Pyewackette

@Morgan I'm hardly the expert around here, but its my understanding that at some point you need to work some "new" clay into the old and let it age. There's probably a bit more to it than that. So far I have been able to handle my "reclaim" a few pounds at a time, like 10 to 12. For larger amounts, and repeated reclaim, things are probably different. And no, you're not going to retain ALL the fines - even I don't and I'm the driest thrower I know. That's why working some new clay in helps, as I understand it. If things really get out of whack then you're adding ball clay or whatever is appropriate for the body you're working with, or epsom salts, or Veegum etc etc. Stuff that's beyond me.

If I ever get to the place where I'm clearing 10k a year, I'd be delirious. I might eventually pay off my kiln and other equipment then. Seriously. I'm afraid I'll end up buried in pots. It'll be like trying to give zucchini away.

Mark C was noting potential loss of Kemper tools: But I've been wondering for some time now what's up with Dolan Tools. I haven't been able to buy a Dolan tool since Covid hit, they're always out of stock even on the Dolan website. Anybody have a clue what's up with that?

If you have access to Shimpo/Nidec wheels, I suggest those. I have a VL Lite but wish I had gone up a bit to the Whisper. The VL Lite is their smallest wheel (well I don't count their ACTUAL smallest wheel, the Aspire, as a real wheel) and the VL-Whisper is the next one up from that. The RK-Whisper has a hand lever for wheel speed, which I really like, but the foot pedal is attached right to the side of the wheel, which I don't like. I hate the splash pan on the RK-Whisper. I think the VL-Whisper is better than the RK-Whisper for a beginner but still enough to take you pretty far as you advance. You may never need another wheel unless you suddenly turn into a production potter or a maker of huge thrown sculptural pieces. https://www2.ceramics.nidec-shimpo.com/pottery-wheels/

If things go as planned (and heaven knows they didn't last time we thought we had a plan LOL!) I will eventually end up on/near the east coast, within (for a given value of "within") driving distance of Bailey. Which means I COULD drive to Bailey's to pick up the Thermal-Lite shelves I want for whatever kiln I end up with. Thus saving me a ton of money. Or at least a half-ton, or a face cord, or something. Lots, lets just say. However I assume I could as easily break them in my car as say someone who doesn't know how to pack them for shipping (lookin' @ YOU, @Mark C., and you're experience with trying to get Advancers shipped by the Prof Who Shall Not Be Named). So you guys - what should I plan on packing-wise for getting these home in a couple hour drive safe and sound? Protect the edges with pool noodles and tie them together with pool noodle spacers kind of thing? More serious crate-age required?

I've got one of those Magic Chef mini washers. Its on a wheeled dolly and hooked up to the washer fixtures with quick disconnects. When I want to wash clay stuff in it, I quick-disconnect it, roll it onto the back porch, hook the garden hose to a Y connector that quick-connects to the water inputs, and drain it into the garden. And cold dihydrogen monoxide is the cleanser of choice for me as well. I'm into the whole rinsing stuff in a bucket first thing too. Actually I have some of these: I forget if I have the 12 or 16 gallon size. They're Tuff Stuff tubs, aka "storage tanks". You can find them at farm supply places.

@neilestrick reduction high fire reduction no elements to replace, and fewer electric/electronic doodads overall reduction It can do everything an electric kiln can do (though bisque firing seems like it might be trickier) but an electric kiln can't do what a gas kiln can (for instance reduction) reduction reduction reduction reduction I've got a reduction obsession now. I've been spoiled having access to regular reduction firings. I should probably have thrown a few more high fires in there as well. I've got a porcelain thing going now, too.

@neilestrick Thanks. And I wouldn't be lifting a kiln section of any size by myself. That's what the fruit of my loins is for. Plus I have a grandson who is a teenager-in-development. By the time I won't be much help doing that any more, he should be up to the task along with his dad. @Min I bought my last kiln from Neil. Most likely I'll be buying the next from him as well. Unless I can wangle a gas kiln. Totally dependent on whether or not the ultimate new domicile has a gas hookup or not, and if I can convince my DIL that a gas kiln is way less scary than an electric kiln. I mean I really really really want a gas kiln. We'll just have to see (1) if its at all possible and (2) if getting it permitted in a residence is a bigger pain in the a... tuckus ... than can be dealt with. THEN I'll have to go to work on DIL. So the odds-on favorite is the Jupiter. But a girl can dream ... so can an old lady.

@neilestrick Thanks. Looks like its the Jupiter for me. Even with the Bailey version of the advancer shelves, being able to pull the kiln apart to load it even if I'm loading smaller stuff would be a lot easier on me overall. Since I probably WON'T be stacking things densely I'll probably pass on the bottom element, if there's no other advantage to having that. I'm hoping the new clay arrived today at the studio (HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME if it did) so I can get started on finally making (morebetterfaster) progress. It's only the ultimate kiln size that seems to me to be up in the air now. We'll see.

Thanks. I tried that before but only once and I mangled it trying to cut it off the bat. I'll try again. I need to do similar to make test tiles (only more stand-uppish) anyway so I'd better learn how, LOL!

@neilestrick I would have the assistance of my son to lift the sections. How much do they weigh on theJD2936-3 (100A), and how much on the JD236V-3 (80A)? They do not list a 36" tall version of the Equad pro in the 23" diameter, only 27". I don't think I need new elements for the phase change of the kiln you already sold me. L&L only lists ONE part for quad elements for the EQ2827 and it specifically labels them for either 1 or 3 phase. Were you thinking of the Easy Fire? That one DOES require new elements. I'm not changing voltage, only phase. You may be conflating that 208v oval kiln they had wired in to the existing 240v 3-phase circuit - I'd be switching my 240v 1-phase kiln to 3-phase to plug in to the existing 240v 3-phase circuit that currently has a 208v kiln wired in to it. https://hotkilns.com/kiln-elements/eq2827-element-240v-1-3-phase What is the advantage/disadvantage of the bottom element being available in the Jupiter and NOT being available in the EQuad Pro? What's the EQuad Pro got that the Jupiter HASN'T got (or can't get by getting the optional Quad elements)? Am I correct in assuming that only the Jupiter can be easily unstacked for loading large items? I was shocked to find out that the elements for the EQuad pro are $118 apiece and you need EIGHT of them for the 4 section EQ2836. Ditto the JD2936-3. However elements for 23xx series are only $10 cheaper and I would still need 8 of them for a 36" tall kiln (which only seems available in the Jupiter series in a 23" diameter). I'm not seeing a huge advantage in going to a narrower kiln. Is it such a huge difference to wire for 100A over 80A? The situation there won't be the same as here, all the existing 240v circuits will be in use so I'm going to have to add service either way. (In my own house here I don't use a dryer or the stove and there was an additional 50A and 20A circuit added by a previous owner, also unused by me, so I had plenty of unused capacity). Given the expense of the elements I am, of course, very interested in your report of how your elements have been holding up, or anybody who fires Quad elements. However, with a larger kiln, I am thinking I would only be doing one bisque and one glaze fire per month at my peak soooo ... I would think one set of elements MIGHT last me for the rest of my pottering life, depending on how often I push it all the way to cone 10. Don't underestimate me. Right now all I have to throw with is porcelain and I'm turning out multiples every day - I'm just getting geared up, after a long struggle with a clay body I couldn't adjust to. When I get my stoneware I expect to progress even faster. And yes, I AM Throwing Big, and intend to continue to do so - maybe even Bigger. I'm on the fast track, bay-beee! That said I might be fine with a 27" tall kiln. 21" is my tallest piece to date and it seemed pretty big to me, way bigger than anything I'd thrown before. But I might could go taller yet. Also you lose an inch or two putting a bottom shelf in (to protect the real bottom). So I should probably assume like 25" available in a 27" tall kiln (and 34" for the 36" height). Dude. I'm on the cusp of attaining Real Clay with which to throw. I'll see how things are going over the next few months, and post-move (which isn't actually scheduled yet but hopefully is upcoming soon or at least soon-ish).

Using pool noodles as handle forms strikes me as a good idea - I have plenty of pool noodles, I use them for all sorts of things. https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/article/Quick-Tips-2-Handbuilt-Handle-Techniques I'm not so sold on the paper towel roll idea LOL! @Min I forgot and just typed @Min in my last post above. I don't know why but the site software won't insert the proper notification code if you just type it. You have to select it from the drop down. So yes, I would appreciate illustration of your handle-throwing-shaping technique. Sorry!

As for "aging" clay - I think a big part of the problems I've had with the studio clay I've been struggling with for years now is the fact that it gets mixed and pugged and is on the studio floor in bins the next day. Now that they're switching away from it to bagged clay for many purposes, I've noticed that the stuff that has sat around for 2 or 3 weeks between class sessions actually throws a lot better - and its drier. It is very wet, soft, and short straight out of the pugmill and until recently (like the last month) that's exclusively what we were provided with. When classes are running that's still largely what students get. My own "reclaim" so far hasn't seemed to suffer much from my method of handling it. Right now all I have access to is porcelain. I'm a dry thrower - I don't lose a lot of fines when I throw. I don't have a lot of water to "reclaim" and I often add it to the bag of my "reclaim", that includes dry trimmings and squashed rejects. Often my "reclaim" is pretty wet. I'll knead it to mix whatever I have, arch it to dry it out, and when its "dry enough" I wedge it back up and reuse it. I sometimes mix in some new clay. Wire wedging really helps when mixing clays of different moisture content as long as its not so wet it sticks to your wedging surface too much. In which case I didn't wait long enough for it to dry out in the arch. Otherwise it gets consistent pretty quickly when wire wedged. I keep about 2 or 3 cups of "throwing" water and then all my slop goes in, well, my slop bucket. Everybody else just seems to throw their slop in their throwing water. I can throw about 10 to 15 lbs of clay on that. Keeping my slop (including failures directly off the wheel) separately from my throwing water just seems easier and more efficient to me, but then everybody else around me is used to using the studio clay that was reclaimed and mixed by studio minions. They often just dump ALL the throwing water and there goes the fines. Probably contributes to the studio clay always being short. When using the studio clay, I usually scooped throwing water off the top of the reclaim bucket which is usually relatively clear/settled when I get there before classes or at the beginning of the day. Similarly I would scoop "rinse" water out of the reclaim buckets if its not too stirred up to rinse my slop bucket and tools, and add that and my (by then pretty goopy) throwing water back into the bucket. I don't use a lot of water out of the faucet when cleaning up.

Sometimes you don't want a moisture barrier, or at least not some types of moisture barrier systems. Rising water could cause a floor to buckle, but I wouldn't think that would be a winter thing. The following is about basement walls rather than floors but I would think floors and flooring can be problematic in a basement as well. Plus its over 20 years old, so maybe things are better now, but it makes me NOT want a finished basement. Who knows what is behind that gypsum board on the perimeter in a basement. I'd be good with a few interior walls and bare cement otherwise (and good dehumidifiers). You can always hang curtains or other fabric hangings to hide the walls and provide a brighter environment. I've seen plenty of "finished" basements that show signs of water damage, and if you can see it on the gypsum, things are worse behind it. http://www.nlcpr.com/BasementInsulation.pdf

Is a year and a half close enough?

Well I bought a kiln once and then had to give it away. Now it looks like we may be on the cusp of moving again - we'll probably know for sure in a few weeks. I'm thinking about a kiln again, post move. The one I bought and never got to use was an L&L Eq2827-3 Equad-Pro. I've since seen it unboxed (still not hooked up at the studio GRRRR!) and its really not all that big. And I AM making taller stuff now so ... I want a taller kiln. My choices boil down to the EQ2836-3 EQuad Pro or the similarly sized JD2936-3 Jupiter. Both are listed at 13.6 cu ft. I have no idea why the Jupiter model is 29xx, the description says its 28" wide but whatever. The quad elements are standard on the EQuad pro and extra on the Jupiter. The Jupiter has a bottom element, the EQuad Pro does not. The Jupiter is easily disassembled so you can put big things in and then lower the rings around it. I don't think you can do that with the EQuad Pro, the Jupiter has a pull-apart lid option. I don't know how heavy the individual rings are on either model. I do have a son to help out with this but I don't know how much help *I* would be. I'm pretty strong for my size and age, but the "age" part of that equation continues to ... move, shall we say. (I will be 65 tomorrow, aka officially "old"). They both now come standard with the Genesis controller. I might could do with the xx27 model of either but haven't decided for sure yet. My biggest thing so far was 21" and that seemed pretty big to me but I don't know that I want to limit myself so early on. The Jupiter allegedly lets you add a ring later but that seemed to be an issue when I was thinking about it before. You can't do that with the EQuad Pro. The xx36 models require more amperage which may or may not be a significantly higher expense to install. Just trying to get my ducks in a row. And yes I do plan to fire to cone 10 on occasion. I really wish I could have a gas kiln but I'd likely have to win the lottery AND hire somebody to make sure I met all the permitting stuff. As a side note, they haven't hooked the kiln I gave them up at the studio yet (OVER A YEAR NOW!!!) because they don't have the right kind of power. They have 208 single phase or 240 3-phase. The kiln is 240 single phase. I was looking at how to change it from 3-phase to single phase https://hotkilns.com/support/policies/changing-voltage-phase and it seems they just need new terminal blocks for the elements, and a new power cord if it came with one which I don't think it did (they have to be hardwired). They say "some" models may require a change of elements as well, not sure which models "some" are. However I can only find "terminal blocks" for Easy Fire Kilns, and for EQuad Pro they have Type K thermocouples with terminal blocks. But the terminal blocks are to plug in elements so ... doesn't seem like the right kind of terminal block? https://hotkilns.com/kiln-parts/type-k-8-ga-thermocouple-standard-25-3-brick The control panel as a part says it does not come with the terminal blocks. But I can't find them by themselves for the EQuad Pro. Help? What would it take to convert the EQuad Pro 2827-3 from 1 phase to 3 phase? I'm pretty sure they have sufficient amperage as there is currently an enormous oval Skutt wired in there, it is defunct, not the least reason being that it is a 208v kiln plugged in (for years) to 240v power. Don't ask me, I just throw there.

@Min, yes, its handles that are my immediate concern. Extruding them may or may not be "cheating", but I'm tired of mucking about with trying to pull them. At one time I was pulling them pretty well, but I've lost the knack and it doesn't come back easily. I'm too old to mess around when I could just as well squeeze them out of a tube. If I was going to have to have an extruder, then I figured I should come up with other uses for it as well - but really its just the handles I'm focused on atm. Also talking to some of the "real" potters around here, I've been told that pulling handles is really hard on the neck/back/shoulders. I've got enough damage to those areas (I've had frozen shoulder in both shoulders, twice on one side). Perhaps extruding is the better part of valor. I would appreciate any illustrations you can provide of your method. I did try throwing a ring to make handles from but haven't been very successful getting it off the bat. Not sure that letting it dry to the point it would pop off my one hydrobat would be too dry for manipulating it as a handle. I need to do that for making test tiles as well, but since I don't have my new clays yet (hoping for delivery "next week" LOL!) I haven't prioritized getting that figured out. Plus I'm having such fun actually being able to throw without fighting the clay!

@Denice I'm picky about lighting color too. I hate the blue kind LOL! I finally gave up on the last of my T8 fluorescents and am now using LED shop lights exclusively for my plants/seed starting. They weigh practically nothing for one thing, and I can string up dozens of them in place of just a handful of the old fluorescents. I would happily use them for overhead lighting, and lots of them. I like brightly lit!

Deck? I built a two story HOUSE with corded or unpowered tools and one cordless DeWalt drill. I'm 5'2" tall and female, I had little or no help during construction (and no nail gun either, way too heavy to handle, corded or not, for me). I mean really - what's the big deal about a cord??? My issue with the plans for a hydraulic jack powered extruder per the OP is that they seem to require use of a 3d printer. I'll run the device past my brother the machinist and see if he thinks he can build it for me sans a 3d printer. It looks like it would have to be table mounted which is a shame - a wall mounted extruder would have more room for extrusions and just generally take up less real estate. When we get moved - which may be in the offing, it'll be a little while before we're sure - and I set up my "real studio" I'll have a Peter Pugger, which has extrusion dies. But it does seem a bit of overkill just to extrude some handles. This guy's extruder sure looks like a good possibility, though I'd go with something a bit sturdier than bolts for the leverage point. Seems like a small target to use as a lever point for the business end of that handle. Still, simple, to the point, and uses off-the-shelf easily available parts: The other possibility (for my immediate use) would be to come up with some strap molds for handles. I'm doubtful of my ability to make pretty ones, though.

@GEP Totally agree. I'm actually thinking living space as well. Like I said, real furniture that would damage even good quality vinyl plank flooring and the like. A lot of likely suspects for an upcoming move have basement space that would need to be partially converted to living space with my studio in the remainder. I'd rather ceramic tile in a living area and washable area rugs,but bare concrete in the work space. My footwear is Teva rafting sandals year round, the real deal not their "consumer" line. Very safe even on slippery surfaces and well-padded. That will probably change when I get back to a place where winter is a real thing with snow and ice, and it actually rains regularly, LOL! Fortunately asbestos tile is the least likely use of asbestos to be a danger, it is very stable, even if you break pieces off. But your floor sure looks a lot nicer than if it were still covered by 50+ year old asbestos tile.

@GEP I'm interested in anything that you can haul heavy stuff across. I have some real furniture that would leave marks/holes in typical vinyl flooring. Too bad the stuff only seems to come in black and grey (at least the stuff I've looked at). There is a sort of browny-tan that is always out of stock at Home Despot. I will soon be moving in with my son and they like the vinyl stuff. I like real tile. *sigh* My preference for a studio space is bare concrete or ceramic tile, the former being cheap, the latter, EXPENSIVE, LOL! Is the floor warmer with the garage vinyl, or rather, less cold? Double LOL! EDIT: Yeah, seems to be the same stuff Home Despot sells. Some of it, anyway. The browny-tan stuff is out of stock even on the G-Floor website.

Batteries are NOT interchangeable except in a limited way. Even the same brand tool often uses a different battery from the tool you bought 2 years ago. And they vary wildly in storage/charging/usage rules. My DeWalt flashlight, which takes the old batteries, you can leave the battery IN the tool. My DeWalt drill, if you leave the battery IN the tool it will run it down and damage the battery (so they say). Some other DeWalt tools have different rules - it doesn't even carry over within the brand. My son's black & decker cordless weed whacker currently has 7, count them, SEVEN batteries, 4 of them B&D batteries. None of them, including the new off brand batteries (because the B&D batteries cost more than the tool) lasts more than 20 minutes in use. I would MUCH rather haul a 100' extension cord around. No thanks, I've had it. Give me a corded tool that I pay for ONCE and then its good to go for the next 20 years. And no spent batteries clogging up landfills, leaking highly toxic stuff, not to mention the mining and rights violations that go along with that in most of the places the battery stuff comes from. I built a house in the 00's using DeWalt cordless tools and hand tools. Given my experiences since, I'll stick with corded, and wish I had then as well. Its not THAT much trouble to deal with the cord. Beats spending hundreds of dollars on a tool that after 2 or 3 years, you have to essentially re-buy because the batteries have gone south. I already use corded drills for mixing glazes etc. I don't have any issue with the cord knocking anything over. Also they weigh far less than similar battery powered drills - those batteries are HEAVY. And if you're running anything off a compressor, not only is there a cord (for the compressor) there are hoses. We can deal with those as well.

John Hasegawa https://www.youtube.com/@JohnHasegawaCeramics/videos Florian Gadsby https://www.youtube.com/@floriangadsby/videos Melanie Tomaszewski aka Mudgirl https://www.youtube.com/@MudgirlPottery/videos I love Hsin Chuen Lin - I just enjoy watching him. I'd enjoy it even more if I could filter out that annoying Brent wheel whine. On the other hand, I can play his videos at the studio and it does help to drown out the country music that inevitably starts as soon as the studio manager leaves for the day.

I've made a firm decision NOT to buy any more battery operated power tools. The batteries are not interchangeable, they die, and then you not only have to replace them (at great expense) you also have to safely dispose of the dead ones. They USED to make corded models of caulking guns, I saw a guy who used one to do exactly what you're talking about, but I couldn't find a single corded model. I bought a Dewalt drill 2 or 3 years ago and discovered that they had already discontinued the battery for it when I bought it. I ended up having to buy a new drill with 2 new batteries and an adapter because it was actually cheaper than the adapter by itself. I wouldn't have bothered but I need the drill to work the cutters for the hardiebacker. What a waste!

Well I finally got around to measuring this today and I was WAY off. It was 21" tall. To be fair, that is more than 1/3rd of my height! At any rate I smooshed it and discovered a couple of things, firstly the coiled sections were much more even than I would have thought but very thick at 1/2". And the bottom thrown part was also very even, but only a scosh more than 1/4". Also as I pulled it apart it came apart along the coils. Not sure if that means anything. The Armadillo order has yet to arrive but when it does get here I plan to score some light stoneware and try again. I COULD use the studio clay but ... all the new clays (not counting the Raku) so far have been so much easier and more pleasant to work with. Looking forward to doing it again only better LOL!