Mark C.

I rarely try new bodies and stick to ones i have used for many decades. I have tried a new to me porcelain in past few months to see if my rutile pitting was body related. I liked the Ardvark Nara Porcelain but at twice the cost it was not worth it. The pitting was not cured

They still are in business -ask them with a phone call. My Peter Pugger is all O,ring seals. The pumps can easily be replaces and I'm guess so is the sealsn that are bad.

I like the Bailey Nitrate bonded shelves -they are as good as the advancers -I have tested them now with a over 80 cone 11 fires and they are in every way the same if not better as the corners are nicely rounded. I always buy the best shelves that never warp. In my 50 years at this I have a stacks of what was best at the time-thick mullit shelves-silicone carbide -the 70s and 80s) -then 1 inch heavy english dry pressed (mid 80s) and then advancers and Baileys Nitrate bonded (early to mid 90s to present). Once you buy these you never buy another shelve and they save so much space and are so light.

weight always-digital scale for speed

No photos so its a bit of a guess as to what this is. You need to make your own kiln wash-use the search function to find formulas-commercial wash is crap and made with the scheapest materials . Mine is 1/2 alumina hydrate and 1/4 calcined EPK and 1/4 EPK In terms of burning off yours we need to see it or know about whats in it to advise. I suggest wire wheeling it off as it may be a low flux prioduct and firing hotter could bind it more to shelves are you a glass slumper? or using this in a ceramic kiln? Is this your product? (24 Oz. Hi Fire Primer is a formula of alumina and low-fluxing clays. It is designed to withstand the high kiln temperatures required for glass raking (sometimes called combing). It does contain a dye which burns off when firing and will not affect your fused glass. An excellent smooth finish between the glass and kiln shelf but it is also excellent for coating mandrels for beadmaking.)

This is not mine but I have the info on Two 20 foot west coast updrafts for sale -super reasonable price as well. They are in Red Bluff Ca, and thier is a forklift on site for loading You can PM me for contact details and price which is really low again they are not mine and I have never seen them but do know the owner for about 40 years.

depends on the tightness of the clay body(what cone 6 clay body)-the absorbion rate? Usually clay needs a glaze unless it really a tight body.

Big deals usually fall apart and one must be extra careful . Its got to be in writing and I would be very skeptical to begin with. I had a big deal with another potter for a slip cast deal with Frontier Herbs (national Company) in the 1994. They met us in my kitchen and it revolved around making aroma therapy lamps out of porcealin high fire (the ones they had from china where low fire and did not hold up to tea light candle heat). We had a contract to make so many the 1st year and so on.We agreed on a unit price for 1st order to see how it would go. We made all kind of prototypes for them. I still have a few. Both of us potters had car kilns and we each could fire about 575 lamps per glaze fire. At that time the place that frontier had bought was less than two hours awayI(one way) so we also had to deliver them in apple boxes. We hired two slip persons and had a master mold maker make the masters.-this business was a side business for both of us .This business location moved twice and was never at my studio. I bought out my partner after about 8 years and after 12 years the frontier got out of high fire lamps. .By then they had moved back to the midwest and I was shipping pallets of them far away which made little sense .I just found a box of these lamps last week after going thru old stuff-I never want to make anouther lamp in my life. I gave away the mixer and masters in the last few years.For years I could see my lamps in any frontier dispaly nation wide any natural food stores. That business name was Aura Cacia for them. They still are a large producer of herbs in markets. They are back to using China and electric aroma therapy lamps now. In terms of big deals in my throwing world its like Mea dinnerware sets and soon I will give that up. I did sell over 1 k of mugs last month to a single customer who loves my mugs and realized he would not have anymore when I stop making them..I also never take deposits as I like the control of yes and no.

grolleg will always be pricier than domestic clays-The shipping is killer

oil burns out in clay and works fine. I do not like working with oily clay so I never do that myself but do use spray vegetable oil a lot for release on glass forms for flat stuff and the oil burns off on those forms just fine

Its been a weather issue I'm told-from the big rains in the south affecting mining.. We are living in a less stable climate time and wet materials do not mine well The tile 6 works fine in glazes

should be fine

Ribs and mudcutter wire tools which I use to cut sponge holders in my jig. I have plenty of spares so it would be a waste of $

You can can take it to shop that does restoration of ceramics (may have to send it ) goggle this to find one. Or I would use JB weld to glue it . Its water proof. I would pratcice on some othef broken ceramis to gain skill. You trim off the excess after it drys with a raxor blade .Its grey in color if white is better they have a marine white that trims white. I have done this for many decades but you need to learn how to use and cut it before doing the final piece.

My 50 years experience (about 40 with Laguna most as a direct supplier) is the same story. This may sound weird but its only 1 bad ton. I have had it happen to more than a ton a time . My fellow potter friends (all full timers) have all had this happen over time. It never the suppliers fault-thats always the same story. The box of most clays lists this on the outside and say to test it. One had a ton with lots of inch silicone caulk chunks in it. They did know about iot and sent him another ton-they do not want the clay back ever I'm sorry for this but for me its been a lot more than a ton. Rawa materials are going thru some strange times now as well. If you want all my tips just check your PM and I will send you my # and lets talk a bit-I have some ideas Now on a great story about bad clay from the later 80s .I once got many tons of bad porcelain clay from laguna (these where elery days for them). It bloated a lot at my usual mcone 10 soft 11 gas fires . I had lost 3 35 cubic foot car kilns loads. They asaid I was niot bisquing hot enough and not drinking enough tea and rubbing my head to much and using to much water and whatever else you could make up. It was a crital point for me and I knew I could not get satisfaction from them so it dawed on me I needed to feel better. Now I had met the owner and knew his dad as well I should add. I got three huge color TV boxes (you know thw old large TUBE TV boxes. I loaded 2 kiln loads of fired pots in those three boxed and used no padding at all in boxes and really tappeed them up. They filled my 3.4 ton truck bed and took them to UPS and sent then directly to the owner of Laguna. It cost well over 100$ in 1980 money. I felt great afterr that.Decades later I was at a wood fire gallery opening and my old Laguna friend (clay body guy John Pacina was there and after decades of phone talking we meet face to face at the opening in Eureka Ca,) I told him my old story-little did I know UPS took those huge heavy boxes upstaire to the owners office and left them. He came to work next day and got really mad as he had to pack them all to the dumpsters downstairs . He said I was famous after that incident at Laguna.I felt it needed doing as a full time who knows how to bisque and rub my head while drinking tea. I later became pretty good friends again with him but I will add I always felt better after sending those bad clay pots.He did have better respect for me after that It made my point and they made some body changes and that fixed it for some more years I ordered some red clay for a friend in so-cal last year and it was fuba as well. Saved him as they only had a small amout =so he got shorted with only a smaller amout of the stuff. That said it can go sideways ina second.

One other option instaen of sheet rock is what I covered my throwing room in was Laun panneling its super thin and lightweight. You can use small finish nails (air gun ) to tack it up. It comes in 4x8 sheets and paints well and is very cheap tp but.. It fast and you could still have the lovely wood under if you ever want to peel it off. Its about 1/8 inch thick or so

Raes idea on the heat is spot on that way you have heat in both areas-just inside the slider would work for kiln The LED adjustable light temp on those pancake LED is great -we choose the more warm light in the house -The studio lights (fluorescent style LED) are no adjustable) I would stay away from the ones at costco as they make a humming noise.

Laguna been out and low on many standard clay bodies the past year. Some materila have left (like talc and soon grestley borate). They also have had a turnover of oldtimes retiring to add to this disruption. I'm sure thats trickled down to smaller suppliers as well.

LED lighting is the only way to go. You can buy led fluorescent looking lights. I have them with covers to keep dust off outside in gas kiln area and in all my out buildings. LED will save you $$ in long run. I have a mix of one room all white (throwing room and a darker room.) the white wins out about 100%. It a shame to paint notty pine but if th is your permanent studio for life I'd break out the roller and paint it all white. The pancake lights in above post are what we have in most house rooms and are on a dimmer thay really can put out the light put 4 led 4 foot fluorescent looking fixtures are far brighter and less of them nned for a studio . I converted all my fluorescent fixtures to LED about 15 years ago. Never looked back.You can put that kiln in the middle area with a long downdraft vent or a hooded vent and just take it long to an exterior wall. Since I can see two at least its not an issue-you need a foreced draft system with blower but most come with that. I personly like a wheel with a view and built my throwing room with that in mind. But that a personal design decision. Things on rollers is good idea are you planning on production work or something else as that will change the layout as well

The best way to think about this is clay comes in and flows thru the work system and out the door in a loop. That is the most efficient flow. I do not like the glaze table (which glazing is the most messy ( other than throwing) next to desk and pack table in yiour layout I would store clay insdie the door on left working to wedging ,throwing then drying. Then on to glazing and last packing. The kiln can be central in an indoors space. Glaze areas are not clean space . The pack space and desk is a clean space. kiln space is also a clean space.I would put them all in the right hand space and Keep thge circle idea in whole layout. clay is finished work out. The wheel is not in a good spot either for me

I have been a free weebly user for a really LONG time. many many years now. I also was with square as soon as they started. That all said Square bought out Weebly and now have only a fee based system for weebly square . I will add that Mea also turned me on to Weebly long ago. The flat rate for a simple pay for a year site was 110$ paid up front. I have yet to be forced into that as my free site is still running (i'm not looking ever for e-commerce). When it does go away I'll pay up. I'm near the end of wanting much of a website . It does drive my long time customers spread over the west my way and does pay for itself in spades when I have to pay for it.I'm getting to not want more work and my wholsale is plenty . I did just send out 42 mugs to one customer who realized I will be dead and he will run out of my mugs so he bought a lifetime supply he said.Now thats a weird thought for me.

Call Cress in NV

Your CK is looking like a 1/2 hp original brent blue motor . I had that motor on my model C in 1970. The controller is not the earlier model in a cheaper metal electrical 4 square box so it a bit more modern than the 1969 models.The front is also a give away on the control panel If the deck is 1/4 steel and weight a ton my guess is this whell is 1974-1976-The other stand out is the more modern foot pedal-they changed to that in 72-73 if I recall It has the 12 inch head as well. I wore my bearing out on the head in about 30 years of hard use (full time) swicthed to 14 inch head

Dave can you post a few photos of your CK wheel topside and bottom,motor etc

Less is better these days-I have lived in/on same propery 50 years this last May and that is a double edged sword. I sold a wood stove today for a shop and gave them a free rolling Fairbanks scale that does up to 1,000# with extra counterweights (3x whats needed) . Felt great to see it all go away down the road. The stove I used for my thanksgiving studio sale in kiln area. The last one was 30 years ago.I had home studio sales for 19 years witha 1,000 person bulk mailing permit. Gave it up in 1992 when I started doing lots of out of state art shows instead. I'm closing up studio for few weeks soon to move a few gas kilns and pour a big concrete slab and bring in a new to me Geil 18 cubic foot brick kiln. I have to get my 12 cubic gas kiln out of the way (its on dirt under shed) and pour a large enough slab under kiln shed to house two gas kilns and two peter puggers. I should have done this decades ago.. Today I ran a 1 inch gas line from out of the slab area-its was tapped to my 2 inch main line. I like plumbing but digging is less fun these days.. Big job and its a dirty one . Slab is maybe 9x13 or maybe a bit larger.May have a pump truck as well to make that concrete job go easy. By the time its all done I may be too.