Mark C.
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Posts posted by Mark C.
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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.
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These wheels are really just junk. Super low cost from China. I suggest not throwing any money towards it. If its a fuze thats easy.
Many before have asked about these cheap wheels and the answer is always avoid them. Sorry you ended up with one. Hopefully the auction price was really LOW
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All Sold except the ladels
I have some new in bag anchor hangers-they are $10 new will sell for 40% off and include the bag
https://www.propanels.com/product/anchor-hanger/
as well as 3-4 tent hooks in a bag-will sell for 40% off with bag
https://www.propanels.com/product/tent-hook/
would like to ship these parts all to one buyer
I also have a new quick shelve somewhere in darker color never used as well
Also a dozen really nice wooden New soup Tureen Ladels-I need them gone make offer
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Paul is your best source of advice. Funny thing is I'm moving this very kiln myself this summer to my place. Its a 16 cubic soft brick Geil. Its only got the older DD system that holds whatever temp you set asa hold themp, not the auto damper or the reduction control. Much less auto controls and I'm converting it back to natural gas-maybe I could get your orfices for Natural gas???
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(Olympic recommends 5/64ths.) In Michigan these bits are common at any hardware store.
I have been a round a few of these and even converted one to a =downdraft salt kiln (short life). Start slow with gas and as Bill said small adjustments on the flue are critical .6 burners should fire this easy to cone 10.
Digital pyro is also key to use.
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To much gas is often whats going on. Open the air flaps on the burner all the way if there are any. The only adjustment I would do is the exit shelve on top.-You need a digital pyrometer to see what really going on. The 6 burners are better than the 4 burners. 6 burners is a lot for that size kilns so turn the gas down. When the climb is good leave it alone
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I have after a lifetime of art show/fairs retired from them except my one local show which I am a board member on and this fall will be its and my 49th annual North Counrty Fair. in September.I still have a few shows that want me but I turned them down at this point in life. its been 50 years now of selling pots.
Other than that show I still have my local outlets which still sell an amazing amount of work. Two are wholesale (orgainic food markets) all within 15 minutes of home. My work is on a high traffic end cap in each. They order via email when needed about every 4-6 weeks. Orders are usually average $800 or more
I still sell to a few gallery /gift shops wholesale as well and I still have after many decades a few consignment shops that send checks monthly . These are many decades old and well trusted. These are a 50/50 shop and a 40/60 shop
I also have a large pottery gallery that only sells pottery that is 10 hours away that buys an huge amount of wholesale twice a year.He is my best costomer and best business person I have ever dealt with.I drop that order off at his brothers about 4.5 hours away.
I have a 100$ minimum on my web site to slow mail order down (which worked well during covid buying craze) . I still ship a fair amount of pots to customers all over the USA via Pirate ship UPS via my web site. One customer I just finished making for ordered 41 mugs (well over 1k order) so when I'm dead and gone he still could have a morning coffee from his favorite my mug as his teens break about 3-4 a year. This order he will pick up later in summer in SFO area from my partner when she visits her brother in SFO area. That way the packing is loose and easy like a fair packup.
So far in life the new Etsy and other sites have not even been a thought for me which is great as I can focus on sellin g larger amounts at a time.
I would develop your local sales over any internet sales site first as these tend to last a lifetime or at least for me they have. If you live in the middle of nowhere than the net is your only option unless you travel with the work. Art fair shows are good if you like people and are good with them.-Not for everyone. In 50 years of shows I have a few stories to tell for sure.
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Is your new curcuit board for the older wheels like the one listed above????
You also mention a switch is this a new or older one. The Brent curcuit board youi need is for the older wheels as all As are really old. If I recall the old switches are all two wire?
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Two stand out
35 cubic foot car kiln load fell over with greenware rolling it in.-lost most of it. in the 90s
35 cubic foot car kiln fell over during a cone 10 moment wioth 7.0 earthquake -lost most of it in the 80s
small errors -10 cubic foot electric way overfired bisque load threw the whole load in trash bin-not so bad really,5 years ago
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Buy a kiln shelve (mulite-the tan ones)and cut it down to whatever size you need on a diamond wet saw-this is easier than any other option
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23 hours ago, Katie S said:
That's really good to know, I had no idea!
I've been trying to post a photo and it won't let me - but I imagine that's exactly what the problem is. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond!
Make the photo smaller pixel wise-read the header on posting photos-
Here
I run mine thru my mac I photo to meduim size mail them to myself and post from there-PC is another animal. They are to big most times so make them smaller
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2 hours ago, dhPotter said:
Its Florida so what can I say about that? ... Now what rumors are kicking around on EPK???? Is Florida banning the stuff??
It irks me to no end how some on this forum think they can take little political jabs at the expense of others. Old saying is, If you live in a glass house, don't throw stones. So much negativity can be said about a particular state on the Left Coast. But I will refrain as this forum is not a political website.
I agree with you on the jabs and removed them as this place is not for that -sorry as I degressed .I thank you for that reminder as well. Its all about clay nothing else .
Now on point Laguna has a 3 year supply at current consumption rates of Gretsly Borate. The mine is played out and this supply is all that will be ever.
In terms of The EPK shortage-yes it real and Laguna says it a weather supply mine/ chain issue. Its also happening to red clay and other materials this year due to wacky weather issues they said. Storms and rain he said are so bad its really affected many products they use (we use in clay). One can assume as weather is a changing in many spots on the planet this will only get worse.
The best policy is to stock up when you can.
- Callie Beller Diesel, PeterH, Yve and 3 others
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Edgars plastic clay from Florida as far as I know is still mining right along. You can always call them-they are really a nice outfit with a small museum-years ago I traded them a few mugs for their museum and they gave me some nice T shirts.
Now as far as the Grestly Borate well you already know the story from years back when it was going off the market. Laguna bouight the mine and had enough for a long time-my understanding is that time is now gone and supplies are running low and now the price is refecting that
A few of us bought up large quantities long ago when its was going to disappear and then it did not. I bought a ton at that time and was at one time giving bags away as party favors to my fellow potter friends. Now its crazy expensive even for us Laguna distribiutors
The trick is always to buy a lot of what you use and sit on it easpecially when the price is right.
I bought 3,000#s of Kingman Feldsapr in 1982 when it went away and am on the last bag right now. It cost me 300$ for that 3,000#s back then and I had to drive my pickup to Kingman AZ to get it.
Now what rumors are kicking around on EPK????
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I have sprayed ITC in a few electric back in the day-it goes on with a splatter looking surface and does not look like that on the elements. Looks like kiln wash to me
Once the itc is fired it turns white except say under the lid on top where therte is no heat and then its stays grey.
I think you have kiln wash. Why anyone would brush the elements is beyound me
I am assuming the kiln has been fire since doing this if not youcould still wet the wash and remove it . Unplug kiln and try to sponge a small area to see if it will rewet and turn into a cream that sponges off? If so let us know then we can tell you how to get off the walls lid and elements.
Do not fire it if its still able to rewet as firing it will make that impossible .
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Is the coating grey at all on cooler edges of lid or top edge or all white
and is it sprayed or brushed?
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Been traveling in our new camper awd van to remote places out west-in last two months spent 15 nights out in the boonies. Hiking -incrediable flower blooms after super wet weather. Lots of butterflies -rattle snake, some caving
Tuna fishing season is coming up as well.
- Kelly in AK, Hulk and Pres
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I used to burn thru Kemper R6 trim tools by the gross .(I bought them by the gross at 40% discount) . Then I wised up, I had Bison tools make me some 6 inch double enders like the R6 out of carbide. That was over 20 years ago. I wore one out and sent it back for a new tip. Carbide will break if dropped so it lives ina plastic tube hooked to the wall next to trimming wheel .These tools are costly and I do not recomend them if you are a hobbist. I have never bought a trimming tool since. I do have many other styles in carbon steel but rarely use them.They hang next to wheel hanging in rotating tie rack
Back when I started in clay there where very few tool manufactures-Kemper was King. Dial,Dirty girls ,Mud tools,XIEM. and all the others all where not yet to be.
My brother brought back from Japan some pottery tools to me in the 70's as well a show poster from Hamadas life retropective show he went to. I still have those tools-simple and wooden . nowdays you have so many choices in tools. Carbide still is a game changer for us production folks. I do have a fe carbide from XIEM but they are not as comforatable as Bisons tools he made for me.
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If I'm wholesaling to a fancy gallery I ask about 2/3 my price (thats 60-70%) . They mark it up double .I do the same at my 50/50 consignment gallery about 2/3 my retail price but I hardly retail anymore these days.
- Kelly in AK and DirtRoads
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The dead ring on top will not help as thats a huge cool area. I thought all skutt old dead rings went in the middle with the plugs passing thu them?
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Glaze I think will pull it up more as the thats more tension on the slab.
I feel waster slab of same body is better than coils for slabs.
The letters applied also are part of the pull is also my guess .Glaze on one side is always going to distort it.
The high fire with no glaze and oxides on a waster slab is my suggestion.
Next time you could sandwich it with broken kiln shelves/ or bricks to keep it flat.. the weight on top would help
Replacing potentiometer inside Brent pedal
in Equipment Use and Repair
Posted · Edited by Mark C.
Dave can you post a few photos of your CK wheel topside and bottom,motor etc