Denice

If you don't have a vent you should fire it on a weekend or free days, that is what my teacher did in high school. Denice

Sorry about using the word clay instead of brick, I guess my mind wasn't working this morning. Paragon makes a sealer for kiln lids, I don't think you will need it. It sounds like you need to scrap this kiln. Neil knows his stuff so I would listen to him, I just bought a new LL kiln a few months ago from him, he was a lot of help. If you look around on Craigslist and estate sales you can find a pretty nice used kiln. I found a small one a few years ago that was old but had only been fired once, I had to repair the kiln sitter. Some how they broke it on the first firing. it costs me $50 for the part, I paid $250 for the kiln. Do some research on kilns and find out what the specs are on the size and firing range of the kiln you will need for your work. I have met people who bought a low fire kiln when they need a high fire kiln. Be prepared to rewire any kiln you buy, if the kiln has shelves and stilts will save you money. Denice

I would get a new lid for the top. Recoat your old top lid and use it on the bottom, lids and bottoms have to be replaced periodically. I am not sure yours is fiber, if it is heavy it is probably clay. Denice

What type of bricks are you wanting to make? Some type of bricks you will find gravel size rocks in it, you probably just add some ball clay to it to adjust for the sand. How do you plan to fire them? Have you tested it and see how it holds together? Denice

I have fired manual kilns for 50 years and when my firing is taking longer than usual I know that it is probably time to change the elements. I unloaded a bisque today and noticed that the 04 large standing cone barely started to bend but the kiln sitter 04 was properly melted. This tells me that I need to make some adjustment in the kiln sitter, I recently rebuilt this kiln so the kiln sitter might have gotten bumped. Should have checked it. Denice

My husband knew I was serious about clay when we met, I was 17 he was 19. When we married I was 21, we bought our first house a couple of years later and that is when I got my first kiln. It was our first major purchase for the house, other couples buy a refrigerator or a sofa we bought a kiln. A year later I got a scholarship in art to Wichita State and quit working to go back to school. He has always supported me but never liked my work, he worked in engineering department and my work wasn't precise and perfect enough for him. I tried not to let is bother me, I had the best support otherwise. He was always encouraging me to buy new kilns, but I wasn't ready to jump into the world of controllers. Last fall I finally jumped and bought a Paragon Caldera with a Genisis Controller, easy to use so I ordered a LL kiln with a Genisis Controller this year. Since my husband has retired he likes to go to the ceramic supplier with me, he moves my clay and loves to unload the kiln. Right now I am glazing a 3-D landscape mural, some of the tiles warped or twisted, he is at the tile saw cutting and checking them with me to see if they will work or need remade. I only had to remake one tile among the 200 tiles of the mural. I likewise support his passion of restoring cars, my passion is less expensive than his but he can always sell a car if he needs the money. Denice

The scumming I had problems with was more of a white smear on the glaze, it didn't scrub off and I couldn't get all of it to disappear refiring it. I did figure out what was causing it. I have always gave my bisque ware a good washing the day before I glazed. When I started working in my current studio, I started having problems with scumming. I did a little research and decided it was my bisque or the water. After a couple of test I was positive it was the water, I use a microfiber towel now or distilled water to clean my bisque ware, no more scumming. Denice

I trim like Min but I have never tried Griffin Grip or neoprene, the neoprene sounds interesting. I think I will give it a try next time I go on a throwing jag. Right now I hold my pots down with clay. When I had my kick wheel I liked to kick backwards when I was trimming, I always felt like I had more control. Denice

I agree with Callie about your comfort level when working with electronic components. I am not comfortable at all, I always hired a kiln technician to repair or replace any needed parts on my kiln. My husband started repairing them when he retired, his job was very stressful and wasn't interested in working on a kiln on his days off. I am wary of electricity, my dad was a bad electrician and was always trying to repair the old knob and tube wiring in our house. It got to a point where we were afraid to touch any sinks or faucets. Denice

I keep only C6 clay in my studio, I don't want any low fire or high fire causing me headaches. I have seen a couple of firings where someone put some low fire work in a high fire kiln, the low fire clay melted all over the other pots. I am currently finishing a mural that I am using six different clay's for there different colors, speckling and texture, They are all C6 with the same shrinkage rate. Denice

How much of the clay do you have? I would use it for working on your throwing techniques and not worry about firing it. My throwing class in college we spent most of our time throwing and then cutting it in half to check the thickness of the walls. We could fire three pieces to keep, you can also use a odd clay in mold making. I throw away any clay that is around plaster. if the plaster gets in your clay you can have explosive results when fired. When you buy new clay make sure that it is in the same firing cone that your glaze is, there is some clay's out there that has a long firing range. This can cause trouble with your glaze fit. Denice

I used a dual Skutt digital pyrometer to do my soaks. I would be near by at the end of the firing so I could hear the click of the bar dropping down. I would take a pencil like stick and raise the bar back up, push the button back in and gently lower the bar. I had my pyrometers in a pair of peek hole plugs, I was firing a large Skutt so I need two pyrometers. Skutt's peep hole plugs are hollow so it is easy to cut the end off. The thermocouple sticks out into the kiln about 5 inches so you have to leave space for it when you load the kiln. Once you have the kiln at the temperature you want you can keep it at that temperature by adjust the knobs. I start out by turning the upper knob to medium. I fire to C6, the glazes aren't that different than C10, more premade glazes and formula's available and your wiring will last longer. I think the Knight kiln could be 50 years old, I threw away a Paragon that age a few years ago. When I took the metal jacket off the brick turned into a pile of sand, my kiln guy had told me it was to old to be worked on. The condition of your kiln makes a big difference. Denice

Lee I change eye doctors last year because the last one kept trying to up sell me on different new test that weren't covered by insurance. I asked my new doctor about them and he said that my eyes were healthy he didn't know why he would do all of those test. My old doctor said I had fast moving cataracts, my new doctor said they were mild and nothing to be concern with for now. I guess I'll wait and fix them when I can't see the side of the road. Denice

When I purchased my Brent Wheel I didn't have a stool for it. I had lots of wooden stools around, so I padded a seat and shorten the front legs on one to where you sat at the right angle to throw. After using it for a while I figured out I need a swivel stool, I bought a garage shop stool and shortened the front legs. It works great and is very stable. So I have this old stool sitting around, after using it a few times I found that it is comfortable and easy on your knees when you stand up. The other day my husband was painting a car his childhood friend came over to give his advice and encouragement. His friend was a mail carrier and is in pretty bad physical shape, he was about to grab a garage stool so I got the old padded stool out of my studio and said you get to use the magic stool. He sat on it and said it was very comfortable, I told him to stand and he said wow that was easy. He thanked me at the end of day and said it made his day very comfortable. Denice

My son made a wedding band for his bride, it was a silver quarter that he made into a band. He told me he found the directions on the internet. She loved it. she is a very small person you might need a silver half dollar for a normal sized person. Denice

I had the same thing happen to my kiln sitter, but the kiln was much older it was made in the 60's. I took it to my kiln guy, he took it apart and cleaned it, he told me I was lucky that it just needed cleaning. My kiln sitter was so old he couldn't get some of the parts anymore. I finally had to throw away the kiln a few years ago, it was crumbling into nothing. Denice

Bamboo sticks can do the job but you get ice cream with the wooden spoons. Denice

I am not much of a tool maker but I do collect little wood ice cream spoons. You can easily reshape them with a knife or dremel tool and make a tool to smooth a odd corner when you are doing a sculpture or hand building. They eventually break apart, popsickle sticks will work but the spoon gives you more options. Denice

I recently did a test fire on a new L&L kiln, the test cone at the bottom over fired. It even puddle a little, I had purchased the kiln from Neil. It has a Genisis controller, he told me to adjust my bottom thermocouple 25 degrees on the controller panel. Bisque firing Saturday, I am going to check it with a full load before I do any adjusting. Bisque firing can have a range of two or three cones. Denice

I enjoy pulling handles but I also want handles that are more ornate or contemporary. I have extruded contemporary handles and made press molds for ornate handles. For a more rustic feel I will cut them out of a slab of clay. I tried making mugs without handles but they looked incomplete, I wound up carving intricate patterns on them. I enjoy assembling the cup and handle, I guess this is why I like the challenge of throwing a teapot. Denice

The best throwing lesson I had was in my second year of college. Our teacher told us that he was going to teach us how to throw dry. It was wonderful, you didn't pour water over the clay, you dipped your hands in the water. You could have a very small elephant ear sponge that was wet, it took a little practice but it worked great and you didn't have a big mess to clean. My professor was known for his large platters, he would center a 25lb block of clay and throw it just dipping his hands in water. He had special bates that made to throw the platters on. Denice

When I start on a mural I will already have the image in my head, I start putting my idea down on paper, I redraw it several times improving and and increasing the size of the drawing then I have Kinko's blow it up to the final size. My husband and I check out any problems it may have with the perspective and flow. When I throw I tend to make the same thing over and over again and then give them some personality with glaze. Hand building is where I tend to start with a large slab that just takes off, sometimes I am just challenging myself to see what I can make the clay do. They usually don't make it to the kiln. Denice

Definitely get a one hp. I bought a used Brent a few years ago and it had a new half hp. motor. I don't consider myself a strong thrower but I find myself wanting a little more horse power now and then. I am mostly a handbuilder so this wheel will work for me. Denice

Difficult to answer, when I was making coiled pots I could make two at the same time. I tried to make three but I had top coils getting too firm for my coil/pinch up method of coiling . When I throw I quit when my wrists and hands start to ache, I can usually throw four pots. I have been working on a three dimensional mural for awhile. Just as I think I am ready to roll out the last back ground tiles I find a area that needs more work. When I change one tile pattern, I usually have to change all of them. All of the three dimensional tiles are done. Thinking about working with layered colored clay's when the mural is finished.

I don't do a lot of throwing but I have learned that keeping the thickness of the clay the same is the key. I even try to keep the turns in sculptures the same, If I can't I will make the area angled to ease into a area with varied thickness. My throwing teacher in college would walk behind our wheels hollering (compression, compression, compression) especially on a flat platter. Denice