you can go more expensive but the one from RS will work just as well) and check that the resistance changes as you push on the pedal. The pedal is really a very simple device and those are about the only things that can go wrong with it. If all the wires are intact and connected and the slider and windings are clean the wheel should work as designed unless there is a break in the circuit at the motor. Good luck.

 

Best regards,

Charles

 

 

 

 

I'd be glad to take a look at if for you.

 

 

Regards,

Charles

 

 

[Idaho Potter]

I am totally jealous! I've been looking for a used wheel for years, and haven't found any that lasted long enough for me to see if they worked.

 

I have an Amaco hobby style wheel that was given to me and only works for young folks as it's never had any speed. The footpedal went out with a loud pop and a small puff of smoke. Scarey, but the local pottery supplier replaced all wiring and hooked it up to a new foot pedal for less than $50. If this repair is over FloCat's head (as it was over mine) I suggest at least a phone call to a local dealer to check prices. Electricity is not for beginner's.

[FloCat]

I appreciate what you are saying. I contacted a supplier about 5 minutes from my house, they did not have anyone who could fix it, and only suggested that I buy the replacement and related control box for $250.00. I can't blame them, the mark up on that is probably a lot greater than the hour or less that it would take a good repair person. I am 51 years old, my Daddy died about 5 years ago, he was an electrical engineer, I miss him normally, but times like this I miss him terribly. The mechanism looks so simple, he'd have been able to fix it in a flash. Thanks anyway. If I can get some clear instruction (via my pictures), maybe my brother-in-law who is mechanically inclined will be willing to give it a shot.

Thanks, Flo

 

 

I am totally jealous! I've been looking for a used wheel for years, and haven't found any that lasted long enough for me to see if they worked.

 

I have an Amaco hobby style wheel that was given to me and only works for young folks as it's never had any speed. The footpedal went out with a loud pop and a small puff of smoke. Scarey, but the local pottery supplier replaced all wiring and hooked it up to a new foot pedal for less than $50. If this repair is over FloCat's head (as it was over mine) I suggest at least a phone call to a local dealer to check prices. Electricity is not for beginner's.

 

[Potterstu]

If it goes around, it's a wheel.

 

Clayton Bailey made a wheel in the early 1960's from a Singer sewing machine that you straddled and pumped the treadle up and down; left and right. What a headache!

 

I bought the third wheel that Robert Brent ever made in his Los Angeles studio in 1966. Used it for fifteen years, then sold it for what I paid for it. It was a wooden box with pulleys and belts. It had a forward and back foot lever attched. The box hummed at slow speeds. MUMMMMMMMMMM

 

If the price is do-able buy it. Ask yourself: "Can I make X dollars worth of pots on it, then it's worth a % of X dollars.

 

Cici Finley, a potter in Patagonia Arizona says: If someone offered you a battleship for a dollar, would you buy it? The bigger question is: Where will you park it and can you afford the parking fee? Cici worked for many years on a treadle wheel that she bought from Bernard Leach while on sabbaticle in England in the 1950's.

 

Stuart

 

Keep potting!