Piedmont Pottery

Yes, and it works great. In mixing mode the auger pushes the clay toward the back of the machine. Once it's all mixed, you turn on the vacuum, hit the switch for pugging, and the auger turns the other direction and pushes it out the nozzle. You don't have to dig it out.

I got the same cease and desist letter from the trademark holders.  I call them French butter dishes now on the website.  I think it's a bit ridiculous that a company can trademark a name that's been in common usage for a long long time, but such is the world we find ourselves in.  It would appear that they have someone on staff whose job it is to scour the web for trademark infringers. 
Interestingly, while on a tour through the Rhine region of Germany a few years back, I spotted a local pottery shop and of course had to stop in and meet the potter and look at her work.  In her shop they were called Swiss butter bells.

I got the same cease and desist letter from the trademark holders.  I call them French butter dishes now on the website.  I think it's a bit ridiculous that a company can trademark a name that's been in common usage for a long long time, but such is the world we find ourselves in.  It would appear that they have someone on staff whose job it is to scour the web for trademark infringers. 
Interestingly, while on a tour through the Rhine region of Germany a few years back, I spotted a local pottery shop and of course had to stop in and meet the potter and look at her work.  In her shop they were called Swiss butter bells.

I got the same cease and desist letter from the trademark holders.  I call them French butter dishes now on the website.  I think it's a bit ridiculous that a company can trademark a name that's been in common usage for a long long time, but such is the world we find ourselves in.  It would appear that they have someone on staff whose job it is to scour the web for trademark infringers. 
Interestingly, while on a tour through the Rhine region of Germany a few years back, I spotted a local pottery shop and of course had to stop in and meet the potter and look at her work.  In her shop they were called Swiss butter bells.

Damp at flue exit. Sounds like you're blowing heat out as fast as you're making it, maybe even using too much gas to maintain an even climb.

I'm a big fan of backer board, both as a wedging surface and for quickly drying out slop.  They're readily available, inexpensive, and no worries about getting bits of plaster in your clay.

Depends on my mood.  Pottery... It's a helluva drug 

They're fun to make, but my arms are killing me! 95% of what I make is under 5 pounds so this is rare. When I do these I center the 12 pound pieces in two parts- center half, add the other half, center all that. It's easier that way, and almost as fast. Saves my wrists a lot of strain. I could just muscle it all when I was younger, but now I try to work smarter when I can.

Controllers die. When a controller starts having problems it's best to just replace it, especially when it's that old. Often one programming system will die, either the Ramp/Hold or the Cone Fire. Or buttons stop working, etc. One thing to check before you give up on it- is it in a very humid environment? Humidity can cause the circuit board to malfunction. If so, try drying the back of the board with a hair dryer and see if it starts working. Don't overheat it, be gentle. I

Your best bet really is to do an absorption test and find out exactly what that looks like under the firing conditions you want to use. We can tell you all day, but you wouldn’t be the first one of us that need to hold a thing in our hands to truly understand a lesson. 

Have you tried calling M&M Pottery Supply?  They might be the best source of information on this.

Hi Anna!
My guess, the differently coloured pots are thick/thicker - takes longer to reach peak temp, longer to burn out organics, etc.
As for picking up a glaze layer, easy enough to test for difference in absorption. Given that a sufficiently thick layer of glaze is applied, reaching full maturity - the clay, that is - in the glaze fire may be at issue.
The more open pots' inside can "see" the elements better - they get the radiant heat more directly than the enclosed shapes.
Back to thickness, perhaps more time at the critical temps (750, 1050, 1500F) and slow ramp to peak, giving time for thicker parts.
Back to thickness II, if all the ware in a load are not about the same thickness, loading so the thicker ones are in the hotter areas of the kiln should help.
Some air movement - supplying oxygen - is important for thorough bisque.

I am not making wheels to sale but here is a link to a short video of a kick treadle wheel I just finished making from a black locust tree and some hardware.
Tree to Treadle