GEP

Does a vehicle count? Because I bought a minivan specifically to make my pottery business easier, although it is also my personal vehicle. If not, then: 1. kiln 2. second hand pug mill

I don’t think it exists. But if there were a hand-cranked pug mill, it would probably take just as much exertion as wedging.

Yikes. And thanks!

If your intention is to make pots for sale, there really isn’t a “sweet spot” when you are using group studios. If they’re inexpensive, then they probably aren’t well run. If they are well run, they are charging you for it.The general lack of control will stymy any business, even if the studio is well run. (You have an art fair next weekend and you need all of your pots fired before then? Too bad, we need to get all of the kids camp pieces fired first.) Making pots as a business really shouldn’t be done in group studios, except on a tiny scale. If you want to expand beyond that, it’s time to

This is what I was thinking. When I make videos I use a <$20 lapel microphone clipped to my shirt. It records my voice loud and clear, with minimal background noise. The sound that the video camera captures contains a loud buzz of background noise, and my voice is much quieter and blurrier. In your case you will need a second set of hands to hold the mic near the noises you want, because both of your hands will be busy. Maybe one of your kids can be trained as “boom operator”? Or clamp the mic to a tripod that you can adjust and move around?

If others have already expressed concerns to the owners and they weren’t receptive, then your best move is to find another studio. The situation isn’t great for the people who are still there, but they are adults and can vote with their feet too. A well run studio will offer more than just cleanliness, but a more supportive and enriching environment for artistic growth.

Your best bet would be a targeted microphone, held close to the noise you want, while cancelling out anything in the background.

Maybe you could mute the sound that gets recorded with the video, then dub your voice over in a separate sound file?

Soft woods produce higher temperatures for shorter periods of time. Hard woods produce lower temperatures for longer periods of time. Not sure which one calculates out to “more heat.”

If it’s happening randomly, the next time you get one that warps, cut (or break) it in half both vertically and horizontally, and look for uneven thickness in the walls.

For me it's a combination of both. Most of my decisions about what to make are driven by sales. But the final decisions about quantities will also include "how many will be most efficient in terms of kiln stacking?"

It turned out the factory installed bolts were 1.5 inches after all. I assumed they were 1.75 inches, because that's the size of the replacements sold by L&L. So the new 1.5 inch bolt from Ace worked perfectly. Knock on wood. The first test firing is on, and so far everything is behaving as normal. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Thanks @Bill Kielb and @neilestrick! I just finished lunch and I’m headed downstairs to try it.

The Ace did not have 1.75 inch bolts, so I got some 1.5 inch and some 2 inch. Would either of these work? Or does the exact length make a meaningful difference?

Thanks @Mark C. and @Hulk! I was wondering if there was a lubricant that would be fine to use in a kiln. Looks like I can get the Permatex 80078 at a local auto parts store. @neilestrick, thank you for letting me know I can deviate slightly from the exact bolt shown on the L&L website. Hopefully, this makes it easier to find it locally. If Ace Hardware doesn't have it, then I'll go ahead and get the parts from L&L.