Mark C.
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Posts posted by Mark C.
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That Brand of clay is not on the west coast at all as far as I know. Not sure how you would get it to Kauai for under an arm and a leg
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2 hours ago, Hulk said:
Well fitted dust mask (P100 by 3M in size medium), kiln glasses*, safety glasses.
OptiVisor (magnification), adjustable/desk lamps, spot lamps, and area lighting.
New studio will have a heat pump! !!
The weather here is significantly hotter and colder than where we were afore.Insulation against cold floor/slab and alloy castings (foot control) - rubber mats, bubble wrap.
Shelving, pegboard, countertop/work surfaces...
Drill bits (twist), calipers (cheap plastic ones), ball point pens, many buckets (2.5 quart, 1 gallon, 2 gallon, 5 gallon), large sponges (big!), notebooks.
Home made trimming tools (from hacksaw blades), repurposed items as ribs, stick tools, pointer tools..."Ditto" everything already mentioned, with extra nods to music/sound, mop bucket, dremel, diamond dust discs, clean rags/cloths, closed container for dirty cloths (anything with even the Smallest Amount of dried clay on't, in there, else wetted).
*protection against harmful rays when looking into the kiln via peeps, and, And, protection against any superheated flying bits.
Welding glasses of proper darkness/tint, with side shields, that's what I'm using, hence, not strictly a pottery tool...Heat pumps are great-I have installed two Mr Cool units and I'm putting in a third this summer. Not needed a studio one yet but might if it gets any hotter or Natural gas prices soar again. We use the Kitchen one daily in winter.
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I use my bench grinder all the time for glaze runs (green course stone) and then two small dremal tools to clean up with.
My angle grinder for shelves and bricks
Rubbing stone to smooth pot bottoms
and yes on the surform for trimming as well.
300 disc CD player as well as Pandora piped into studio and kiln area -must have for me on sperate volume controls
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The bisque will absorb glaze more if underfired less if overfired . That the deal. In ceramics every detail is important
Next fire put some cones in so you know whats going on
If you fire bisque to 06 and you know your glaze application at 06 then its important to go to 06. If you go less or more temp than glaze application will most likely be a different outcome
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I think many must think you add the clay once to hopper and pug it all out.
You need to add clay a few times to hopper and let it spin a minute between adding more to fill it. It takes 3-5 charges to get the barrel a full nd then you mix and then you vac and pug it out
I put the clay in hopper turn it on a minute then off add more -a few times (3-5) until full. (you cannot fill it all at one go round) then mix a few minutes maybe 5 tops and then turn on vacumme and pug it out until it stops extruding. Repeat
If the clay is all different moisture contents mix a bit longer to even it out.
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The VPM9 only holds a small amount so make sure it completely filled.
Not sure whats the fuss. I put the clay in hopper turn it on a minute then off add more -a few times until full. (you cannot fill it all at one go round) then mix a few minutes maybe 5 tops and then turn on vacumme and pug it out until it stops extruding. Repeat. for more clay.
You cannot overload as it only handles the full amount you can get into hopper
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Sounds like you are reclaiming casting slip clay??? If so its got darvan in it already
You should do a viscosity test (ford cup)on your store bought slip and then on your reclaim slip and make sure they are about the same
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Look up any of the how tos here on Brent wheels
The brushes are the last thing I would look at they last forever.
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Put some Deep Creep or other penetrating oil on the shaft /wheelhead and let soak a few days before the rubber mallet hitting in center
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I have a few ideas
clay has memory so if you bend those slabs during any part of the making ,drying assembly process you will get bending layer-maybe you are keeping them flat100% and this is a non issue
Are these glazed at all or left bare as glaze on one side will warp the walls
If the bottom is unglazed, place for supports under the Bottom exactly same thickness as feet -they can be loose (not attached )for support as they will shrink the same as the feet while supporting that 14 inch bottom.
Use waster slab as the feet feet/and pot will shrink the the same as slab and not grab the shelve.
14 inch bottom with 4 corner feet is asking for trouble unless you take at least some of the above tips
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I own this machine as well as well as a VPM 30
The machine need clay in it to work and fully charged it will work best. Also the clay should not be to wet will not work well or even just spin. If you need to add water do so to the left away from vacuum and shaft box.For some reason new users have a hard time with this . I think most are not charging it full enough and or to wet clay. Mine has worjked flawless for two years now.
Its a joy to use-I use porcelain and mix it with a lighter fine grog body in this machine. The larger VPM 30 is straight Porcelain
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You need to rewire the box and change the breakers to make this kiln work and not start a fire.
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(and make sure the wiring is appropriate for 60 amps) that would be #6 size copper wire feeding the 60 amp breaker box
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Ok so I have a bit more time in ceramics . Clay is not all equal . Some clays are better for bending than others. We produce some slab baking dishes (like 12x 16 rectangles). The clay rolled out with a slab roller . Then pushed into a plater mold-the sides are just under 3 inches deep (or about 7 centimeters). We use a blend of open fine groged porcealin mixed with my throwing porcelain about 50/50 mix. Most clays will crack with type of bending. The fine grog is the key to this-that clay is 1/2 porcealin 1/2 fine groged white clay and then I mix it with my other porcealin to get ot so slab bend and form wear most porcealin will not do any of this.. The grog also helps with thermo shock .
The wetness of the clay matters and does how it rolled out. My power slab roller is two rollers compressing each side as it goes thru.
There are many factors here
if your clay is to short meaning it will not throw tall or cracks at bending then slab bending will not work. Short clay comes from many factors but aging helps and the right clay helps. Most earthenwares are not great as they are pretty tight bodies (not loose say with sand or grog) Stonewares are usually better for slab work depending on makeup of ingredients
A bit more info on how you are rolling and what type of clay body would help
Since you are in India your additives will be different than say what have access to. I think of clay there as red and white earthenware and maybe stoneware as well. but the closest I have been is Cambodia and it was just about all red clay.
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Denice if it helps I'm bringing in a new to me 18cubic foot Giel downdraft this spring/summer. I need to pour a slab and up my 2 inch gas service . The kiln is about 15 miles away -I found it about 10 years ago used in LA for a potter friend (he was a hobbist but at a high level) I already bought him a kiln (electric I found in AZ from some of my customers) and ran some gas pipes for him. He was sitting on the fence about this Geil and I at that time said you buy it or me take your pick. I really wanted a 24 cubic footer as that a better fit as my car kiuln is 35 my updraft is 12 and 18 is a bit odd and beside Geil on some modela like this oine uses shelve sizes that are non standard (I love and use advancer 12x24 and this Geil is set up for 14x28 and us oldies say to big to heavy.Anyway he tased few years back afterv two fires (it really was to big for him as his one of a kind works just takes to long to fill that kiln. The thing is he buildt a kiln room around it and made it so it could come apart (the room is sheet rocked and insulated ) so I nee to take that apart and move it onto a trailer after supported the ach (its all soft brick) with a fork lift most likley as the road is private and really small and out in the boonies. Then trailer it to my place on a steep hill and unload it and get it thru my 8 foot gate under my 7 foot (low spot) metal roofed area. That is filled up and shoe horn it onto a slab. . It maybe be possible to use a small mini fork lift for that as long as it has 5 foot fork extensions which are harder to find. The space it is going in is very tight with uprights holding the large 24 x 30 roof up. Once its in. I need to cut a hole in metal roof to vent it and change orfices back to Natural gas.
I cleaned out this potters shop for his widow a few yaers ago and this is the last large item.I was on the fence as Denice says (I thought long and hard on whether it was a sensible thing to do at my age it invest in new equipment at my age) and I came to the conclusion that another 6-7 k on a kiln that saves gas(big deal these days out here in high gas priceland and is smaller and has all the furniture included and has a few auto features like set and hold so I can sleep as it gaining temp and stop and hold at whatever I set (the older Geil DD system-simple)
I gave it a green light recently after lots of thought
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The two month mandatory after xmas break is a must -I have had one for over a decade or two. Of course my business has always had a large xmas sales exposure especially in Dec with a huge fair in Az the 1st weekend for 24 years then my own sales booth two weeks before the 25th and all my outlets selling strong that month. I used to have a big number $$$ in my head to make every December and I always made it and usually surpased it. By the 25th I'm toast. This coming year will much easier no xmas sales booth and I stopped that huge out of state show 5 years ago. My local outlets will be all for me now this xmas. Looking forward to doing much less and Not firing in December. This year is my biggest transition year -I'm on a few months then off a few months-trying to find the sweet spot to cover what bases I need and not work much extra.I have a large twice a year order to cover. Not that long ago I did NO wholesale now its nearly 1/3 to1/2 of the pie. Same with the other older potters I know as well.More wholesale less shows as we age.
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Shimpo USA is still in business mybe a old fashion phone call is in order?
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I turn 70 on the 15 of March. Pottery full time since 1976 for the most part Yes a few jobs as an electrican and a plumber and a commercial diver but the most part its clay bringing in the income..I consider myself a full timer and am was simi retiring slowly (started at 64) until this coming year we are in. I married quite late in life (mid 90s) and my wifes state insurance has helped a lot but that said its my income that has paid most of my way thu my life so far.
Pottery has been brutal on my hands /wrists. Yes back issue as well but knock on wood good last 20 years. Its kept me strong and worn me down at same time. (On the topic of your body being able to do the work) one needs to think about this a bit .
I read these discussions with very mixed feelings. And coming from a place of knowing whats needed and what the cost will be on oneself i have a different take on things. Mea points this out well. I agree with most of Josephs statements although I never considered scaling up or even being in business-it was all an organic process not thought about much in the old days.It jusat happened from the love of making and firing pots.
I did have a slip cast friend who scalled up and I saw maganaging people was not for me in the 80s
Most I have learned are just not cut out for the production side of things .
The next is sticking it and out figuring it out over time. This takes time and 10-20 years is not what most are willing to give.
The body not holding up to the work is another big one.
It's the individual that holds the key -do thay have what it takes to cut thru all the above and become successful ?
A few points for me are It has never been a hobby-as a collage kid coming out of school and working in clay I did not have the money or time to play with clay as a hobby so I have see the hobby part as a detriment to those doing that thinking wow lets make some $$$ at this-this will not be full time in so many ways
The success is a judgment call on so many levels-as noted a few extra $$ is all that needed or expected is fine for some and falls short for others.
What I made in the 70s-80s is not ok in the 90s-2000s-sure it paid the bills and house payments but I just got by for a long while. Now a show thats 6k for me is a disaster and not worth doing-back then it was on fire so thats a moving target as well. All this knowledge takes so much time to learn meanwhile your body is slowing getting ground down. That's a fact
If one wants to sell a few pots on instagam and feel like its full time I say go for it. But I know whats thats about -more the hobby deal as an upgrade
If one want to sell 6 figures a year I say go for it as I really know whats that about as well
My suggestion and its really been thru dumb luck is find a few good people to help you if you want to go big and long. In my case they found me about 30 years ago and are just part timers and help me out in so may ways. They also have been with me that whole time (one is thrower 6 hours a week) The other is a do it all studio assstant doing whats needed when needed and she has been terrific . Its been possiable to stretch this into a 50 year career body wise. You need to pay them well to keep them by the way and share in the sucesss as it comes-more pay
Its worked for me so know its possiable
Whats my biggest unknown in my future is wrist fusion ,so Neil pay attention now and give it real thought.
- DirtRoads, GEP and neilestrick
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QotW: What tools that are not specifically for ceramics would you recommend a potter have in their shop?
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted
I use the larger Jiffy mixer with 1/2 inch drill. I just wore out my 6th or 7th head and repalced it with a new one. Bought another spare (old price 50$) as well. I seem to wear these out in a few years.Now that I'm working a bit less they should last longer.. The smaller jiffy mixer heads I use less and they seem to really last