justanassembler

that looks like an old kit/homebuilt wheel. Especially since its in an attic (its heavy-- I'm sure you noticed), its worth next to nothing. If you get lucky, you might not have to pay someone to take it out of there for you.

research babcock burners, you should also look at Jon Faulkner's burners--theyre simple compressed air vegetable oil burners, Ive built them and the work reasonably well. (http://www.jonfaulknerpottery.com/). Louis Katz is currently on sabatical in thailand, and if he is in your area, you might try to meet up with him. He has a good bit of information about kilns and firing, and has spent a good deal of time in thailand researching pottery and production techniques. Best, Michael

US pigment will also mix the colors discontinued by mason color--their prices are usually at or slightly below most clay suppliers. The guy you'll talk to is Syed, and he is quiet knowledgeable and friendly--doesn't mind helping you with troubleshooting or questions (his background is in chemistry and materials science, he knows his stuff.)

you should be able to do it, you can release the tension by loosening four bolts on the motor mount, and re-tension it using these four bolts.

talk to Bob @ amaco... last time I had one of those he sent a controller to me for free because he was sick of seeing them come back for warranty. He is their head tech and more than helpful...

start adding the darvan slowly, and check the specific gravity of the slip using a graduated cylinder and gram scale.

earthenware can be fine for any of these applications--its all about the body, how you use it, glaze it, fire it, etc... As with everything in ceramics, if you ask a broad question, the answer is almost always: "sure--but it depends."

Except that if she takes your advice and buys an electric kiln, firing to cone 10 isn't particularly wise. Honestly, if you're just getting back into making pots, and you were overwhelmed by the vast variety of clays, jumping into building and firing a reduction kiln is probably jumping the shark a bit. Perhaps what would help you is to take a refresher course or two--check and see what is offered through local community colleges as they often times go a bit deeper than community studios in terms of firing and glazing work... Otherwise, there are a myriad of books out there that serve as good references, one of my favorites is The Craft and Art of Clay By Susan Peterson...

why cant it simultaneously be an act of vandalism, and art? Art doesn't have an intrinsic moral value, negative or positive...

Now I know what brand extruder is living in the studio here at LSU... I had no idea, and actually assumed it was a custom job... Thanks for the info!

Hey, I was wondering if anyone had in their files a copy of Jerry's no-shrink clay body recipe? I seem to remember it being in an issue of CM a number of years back, but can't for the life of me find it... Thanks in advance, Michael

not that you WONT get a response here, but given that it is a european kiln, you might have better luck contacting the manufacturer directly... Additionally, if you want any chance of having your question answered, you might want to elaborate on what a "slow profile" is--is that a custom program of ramps and holds that you input yourself, or is it a preset that comes loaded on the controller from the factory?

velvets are all incredibly stable in oxidation at cone six, Ive never heard of anyone using a particular schedule with them.

LOL. If you have rats, you keep the snake around so it can eat the rats and keep your place clean. You never heard this before? Unfortunately, living in the kiln just wasn't going to work for the rat snake and I as students needed to fire it--so he slithered off into some grass--im guessing he is still around and snacking on our rat population