Mark C.

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.

I'll see what I can find out-meanwhile its still available -it just costs more now

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????

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 .

Is the coating grey at all on cooler edges of lid or top edge or all white and is it sprayed or brushed?

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

Most are 50% these days on consignment. Make sure they have been in business long time and have a good reputation. I have had a few for many many decades.I trust them. I also long ago had some bad ones I dropped. One I turned into whole sale only about 10 yaers ago and still do bus with after 50 years now.

I would use a letter drill bit and hand spin into the orfice as gas over time leaves deposits and the orfices become smaller. You want the right bit so work up in size (I forgot exactly what letter size but Geil will tell you if you call them)

I personally have never heard of them

(Nebraska sucks for everything.)-I thought corn grows well there?

No idea but they have A+ BBB rating

One point that is not covered above is that Frost scraps and slurry, trimmings do not play well with other clays. Many art centers do not want it in thier slurry due to that fact.For single users this is not an issue but a thought to consider

I would call Baily and ask them

soak the shaft and hole with a penatrating fluid (not wd)-like deep creep or Kroil. let that sit for a few days adding more ,then slight heat with portable hand torch on wheel head not shaft to expand it. Then pull or thread off

To much presure maybe call Olympic and ask them

That looks like an old dryer plug to me. . That wiring interior (really fuzzy photo ) looks to be in bad shape as well. The label does not have a max temp that I can see. Cone 6 maybe if the wiring is in good shape and the elements are in good shape. Rusty means more resistance not what cone 6 needs

I have tried to keep my wife out of my line of work but that said she still has done my local shows with me. I have another assistant that helps set up and down but she has helped sell. Also we have set up my Christmas s booth and knocked it down on xmas eve for many many decades (now retired for that) I only have one local show now and she will help sell-the two days . She can play in studio all she wants but I do all the studio work myself or with my assistant-priceing packing. She will ocassionall drop an order off locally. Right now she has a herniated disk so all thats ioff the table and I am doing all the heavy lifting. The garden I rototill and plant and until she heals I'm doing the whole bit. She had her own carreer (now retired ) so I have done my best to keep clay my own career . She used to do a few traveling shows but its been a decade or more on those as well now that she had done. She did do 2 my last NV show two years ago ona road trip that we saw my Nephews one year old twins. But it was the twins not the show that she came.

They made many types and sizes what is yours? I do not have a west coast but other may want this info

Glue is for broken molds (two pieces ) not repairing cracks. I do not think its possible to fix cracks. Spend your time make a new mold If you fine a miracle cure let us know.

The glue that is a step above Elmers is Titebond wood glue. Its like Elmers in all reguards except its waterproff when dry

Either change the body or the glaze lots of white glazes out there