neilestrick

I do occasionally run into fuses that have blown for no apparent reason, but it's certainly not the norm. Keep an eye on the large relays in case they're running hot. If you've got a laser thermometer, check them during the firing to see if one is running hotter than the others. In my Davinci, I've had a couple of fuse holders totally melt down when the relay failed.

A stick/hand blender will work well for getting it mixed smooth again.

Kilns don't always fire accurately. It's not at all uncommon to have to make adjustments to dial it in. However based on your descriptions and photos, I'd say it's not over-firing much at all. How do your glazes look? Do you have a pic of the cone 6 cone?

@JohnP The indicator lights just tell you that the controller is sending a signal to that section. It doesn't mean that section is actually doing anything. The fact that the middle section light is staying on and not cycling confirms that the section is not getting hot. If you've got a multi-meter, you can unplug the jumper cords and see if there's power at the jumper outlet on the control box. From there you can test the electricity flow within the box to see where it stops. Don't do it if you're not comfortable and knowledgeable about working with live electricity. Alternatively, you can do

Wedging all that reclaim is going to put a ton of wear and tear on your body. A pugger would be a good way to avoid that. However, it may or may not be worth the money. I'm of the opinion that reclaiming clay is a terrible way to spend your time in regards to profitability. In the time spent reclaiming $50 worth of clay, you could easily make some pots worth more than that. Add in the overhead costs of the space taken up up for reclaiming and and it gets even worse. It will likely take many years for the pugger to pay for itself. The only way I would do it is if I was really concerned about th

Clear matte glazes will definitely dull the color. They can only go so matte before they lose their clarity. Do the glazes need to be food safe? If not, the there are barium glazes that are quite bright. Or you could use underglazes without any covering glaze. What colors are you looking for?

The wheel head does not lock so it won't turn/spin, it locks onto the shaft so it won't lift off.

@ronfire I suppose it could be from the wheel head not running evenly, but it would have to be off by quite a bit. I see uneven walls every day with my students, and my wheels run true. It's more a case of poor centering, opening, and pulling all contributing. I've got a couple of wheels where the head only runs true in one position. If you haven't tried removing the wheel head and turning it 180 degrees and putting it back on, do it.

Skutt, like most kiln companies, is very busy right now with orders and still trying to catch up from being closed at the start of the pandemic. Typically their customer service is top notch. Try them again tomorrow.

L&L dropped them as a distributor a couple years ago because of their business practices. They showed signs of cash flow issues at the time.

Is your bearing block tight? Make sure it hasn't come loose in shipping. There are 5 allen head screws to tighten from the top. Also make sure the set screws where the shaft goes through the pulleys are tight, as well as the main screw at the bottom of the shaft. That one really needs to be tight. Basically just tighten everything up. You never know what might have come loose during shipping. It's also possible it got thumped somehow during shipping and bent the shaft.

Cement board to about a foot higher than the kiln, but not all the way to the top. Two layers of board under the kiln (kiln on a stand), extending at least a foot beyond the kiln in all directions. No need to put it on the ceiling. Metal shelving is great, and could be closer than 18" if necessary, since it's not flammable. Just don't put anything flammable on the shelves. You need to remove heat from the shed so you don't hurt the controller. A fan or two moving air out one or both of the windows may be sufficient. It's a situation where you can start with something simple like that

I had a friend in grad school who used a Wagner sprayer. It seemed to work fine for him, although back then those sprayers were very noisy, worse than a compressor. The nice thing about a compressor is that it is a very handy tool for other things, too. There are tons of tools that run on compressed air, and it's always nice to have one for putting air in your car tires when needed. If you do any home improvement work, air nailers are a major time saver.

Interesting. In 28 years of making pots I've never greased the bearings on an electric wheel. They're usually sealed and need no lubrication. If there is a way to grease it, then I would expect there to be a grease fitting somewhere on the bearing block.

@Rita Mattson Are you sieving your glaze when you mix it? I see a lot of chunks in it.