Denice

I had a older Skutt 1027-3 and would remove the rings,  my husband would help me with the rings and load the sculpture.   The rings on my new L&L are heavier and larger outside dimensions than my old Skutt.   I haven't had it very long,  I plan to fire a sculpture  in 6 months.   I am worried about the L&L rings being hard to handle because of the size.   I didn't looked at a new Skutt to check the outside dimensions,  they may have larger rings now.  I am wondering if anyone has ever lowered  a sculpture that size using a sling made with sheets.    If you aren't able to slip the sheets out would have to let them burn and have some smoke to deal with.   I built one sculpture that was glazed,  I placed it on the shelf that was being used in the kiln,  my husband and I carried the shelf with the glazed piece on it and set  it on the bottom of the kiln and put the rings back being careful not to bump the glaze.   The wider L&L may be easier to  put over a glazed pot.   Make sure of your dimensions  I didn't know if your measurements were inside or outside,  if they are outside  measurements neither kiln will be big enough.    Denice

Thank you for the info I will definitely check them out.    I am making a life size sculpture in a brown clay that turns black when fired.  I was in a sculpture group for 10 years and did life size busts,  we would hire a model but mostly we had volunteers.  My senior year in college my professor had me make small figures in  anguished,  happy,  sad ect poses.   My first one was of a elderly man peeping over a fence and grinning.   I actually saw a elderly man doing this on the way to my class,  on the other side was a couple on a blanket passionately kissing.  I had my elderly neighbor pose for me.   Fortunately I didn't need the couple on the other side that was to be imagined by the person looking at the sculpture.  I have worked with oil clay but have never explored resins or rubbers.   One of the problems that my MS has caused me is a instant stop breathing reaction to many things,  chemicals and cat dander are the worse and I love cats.   I am happy that I can still work with clay and plaster.   I have my husband handle all of the painting.    Denice

I took a look at Fan-Yu site,  it has given me new ideas on poses and armatures that are needed for them.   My dog's body looks like a sausage and  has very fine,  slick short hair.   When he was a puppy he was hard to hang onto.   He just slid out of your hands,  I am going to have to search his body for every small ripple of a muscle or rib.    His hair is another problem to tackle.   Denice

Thank you for the info I will definitely check them out.    I am making a life size sculpture in a brown clay that turns black when fired.  I was in a sculpture group for 10 years and did life size busts,  we would hire a model but mostly we had volunteers.  My senior year in college my professor had me make small figures in  anguished,  happy,  sad ect poses.   My first one was of a elderly man peeping over a fence and grinning.   I actually saw a elderly man doing this on the way to my class,  on the other side was a couple on a blanket passionately kissing.  I had my elderly neighbor pose for me.   Fortunately I didn't need the couple on the other side that was to be imagined by the person looking at the sculpture.  I have worked with oil clay but have never explored resins or rubbers.   One of the problems that my MS has caused me is a instant stop breathing reaction to many things,  chemicals and cat dander are the worse and I love cats.   I am happy that I can still work with clay and plaster.   I have my husband handle all of the painting.    Denice

I don't believe you will regret the larger table,  my local ceramic supplier sells used equipment.   He usually has a couple of small slab rollers that people have traded in on a Bailey with the larger table.  Denice

I forgot to mention that having some extra space gives me a place to put my canvas when I pull it off.   I also store 5 gal buckets of chemicals underneath the table.  No space is wasted.   Denice

He is beautiful he reminds me of a Greek style sculpture.   I haven't started on my dog's sculpture yet,  my sister is coming to visit next week.  I don't want to start it and  just let it sit.  I think I will take a look at some of my art history books for inspiration.    My husband got my big stand down for me so I am ready to  begin.  He has a big car show this weekend and is showing off a 1965  El Camino  he  just finished this week.   The weather is suppose to be bad so I don't know how much showing off he can do.  Denice

He is beautiful he reminds me of a Greek style sculpture.   I haven't started on my dog's sculpture yet,  my sister is coming to visit next week.  I don't want to start it and  just let it sit.  I think I will take a look at some of my art history books for inspiration.    My husband got my big stand down for me so I am ready to  begin.  He has a big car show this weekend and is showing off a 1965  El Camino  he  just finished this week.   The weather is suppose to be bad so I don't know how much showing off he can do.  Denice

It would depend on what you plan to use it for.   I have a old 28" Bailey,  I  bought the main unit new and got the plans to build the table from  Bailey,  I recently had Formica put on the table top.   I use it mostly for tiles,  I  make a lot of tiles,   I flip the tiles onto sheet rock and lay newspaper between the clay and sheet rock.  The moisture from the clay can ruin the surface of the rock.  I dry several layers stacked together.   The largest sheet rock stacks I can handle are 30x36,  I use about 60 inches of table and have a foot left over at the open end ,  my table is 72 inches long.  My table is 25 years old looks good and works great.

It would depend on what you plan to use it for.   I have a old 28" Bailey,  I  bought the main unit new and got the plans to build the table from  Bailey,  I recently had Formica put on the table top.   I use it mostly for tiles,  I  make a lot of tiles,   I flip the tiles onto sheet rock and lay newspaper between the clay and sheet rock.  The moisture from the clay can ruin the surface of the rock.  I dry several layers stacked together.   The largest sheet rock stacks I can handle are 30x36,  I use about 60 inches of table and have a foot left over at the open end ,  my table is 72 inches long.  My table is 25 years old looks good and works great.

I hope your back gets better soon,  bed rest always fixed my dogs back.   All of my dogs seem to have a little dachsund in them.   I would roll them in a blanket like a sausage and put them in their bed.   I would check on them every 4 hours,  take them out, water or feed them and them roll them back up.   After a couple of day the crisis would be over, I hope yours is.   Denice

Sorry nothing to do with my clay,  laying fresh cut flowers on my mother in-law grave  she died during Covid.   She was big on decorating the family grave site every year,  my parents drove 100 miles to pickup my grandfather so he could sweep my grandmothers grave.   There was never any real or fake flowers,   my husband said that tradition was much more thoughtful and sentimental than flowers.  As a child I just thought of it as BORING!    Denice

I don't do slip work and I have only sold at galleries but I do know that smaller pieces sell.   Mugs, butter and soap dishes and candy dishes are a few you can start with.  Other people on the forum will give you some more ideas.   Pay attention to current color trends for your glaze color palate,  the glaze that is texture looking and multicolored is very popular.  Good luck  Denice

Sorry nothing to do with my clay,  laying fresh cut flowers on my mother in-law grave  she died during Covid.   She was big on decorating the family grave site every year,  my parents drove 100 miles to pickup my grandfather so he could sweep my grandmothers grave.   There was never any real or fake flowers,   my husband said that tradition was much more thoughtful and sentimental than flowers.  As a child I just thought of it as BORING!    Denice

I have a Brent half a horse powered wheel.   I have a small commercial table with wheels  on one side.  It holds a small bucket of water and a bucket of tools. not very big but it is the right height.   On the other side is a plastic shelf unit with grid shelves  I can space  them for the height I am working with.  My wheel came with a MDF square bat system with 2 dozen bats,  I haven't been able to use it the bats keep moving around.   I  just throw on the wheel and cut it off and place it onto the bat and then the shelf,  they get moved to a drying cabinet later.   I keep a 5 gal bucket near by for trimmings and throwing water.  My throwing area may be just a little too comfortable,  I have to remind myself to get up and move around.   Denice

I have a Brent half a horse powered wheel.   I have a small commercial table with wheels  on one side.  It holds a small bucket of water and a bucket of tools. not very big but it is the right height.   On the other side is a plastic shelf unit with grid shelves  I can space  them for the height I am working with.  My wheel came with a MDF square bat system with 2 dozen bats,  I haven't been able to use it the bats keep moving around.   I  just throw on the wheel and cut it off and place it onto the bat and then the shelf,  they get moved to a drying cabinet later.   I keep a 5 gal bucket near by for trimmings and throwing water.  My throwing area may be just a little too comfortable,  I have to remind myself to get up and move around.   Denice

I add some ball clay to my 5 gal bucket of reclaim when I add more waste clay,  just a handful and mix it in.   I like to work with a clay that has more body to it so I can hand build with the recycled clay.   I also use it for the original piece when I make a mold,  you have to toss the original piece and first mold pull.    Denice

Refiring is need,  speckle clay have a  lot of impurities that need to burn out,  I use several clay's that have a excess of impurities.  I fire a slow C04 to keep my glazes clean.   Denice

Slam wedging before you hand wedge and sometimes if your hand is twisting the wrong way you wedge bubbles back into it.   I use my recycled clay for handbuilding or mold making,  I don't  hand wedge any more.   I slam wedge clay from a fresh bag,  I go a step further and put the bag of clay in a 5 gal bucket of water a day or two before.   The clay comes out smooth and even consistency  and soft enough for old tired wrist, fingers and hand to throw.  If is is to soft I will pull the plastic down and let it air dry for awhile.   Denice  

I have one purchased set of half shelves,  eventually your full shelves  break in half.   I use them as half shelves,  I always end with steadier stack when I use full shelves.   Two half shelves cost more than one full shelf.  Denice

I bought Corelite shelves for my new kiln,  I have only 16 firings on them so I can't review them yet.   I was a little disappointed when I got them I thought they would be a lot lighter than my old standard shelves.  I guess at my age I should be happy with a little less weight.    Denice

I have fired many large pots and sculptures that filled the kiln.  Taking the kiln apart and candling over night is the way to go,   I also use a shelf to  build  and fire it on,  I pick one that is not in the greatest shape.  I am getting ready to work on new sculpture,  I have already figured out a way to make it in two pieces so I don't have to take my new kiln apart.    It only has 16 firings on it and it is bigger around than my old skutt but shorter.    The rings are harder to manage,  I am not ready to bump, scuff and chip the edges yet.   Denice

karo, hope the wheel is still available for you to buy.   looks are only important to a fashion model.

A roof top satelite dish make a good drape mold for a birdbath.    Denice

I bought a used Brent wheel that had a sticky foot pedal,  everyone here of the forum told me it probably needed adjusting.    I found a video on-line  that showed how to fix it.   It was adjusted totally wrong,  I followed the instruction and put it back together.  It ran like a new wheel.   Denice