neilestrick

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?

Looks to be in pretty good condition. The red boxes contain the Fireye circuit boards, which are the heart of the automatic ignition and flame sensing safety system. Probably the most expensive part of the setup, too. I believe they're still available. As is, it's not entirely safe, and may not meet code, because it doesn't appear to have a high temp shutoff controller. It's not too difficult for someone to make that upgrade to the current system, though. That burner setup isn't ideal, but it will work, as that was the Alpine style for decades. Ideally the burners should be pulled back from the kiln, the burner tube extended, and a proper retention tip put on the end. The ceramic burner tips Alpine used are no longer available. Someone could buy a new burner setup for a couple thousand dollars, or build their own for half that. So if they get the kiln for free, that's a deal. The kiln shelf bag walls should be removed and replaced with stacked hard brick. As you can see, they are warping and cracking the door jambs. The radiants (curved grates) are not necessary and can be thrown out. Alpine stopped using the kiln shelf bag wall and radiants in 2003. Don't even try to take it apart. Everything is mortared together. Behind the brick is a mixture of vermiculite and cement if it was built in Illinois or Wisconsin. If it's so old that it was built in California, we don't know what's behind the brick and could possibly be asbestos. As long as the bricks are solid, the kiln should last for many more years. As Mark said, it's really pretty clean for an old Alpine. I bet if you run some ads you'll be able to find someone who would take it off your hands for free. They'll need to rent a fork lift if you don't have one.

https://www.paragonweb.com/files/manuals/LX_914_Duncan_Kiln_Owners_Manual.pdf

We just let ours go to seed. They get really tall and look like a fern. Apparently you're supposed to let them do that when you're done with harvesting (if you harvested at all), as the fern top collects sun energy and makes for stronger plants the next year. They'll also make little berries/seeds that can be planted. https://www.aveggieventure.com/2018/10/beauty-of-asparagus-berries.html

Growing up on the front range in Colorado, my grandma used to take me out to pick wild asparagus. I never liked to eat it, but hunting for it was wonderful, especially because I got to hang out with Grandma. I'm still not super fond of it, but I'll eat it. We've got a very small patch started in our garden, and there are currently 4 stalks coming up that are a nice thickness. It takes forever for it to get established and spread. This is the 3rd or 4th year in our garden, and we're finally seeing stalks that are good for eating. https://www.modern-forager.com/colorado-wild-asparagus/

@Babs thank you for the support! I just ordered a new hard drive and battery today for one of our old laptops so the kids can use it. Computers are awesome until they aren't. I really shouldn't complain. We're fine on money for now. It's just that it seems like everything is on hold and it would be nice if at least something would move forward. We filed our taxes more than a month ago, figuring that we would be able to get our refunds before everything went bad. It'll happen eventually, I'm just frustrated with waiting. Today I tried to figure out how to deal with my classes once the lockdown is over, and I realized there's no way to fit all my wheels in the studio with safe distancing, even if I take out the work tables. I've got options to make it work, though, so that gave me some peace of mind. And I know my students will be willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. They're good people. This will all get worked out eventually, and life will be good. I'm glad to have a place to vent my frustrations. Thanks, all!

Spring Green still hasn't cancelled their art fair, which meets the last weekend in June. They say they'll make a decision by June 1. I think I'm going to drop out regardless, because I don't really feel comfortable doing a big travel show that soon. Staying in a hotel and being exposed to thousands of people just doesn't seem like the right thing to do this summer. Here in Illinois today a judge overturned the governor's stay at home order. A down-state rep claimed that the governor overstepped his authority by extending the stay at home, because his original disaster declaration expired on April 9th. The rep is from a rural part of the state in the middle of nowhere, with a small population, so they haven't seen many Covid cases. So he filed a lawsuit so his people can get back to work, without any consideration at all to what that would do to those of us in the Chicago area where we're seeing more than 2,000 new cases every day. I only hope that there will be a stay on the ruling and it works its way up to the state supreme court and the governor wins. It's really stressing me out, though. If the lockdown is lifted, then we all have to choose between opening back up and possibly getting sick, or staying closed and not being eligible for any unemployment funds because on paper there's no danger. I just can't believe how reckless people are willing to be with other's peoples lives. Also, the Illinois unemployment insurance system for the self-employed might not be up and running until May 11, so two more weeks of waiting there until I know if I'll be getting any financial help, and the IRS and the state are taking forever with our tax returns since they're so different than our 2018 returns because my wife opened a business last year. Sorry to unload on all of you, but I'm starting to feel the stress of all this uncertainty.

Finally getting some mugs ready to go into the kiln. Despite being in lockdown, I haven't spent nearly as much time in the studio as I thought I would. Seems there's plenty of other things to get done, and the kids are starting to feel stressed about being stuck at home so I'm spending more time with them. But anyway, firing this week! All that haze on the black will disappear in the glaze firing.

If there's a set screw, it should come apart there. These parts have been together for decades, though, so nothing is going to be simple.