[Buying a pottery wheel]

I bought a Speedball a few years ago because they were the cheapest and I'd used them where I took lessons.  But my  wheel slowed down with over 2 pounds weight when I centered down and as suggested, I checked the belt, and it wasn't centered.  Speedball diagnosed that I  needed a new wheelhead assembly (not sure that's the proper term), and sent me one free, but it didn't solve the problem.   I don't throw bigger than 2 pounds usually so it's not a big problem but I suspect it also doesn't rotate as fast as better wheels.  I don't know how important that is.   However I don't recommend the pedal.  It doesn't change speed smoothly and also the cable  is on the wrong side of the pedal,  which just seems to be bad engineering to me.   I wouldn't buy another one.  It's a difficult decision to make when you don't have a chance to try the wheels and are essentially flying blind buying an expensive and important item.   Good luck!

[Plastic bags]

Hey Pyewackette,  I reuse   plastic bags from the vegetable aisle, and I find they're great - softer and easier to manipulate than grocery bags but not as flimsy as dry cleaner bags.  When one gets a hole I put a piece of tape on it.  I also cut them open to use flat.    Be sure however that they're not the  compostable bags like Trader Joe's uses.  Those do break down great in the compost pile  I use them with a little newspaper in the bottom for my compostable stuff.   But clay dries out quickly in them.    I'm sure they'd be useful in some ways but not for very slow clay drying.  Good luck!

[Fast firing]

On 11/19/2022 at 12:19 PM, neilestrick said:

Far more glaze issues come from firing too fast vs firing too slow. Speeding up a bisque can prevent the burnout of organics, and speeding up a glaze firing can prevent good melt. If you were to speed up a firing, the final 200F degrees should still be kept slow to ensure good burnout and good melt, but below that you can really do whatever your clay can handle. I don't think crystobalite is an issue with most commercial bodies. I never slow down during quartz inversion and never have any issues with any of the stoneware and porcelain bodies we use in my studio. In an electric kiln, speeding up the firing will not save you much, if anything, in terms of firing costs. Yes, the firing will be shorter, but the elements will be using more electricity to fire faster. Plus the cost per pot of firing is really very low in most cases. Unless you have a small kiln, cooling times are where the real slowdown happens. Saving an hour in my big kiln won't make enough of a difference in the total cycle time to matter, because cooling can take 30+ hours.

Neil, what size kiln do you consider to be small?

[Fast bisque firing]

8 hours ago, Min said:

There is 2 hours difference between the two, is it worth the risk for deadline work to try it now if you 100% need the work not to have issues? Step 4 and 7 are an hour faster with a fast bisque. I only use fast bisque (different kiln, same schedule) with white and porcelain clays with no issues. It's the speckled and dark clay that if you are going to have issues with that might be of concern.

After I posted,  I checked out the firing schedule too.  I thought the time difference would be greater.     I've been pretty lucky lately avoiding pinholes and it may not be worth the risk for just those 2 hours.   Thanks for your thoughts Min.

[Fast bisque firing]

9 hours ago, Pres said:

I moved this strand here as I believe it will get more traffic, and searches for Fast Firing will be readily met.

As far as my own experience with fast firing during my HS days and personally there is one major factor of which the potter needs to be certain. Make certain the ware is completely dry before ramping up the firing.

 

best,

Pres

Ah thanks for doing that Pres, it does make more sense for it to be here.  

[Fast bisque firing]

10 hours ago, Roberta12 said:

@irenepots  Like you I usually use the slow bisque program, but I have used fast bisque at times (deadlines!) and I have noticed no difference as far as glazing.  That includes porcelain, dark brown clay and speckled clay.  That is simply my experience.

r.

Hi Roberta! Thanks for your input.   I'm trying to get up my nerve to try it.

[Fast bisque firing]

I always use the slow bisque program on my L&L kiln, but I'm coming up to a deadline and would like to try a fast bisque instead. 

I fire  dark brown, white and speckled light brown clays.  What's your experience been with using a fast bisque cycle?   Do you recommend it or not?  

I appreciate your input, thanks in advance.  

[Bakeware clay body]

A while ago I  sent a question to Technical at Standard Ceramic about their 630 clay and what they meant by something in its online description.  Here's their answer.  Hope it helps

"We would recommend using 630 Stoneware if you plan on making bakeware or any product that might be exposed to heat regularly. The mullite "enhances thermal capabilities," which means that it will better withstand the repetitive heating/cooling that bakeware is exposed to". 

 

[Glass bowl for a slump mold?]

I like cornstarch too.  I apply it to the slab then invert in on the mold.

[kiln plug getting very hot]

On 2/18/2022 at 3:53 PM, Mark C. said:

Is the plug a molded plug and cannot be taken apart? Or is it the kind with 4 screws on one of the flats and you can take it apart and see if the wires are cooked?

More info is needed-plug should NOT get toasty-it can also be the plug was not plugged in enough and this alone coild be the issue.Ant loose plug prongs or wire within the plug can make for excess heat and issues.  

 

On 2/18/2022 at 4:23 PM, Rockhopper said:

Does the plug fit snugly into the outlet ?   It could be that the outlet is wearing out, and it is no longer gripping the blades tight enough,  which can cause arcing inside the outlet.

 

21 hours ago, neilestrick said:

If the heat is at the outlet, and the cord is cooler where it connects to the kiln, I would replace the plug and outlet. Also inspect the wires in the cord and the and wall, and replace them if they show signs of having overheated. If the cord is hot where it connects to the kiln, then replace the cord.

I hope these pictures help.  I leave the plug in all the time, and it seems to fit very snugly, doesn't move around.   Unfortunately the plug can't be unscrewed and examined.  I'll be doing a glaze load in a few days hopefully and I'll check to see if the cord is hot anywhere else in addition to the plug.  Would you agree that if I have to replace the cord I might as well have it hardwired?   It's an L&L kiln by the way.   Thank you all for your input(s).

[kiln plug getting very hot]

My kiln isn't hard-wired and when I checked the plug at its wall socket after my last bisque firing I found it was surprisingly hot to the touch.  It is pushed all the way into the socket.   I've never noticed it being this hot before, but I also don't regularly check it so I don't know how long it's been heating up like this.   It was almost too hot to touch.  My bisques run about 14 hours.  I've heard it's best to hardwire a kiln and I'm thinking it might be time to do that.   Could the age of the kiln affect the way the wire heats?  It's on its own circuit, and the wire is a replacement I got from the kiln company some time ago when the original cord's sheathing broke away from the plug.  This wire is stiffer than the original was. 

I tried to search this topic before posting but couldn't find anything, maybe because I used the wrong search terms.?

Thanks in advance for your expertise and knowledge.