neilestrick

In a bisque it won't really matter. But in going to cone 6, leaving too many peeps out will affect the firing time, or even prevent the kiln from reaching temp. About once a year I get called to fix a kiln that ins't broken, they're just leaving all the peeps open because they broke all the plugs.

Still good. But you could just leave the top out and not mess with the others if you don't want to.

If you plan to fire to cone 6, you want a kiln that will at least get to cone 8, ideally cone 10. Otherwise you'll only get about 30 firings before you have to change the elements. I'd call Olympic, as they will be able to give you some info about this kiln and make recommendations about increasing the cone rating, possibly with just new elements, possibly with taking out the blank ring.

Wha'd'you got against puddles?!?

LT-3K is the model fo the Kiln Sitter shutoff device, not the kiln. There should be a serial plate on the kiln that says the actual model number, voltage, phase, watts, etc. I assume you mean Gare, not Glare? Value depends on the size and condition, but in general those old kilns aren't worth much, maybe $300 unless it's a large one.

@EvilBunny doll Welcome to the forum! Let us know how the firing turns out.

This kiln will use all 4 wires. Don't think of it as a 240 volt kiln, it's two 120 volt rings stacked on top of each other. Each ring will have one hot, a neutral, and a ground, if it's wired as it was originally designed.

A very common firing schedule is 1 hour on low, 1 hour on medium, then high till the cone drops.

It depends on the firing temp of the decals. Find out what cone they go to. You can fire decals pretty fast, as long as the pots themselves can handle the speed.

You'll only get about 25 firings before needing to change the elements. And those will be long firings that won't necessarily match up with your main kiln.

Like Callie, my big dark shift was switching to cone 6 oxidation. I learned how to fire a gas kiln my first semester of ceramics in 1992, and spent the next 16 years of my ceramics life working at cone 10- gas, salt, and wood firing. In 2008 I switched to cone 6 electric, at first by choice as something different to try, but soon after by necessity as I had to move my shop and couldn't find a place where I could have my gas kiln. I rarely get very far out of my comfort zone any more. If I do it's by choice, trying to work out an idea I have rolling around in my brain. I don't ever go out of my comfort zone for a customer, though, because it won't pay off. I've gotten very good at saying no to people over the last 16 years of running my business.

Best bet is to look at the wiring diagram and do what it says. The 181 is unique because it's a 4 wire system. The two hots will connect to the sitter. The neutral will go out to the elements and the other section. The ground will go to the case and the other section. Any of the other wires should be replaced if the covers are turning brown instead of white, or if they're crispy and crack when you bend them. You should be able to order a new wiring harness from Skutt. The feeder wires, those that go from the switches to the elements, are typically connected with crimp connectors, so you won't be able to change those until you change the elements.

@Blossomhousepottery.com Thank you! I always use wax resist for etching, and do it at the dry side of leather hard.

Treadle wheels are amazing pieces of machinery, but they only appeal to a very, very small group of potters. Compared to electric wheels, they are big and bulky, physically demanding, and they slow down the throwing process. One must be of a particular mindset about making pots to use one. Most people learn on electric wheels, because that's what most community studios have (they can fit a lot more electric wheels in a studio than kick or treadle wheels), and folks tend to stick with what they know. So I don't think there's much of a market for them. I think most people who want one are happy to build their own.

So learning how to trim without a Giffin Grip is no longer a useful skill? I should require every student to buy a Giffin Grip if they want to learn how to trim in my classes?

That was probably from me! I'm not a big fan of tools like the Giffin Grip if they're being used in place of learning a skill. I don't allow them in my studio because it causes too many problems between the advanced students and the beginners, and my studio is supposed to be a place for learning, not just doing. I really push mastering the foundation skills, including centering for trimming. But if you've learned how to center and trim well without one, and it makes your life easier, then go for it. Personally, I've found that there are too many limitations with the Giffin Grip to make me feel like I need one.

Also check that the belt isn't slipping. Typically wheels in the US and Europe that only go one way run counter clockwise. Does it have a reversable plug somewhere on the control box, or a reversing switch on the motor? No clue on the 122. I wouldn't necessarily go spending a lot of money on that wheel though. You can't get parts for them any more.

@Jo Reid Most likely the problem is that the JR just can't handle centering 20 pounds of clay. If it's running fine with smaller amounts of clay, that's the problem. Usually if there's an issue with a wheel it will appear regardless of the amount of clay. The horsepower should be listed on the serial plate of the motor.

Even better than lineman's pliers, get some mini bolt cutters. I use them for element pigtails and they are sweet.

Some of the larger shows charge a $35 jury fee, and get over 1,000 entries. It does not cost $35,000+ to jury a show, especially when using online systems like ZAPP, that require very little labor, and when you're an established show that doesn't have to advertise beyond ZAPP to get applications. So that money is either extra profit for the show organizer, or it's subsidizing the booth fees. If I get into the show, the $35 was worth it. If I don't get in, it was a ripoff! I think a lot of shows use jury fees as a way to boost their profits since there are limits to what they can charge for a booth fee. I've seen jury fees as high as $45, which I refuse to pay. The show is either greedy or poorly organized if they need to charge that much. Some years I spend $1000 just on jury fees, which I think is ridiculous considering I only end up doing half of those shows. But to get into 20 shows I have to apply to 30-40. Jury fees have gradually crept up over the last decade. It used to be that $25 was the high end. Now $25-30 is average.

I think it's great that these shows are attempting to do some sort of online event in lieu of a real show, because any advertising and opportunity to sell work is good. But it's ridiculous to think that the online sales would come anywhere close to what would be sold at the real show, so expecting people to pay a full booth fee to participate is ludicrous. If they want me to put my jury fee toward it that would be fine. But using my $300-400 booth fee is not going to happen. There's no way I'm going to sell $2000 in pots in their online sale.

The only one I'm somewhat confident about is the studio tour in October, only because it's later in the year and way up north in Wisconsin where there's not much virus action. I'm not holding my breath for any of them, though.

All of my shows through July and some into August have officially cancelled. I didn't even bother to apply to any September shows except one small local show. I've got one May show that rescheduled for August, and one October studio tour show that I was invited to be a part of up north. That's my show schedule for the year-2, maybe 3 shows instead of 15-20. Total bummer. On the plus side, I've gotten back about $1500 in booth fees, and I was finally able to apply for unemployment this week.

Madison Art Fair on the Square, one of the largest shows in the midwest, just cancelled. It was scheduled for July 11 & 12, but they said the county will be under restrictions for large groups until at least July 15. Kohler Art Fair, also held in July, sent out a notice yesterday that they will decide in the next couple of days whether or not to cancel. I think Madison will help them make that decision. I'm still undecided as to whether or not I would attend if they don't cancel it. But probably not.

Did you get them through Alpine or somewhere else?