oldlady

hi, welcome to the forum.    we have all kinds of members, hypochondriacs and others.   if you are reasonable about using common sense and stop doing things you know are wrong, there is no reason you cannot share your living quarters with a studio.  
several questions, the dust you need to worry about is airborne silica and perhaps some glaze chemicals.   do you make your own glazes inside your studio or do you use stuff in a bottle from the supplier?    do you have a door separating the two parts of your home?   if not, a very thick plastic shower curtain can keep the excess heat and many fumes out if you can find a way to hang it.  higher is better.  
if you make a large amount of dust, when does it happen?   a mugfull is large.
stilt marks indicate earthenware, is that what you use?   do you have a kiln in that area?   how often do you fire if you do?
in my can be disregarded opinion, you are worrying too much.   sanding stilt marks is not going to kill you unless you are doing it all day long without a break for about 30 years.  a dose of reality would be a good step for you to take.   whatever source of knowledge about ceramic making you now use, try some of the excellent books by an expert in the field of health issues caused by this kind of activity.    i have not thought of her in years so my memory banks are not being searched well at this time.    someone else will know it and post the answer if i do not wake up at 3am with her name on my lips.   MONONA ROSSOL!!  good old brain.!

i would continue to ask the original shop BY TELEPHONE!  get to a technical person or whoever fires the kiln.  only that person can tell you what may be different about your firings in the past.   
perhaps your kiln is different in some way.   what do you mean by standard speed?  have you tested the heatwork with cones?

i would continue to ask the original shop BY TELEPHONE!  get to a technical person or whoever fires the kiln.  only that person can tell you what may be different about your firings in the past.   
perhaps your kiln is different in some way.   what do you mean by standard speed?  have you tested the heatwork with cones?

My first purchase was a kiln,  I was doing some hand building work and had no place to fire it.   A  lady that worked in the same building decided to sell her Paragon,  I was 20 years old.   My husband and I had bought our first house and we were getting ready to install central air conditioning in the garage.  It was easy to add  the electrical needed for the kiln to the job.  I didn't get a wheel until the college I was attending wanted to sell a old kick wheel.   I was 40  when I went back to finish my degree,  I will be 70 Saturday and still working in my studio everyday.   Denice

phil never said a word about being ill.  wash st is just around the corner from my house.  a lot closer as the crow flies.   he started the round table discussions as soon as they opened.  he showed examples of awful results of glaze firing and i contributed one of my spectacularly bad ones.   it got added to the box to show the next group.
he told me that not having a chemistry based education meant i was walking on a razor blade and would fall off sometime.   the next time he saw me he said he liked my work.  
the memorial was stuffed with people who knew him.   when bill van gilder walked in, he was covered in clay.  we all agreed it was a tribute to phil that he would appreciate.  lovely man, always generous with his time and advice.

phil never said a word about being ill.  wash st is just around the corner from my house.  a lot closer as the crow flies.   he started the round table discussions as soon as they opened.  he showed examples of awful results of glaze firing and i contributed one of my spectacularly bad ones.   it got added to the box to show the next group.
he told me that not having a chemistry based education meant i was walking on a razor blade and would fall off sometime.   the next time he saw me he said he liked my work.  
the memorial was stuffed with people who knew him.   when bill van gilder walked in, he was covered in clay.  we all agreed it was a tribute to phil that he would appreciate.  lovely man, always generous with his time and advice.

i can't remember, both were in the 1970s.  i had a $69 spinning tiger wheel and i had a paragon 88 kiln before i moved into the first home i owned, a condominium apartment.  i remember getting the thick wire run into the bedroom that became my studio there.  i think i replaced the little wheel with a pacifica when i bought the apt.  my mother in law decided to give me the down payment but i had already saved it up so i got the wheel then.  still using it.  don't cry at the price, about $250 for each at the time.  including shelves and posts for the kiln. 
 
 

This is the twelfth teapot*.
It pours well - solid dependable arc of fluid, which stops predictably and, and, no dribble along the bottom edge of the spout!
I'm also happy with: the overall feel; the shape/profile; boss lid that's heavy without being over heavy, stays in place through full pour-out, and fits well; the color.
I'd looked at many many teapots and searched for The Authority on dripless pouring in general, teapot spouts in particular.
Although there is a study on spiraling path of liquid flowing down a glass rod, uhm, didn't find that helpful - maybe there's something there.
There are many articles, forum posts, etc. that offer helpful suggestions, however, I didn't find anything truly definitive.
Features that may help:
  spout tip higher than (reasonable) fill line;
  lots of holes between the spout and pot body, so the liquid doesn't back up in the pot when pouring, and doesn't back up in the spout once pouring ends;
  the "sharp edge" at the pouring lip that so many mention;
  design such that the liquid prefers running back inside the spout over dribbling down the outside when pouring ends.
Ah, that last bit!
Good luck.
I hope to replicate my good fortune in future...
I'll post some detail pics later on.

From last Saturday's glaze fire.
Aardvark Buff clay, cone 5; exterior Rutile Green glaze, dipped; interior my low COE liner glaze, poured in, poured out;  chattermarks filled with Clear Blue glaze.
The tea cups are very close to same size; the camera I'm using distorts the image, especially away from center.
This is my last attempt before branching sideways into a spout test, making an array of test spouts that fit up to a test vessel, perhaps a soft rubber ball with spout and vent holes, press up against the spout to test, huh. I still might do that. No doubt others have done something similar already. ...the protocol for such is simmering
*The prototypes that poured reasonably in bisque were glazed and fired; none poured without dribbling, once glazed.
Several prototypes are still in bisque; as shelf space is tight, they'll likely see the bin, soon.

to see the color of the piece you have, wet part of it and look fast.  it will dry back to what you see now but in that brief time it is wet, you can see what it would be with a clear glaze on it.   not that you plan to use one on that piece, just giving you more info than you have right now.  

have you ever tested the clay to find out how hot to fire it?   is the pot you tried to cover with this slip made of a different clay?  there are lots of things that need to be just right in order to use a found clay.

It looks like you could do both, an epoxy plus a mechanical hanger on your pieces. It would be too late for the ones you have already made but going forward it could work. While wet I inserted a 12 gauge piece of nichrome into the back of a slab then worked the clay over the wires that imbedded into the slab, they are where the blue lines are in the image, towards the top of the piece. While working the slab was kept propped up on a waster slab the height of the hanger (with a groove cut out the depth of the hanger then fired on it. After firing I added some 2 part epoxy around the wire. I didn't think it would come loose but just to make it look more secure as people can't see the imbedded wire.

welcome to the forum.     how will you get them hot enough to change from clay to pottery?   this is a really difficult thing to do, lots of research and testing is involved.   i do not know anyone who has done this beyond  the great american indians who have made wonderful things for centuries.  maybe you can find a video of one of the most famous, Maria Martinez and her son.
  we do have a member in the southeast US who does something similar, perhaps she will reply.
you might look at your local library for books discussing making pottery so you have the vocabulary to discuss the processes involved.

mark, what is your nearest large city that supports a newspaper?   i realize "nearest" could mean hundreds of miles.   if you call the newspaper and ask for the plant manager, you might reach someone who can send you some if you offer to pay for the shipping and packing.   they really need to get rid of them after their side is no longer working for them.   you really need two, a top and a bottom.  the usual newspaper size is the size of the new york times or washington post, not small.  always ask for measurements.    if you can't find anything, i can always get some sent to you as a last resort.
 you might send a mug so they are amenable to a later request as well.

mark, what is your nearest large city that supports a newspaper?   i realize "nearest" could mean hundreds of miles.   if you call the newspaper and ask for the plant manager, you might reach someone who can send you some if you offer to pay for the shipping and packing.   they really need to get rid of them after their side is no longer working for them.   you really need two, a top and a bottom.  the usual newspaper size is the size of the new york times or washington post, not small.  always ask for measurements.    if you can't find anything, i can always get some sent to you as a last resort.
 you might send a mug so they are amenable to a later request as well.

Well my gut was right and the load was beautiful.
Here are the results
Now if only the predicted rain this weekend on our local show will go away

underglazes make nice washes.  i would try a white underglaze if it is an appropriate finish to the piece or if you plan to use a clear glaze on top.

if the base is that thick, an opening of at least a quarter of an inch that will not be glazed will help the item dry.   drying completely will take a long time so putting the base onto something absorbent, like drywall, will help it dry evenly.  if, after a while, the drywall looks dark, move the piece to a dry section of drywall.  you do not want to blow this up in your kiln so be sure it is absolutely dry before firing.

you will find that with several years of work into being a potter, they know many things about many different subjects.   the average electrician does not run into kilns in his/her daily business.  there is a lot more to working on a kiln than connecting wires.   if you hire one, get that name from several potters or businesses using kilns.
you will also learn to keep your eyes open to everything.   what someone does not want anymore is possibly exactly what you need in your studio.  saving money on permanent items allows you more $ to buy clay and glaze materials.

lucy, welcome to the forum!  it is a real step up to your own kiln, congratulations!
since you will be replacing the elements in the entire kiln, you have an opportunity to replace that broken top brick, too.   FYI when judging the element's remaining life, the bending over of that top element is an early sign to order the elements now.   once you replace them you will be able to fire often without worry.
check out the other bricks and replace any that are in an easy location or allowing the elements to sag out of the groove.  cannot see clearly but just across the top there appears to be a pair of bricks whose corners are gone.  judgement call,  a decision to leave them alone or replace now.   check the grooves for drips of glaze or other interference with the smooth path of the new elements.  you won't be taking it apart often but when you do, do it all at once.

you will find that with several years of work into being a potter, they know many things about many different subjects.   the average electrician does not run into kilns in his/her daily business.  there is a lot more to working on a kiln than connecting wires.   if you hire one, get that name from several potters or businesses using kilns.
you will also learn to keep your eyes open to everything.   what someone does not want anymore is possibly exactly what you need in your studio.  saving money on permanent items allows you more $ to buy clay and glaze materials.

lucy, welcome to the forum!  it is a real step up to your own kiln, congratulations!
since you will be replacing the elements in the entire kiln, you have an opportunity to replace that broken top brick, too.   FYI when judging the element's remaining life, the bending over of that top element is an early sign to order the elements now.   once you replace them you will be able to fire often without worry.
check out the other bricks and replace any that are in an easy location or allowing the elements to sag out of the groove.  cannot see clearly but just across the top there appears to be a pair of bricks whose corners are gone.  judgement call,  a decision to leave them alone or replace now.   check the grooves for drips of glaze or other interference with the smooth path of the new elements.  you won't be taking it apart often but when you do, do it all at once.

barrie, it sounds as though you keep your reclaim wet.   you might find it much easier to let thin pieces dry out completely.  thin is less than a 1/4 inch thickness. 
just let a bucket fill up with each session's bits until you have a reasonable amount to pug, could take weeks or days depending on your activity.  these are dry pieces, not partly dry.
every session   put any actual slurry in a separate bucket that has a piece of aluminum grid on top so the liquid falls to the bottom and allows the stuff over the grid to stay there and begin to dry  .  do that at every session leaving a little more wet in the bucket.  look where outdoor grills are sold and the grid as a "grill topper".  just looking at these items will give you enough info to get the right thing. use a plastic spatula to lightly  press down the stuff on top of the grid so some of it will go through and fall into the liquid.  not all of it.  just some every session. as the top dries, move it to the dry bucket, keeping it thin.
the day before you plan to pug all your clay, add enough water to cover the dry clay bits and leave them to soak overnight.  alternate your pugging with some out of each bucket.  pug twice and you should have well blended clay ready to use.  no wedging.  remember that peter puggers store a great deal of clay in the hopper and that is what will come out first.  so pug twice to equalize the consistency of all the clay.

barrie, it sounds as though you keep your reclaim wet.   you might find it much easier to let thin pieces dry out completely.  thin is less than a 1/4 inch thickness. 
just let a bucket fill up with each session's bits until you have a reasonable amount to pug, could take weeks or days depending on your activity.  these are dry pieces, not partly dry.
every session   put any actual slurry in a separate bucket that has a piece of aluminum grid on top so the liquid falls to the bottom and allows the stuff over the grid to stay there and begin to dry  .  do that at every session leaving a little more wet in the bucket.  look where outdoor grills are sold and the grid as a "grill topper".  just looking at these items will give you enough info to get the right thing. use a plastic spatula to lightly  press down the stuff on top of the grid so some of it will go through and fall into the liquid.  not all of it.  just some every session. as the top dries, move it to the dry bucket, keeping it thin.
the day before you plan to pug all your clay, add enough water to cover the dry clay bits and leave them to soak overnight.  alternate your pugging with some out of each bucket.  pug twice and you should have well blended clay ready to use.  no wedging.  remember that peter puggers store a great deal of clay in the hopper and that is what will come out first.  so pug twice to equalize the consistency of all the clay.

you will find that with several years of work into being a potter, they know many things about many different subjects.   the average electrician does not run into kilns in his/her daily business.  there is a lot more to working on a kiln than connecting wires.   if you hire one, get that name from several potters or businesses using kilns.
you will also learn to keep your eyes open to everything.   what someone does not want anymore is possibly exactly what you need in your studio.  saving money on permanent items allows you more $ to buy clay and glaze materials.

lucy, welcome to the forum!  it is a real step up to your own kiln, congratulations!
since you will be replacing the elements in the entire kiln, you have an opportunity to replace that broken top brick, too.   FYI when judging the element's remaining life, the bending over of that top element is an early sign to order the elements now.   once you replace them you will be able to fire often without worry.
check out the other bricks and replace any that are in an easy location or allowing the elements to sag out of the groove.  cannot see clearly but just across the top there appears to be a pair of bricks whose corners are gone.  judgement call,  a decision to leave them alone or replace now.   check the grooves for drips of glaze or other interference with the smooth path of the new elements.  you won't be taking it apart often but when you do, do it all at once.