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Laguna Pacifica Wheel Gt 400


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I think it's a good wheel. I have a GT800 (the larger motor, I think) which I bought in the 80s. I've used it pretty heavily the last few years after it sat in storage for about 10. It's been used outdoors, in 100+ degree heat. I've had to replace the belts (simple) and probably will need to replace the pedal linkage soon. Other than that it still works like a champ.

 

 

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i have used a pacifica 400 since i bought it in 1972.  have replaced the belts once, about 3-4 years ago.  the pedal was replaced in the 90s because my house was damaged by lightning and the wheel had been left plugged in.   it is the newer pedal electronics.  if nothing else, you should LOVE the quietness of it.  building a workstation around it was easy and now everything is within reach.

 

yes, leave the wheel unplugged when you are not using it.

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The flakeboard deck under the plastic will expand if it gets wet. The foot pedals can give you trouble. Our local art cener has about 12 of these and at any given time a few are down for the count.-I heard the director does swear at them but in a different way than Neils friend.

I toured the factory in 1980 before Laguna bought them out.

I like the noise free but did not like the decks.I think the older ones are made better.

Mark

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I made one of those from a kit back in the '80s, finally bought a new wheel about 7 years ago because the old belts were slipping and I couldn't center larger poundages of clay (and I got an Arts Council grant that perfectly covered buying the fancy Thomas Stewart wheel).  

 

Aside from the slipping belts (where did you find fresh, round ones?) it served me well for lots of years, big platters, etc. Someone suggested belt-dressing to deal with the slipping but by then I'd bought the new one and fell in love with the super sensitive SSX foot pedal controller on the Stewart wheel.  The Pacificas seem to be fine for the price point (vs Brents) unless you plan to really punish them, but if you have just a few hundred more dollars (cost of a laptop that is toast in a couple of years)  and lots of years to keep throwing, I'm loving the Stewart wheel,wishing I'd bought it much earlier.

 

It depends how much and large you are working, too.  Most wheels seem pretty over-powered for most people who never throw more than 1-5 pound pots.

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bought mine used in 2008, haven't any trouble.  it does have the older style pedal.  No trouble with the top warping, and I typically have a sloppy mess around my water bucket.  Largest amount of clay on it so far has been about 30 pounds at a time.  I have had less trouble with my pacifica than my friend has had with their brent, but I agree with Susan it does not compare to a thomas stewart.

 

Chad

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Had issues with potentiometer whit HF wheel ..it's moth balled

 

Changed belts on laguna. It runs well and quiet.... One of the four belts seems a bit longer than the rest. This causes a slight slapping sound to other wise very quiet wheel.?

 

it functions fine but there isin't much tension on belts. Do they need more tension?

 

The control box mount is flimsy is there a fix?

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Tensioned belt on laguna Pacifica 400 wheel.

It's now quiet.

 

There are som wheel pedals that need constant pressure to keep wheel speed. I like the ones that don't makes hand control easy. I'll do hand control as an exercise.

 

I'd like to get on a shimpo with pedal and "shifter" hand control.

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mark, good suggestion, i am old and hard to retrain.  have tried it and  i am afraid that i will try driving the car with the left foot and cause an accident.  it was hard enough to learn that after driving fords for all these years, some designer thought moving the lights and wipers to the opposite side would be better than leaving them where they had been since the 50s.  just have to justify the job, i guess.

 

biglou, i know someone who has one of these for classes she teaches.  maybe she doesn't want it anymore.  shall i ask?

 

susan, i just contacted the current manufacturer, just asked, sent the money and they arrived.  like magic!

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