neilestrick

A thrown platter would be relatively flat, with just the lip curving upward. The foot sits at the junction of the lip and flat part. On a really wide platter a second foot ring is often added closer to the middle to prevent the center from sagging. With this design the diameter of the platter doesn't matter. 10", 20", 30", the bulk of the piece is supported by the foot ring(s), and the size/overhang of the lip doesn't increase all that much as the diameter increases. What you have there I would call a shallow bowl, as it is curved across the entire form. Even in a thrown piece something that w

Shimpo banding wheels are considered to be the best available, and worth every dime. This is not normal. @Jamie o clayThis is unusual. I would call Shimpo. Perhaps they had a bad batch. Are you doing anything unusual on the wheel like using a torch or solvents, scraping with metal tools, etc?

I'd run a porosity test on your clay and see if it's actually vitrifying. It shouldn't stain easily.

How much Albany do you have access to? If not much, then decide if it's really worth your time to run a bunch of tests for a limited amount of glaze. What cone are you firing to?

Does the peg need to be vitrified? If not, then just about any clay body should work if you just bisque fire it. I would think that you could just hand build these shapes if you just need a few, but if you're looking to make a whole bunch of them then consider making a press mold.

Makes me wonder how much stuff out there isn't actually up to code simply because the code is so large and confusing.

I think what may be happening is that the case isn't deep enough for that relay. Your old relay had the terminals on the end, correct? See if the wires/terminals are coming into contact with something on the kiln body when you close it up. If that's the problem, then I would try an insulated right angle terminal

@Bill Kielb can confirm, but it looks like: 0 & 1 will have the wires from the controller/switch/whatever turns it on and off 4 & 8 will be power in 2 & 5 will be power out to the elements (or wherever it goes)

Just throwing that out there as an option!

Oh, I see. Now I get it. I appreciate you explaining it. I knew palm oil was a problem environmentally, by I didn't realize there were that many variations of it. https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2016/06/i-stopped-showering-and-life-continued/486314/

@Pyewackette I found THIS SITE that says they're palm free, and list all of their ingredients in case there's something else in there that's bad for you.

I've run into a couple of electricians like that. But here's the thing- if the electrician pulled a permit, the inspector would defer to the manufacturer's recommendations, and that's exactly what the electrician should do. Plus, the 50 amp cord has 6 gauge wire rated to 105C, which can handle the 60 amps just fine. This argument is so weak. Just because his firing schedule doesn't keep it full on for 3 hours doesn't mean that you couldn't run it for 3 hours full on. And like you said, the cycling of the relays doesn't allow enough time for anything to cool off enough to matter, especi

The wire and breaker must be rated at 125%. I do run into a number of 48 amp kilns that are on a 50 amp breaker, and I always tell them to swap it out for a 60 amp breaker. The problem is that the breaker will wear out running so close to its max, and if you're running slightly high voltage, like 245 amps, which is very common, then it ups the amperage draw even closer to 50. Also, the amperage is higher when you first turn the kiln on and the elements are cold, so it may trip the breaker at that point if the elements are rolled according to 'hot resistance' numbers.

What brand/model kiln, and which controller?

Between the downdraft vent and the room vent there shouldn't be any residue in there. Remember you'll need to run a 120 volt line out there for the fans (and a light?) in addition to the circuit for the kiln. Might be worth putting in a 100 amp sub panel in the shed and running everything from that- 80 amp circuit for the kiln and a 20 amp circuit for the vent fans and a light.