Mark C.
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Posts posted by Mark C.
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I use this in my synthetic iron glaze (Do you have a good source for tricalcium phosphate? It's very expensive where I live.)
I buy it in 50# bags and the price is always very high
Great stuff in a glaze subsitute for bone ash-my guess it better on the plaster surfaces as well.
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So what fixed the issue-just the regulator or something else ??
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Is the flue surface made from fiber or fiber board where it exits the top of kiln as bricks will abraid that surface.
I think fiber board is the best option for damper material if thats the case. Remember fiber has fibers which you shouldm not breath when moving it around
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The back wall is a false wall with a long slots going up.
You will need a damper-ether brick or kiln shelve or fiber board. Bricks are the hardest to use for control
looks like you close the hole with those fiber scraps when done with fire?
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No never on its side-big no no. Treat it like its super fragile as it is. The bricks get injured easily -cafefull handling it near the elements groves as they break out easy as the bricks are thin there.
Put it on foam sheet or some padded moving blankets and tie it into a trck bed-keep it stable -you can take the lid off and treat it very carefully with padding.Tie it down
take the base off and the lid. DO NOT Carry it on its side or travel on side-back seat is better
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I forgot to mention my shop vacuum system -its a house vacuum mounted outside with a dust deputy (gets the solids into a small drum) and then into a whole house vacuum canister with a hepa bag then inside is a 2 inch hose like a shop vac that plugs into a fitting near sink. The dust and noise is all outside. Its a great tool. It ate thru motors until I wired a new style motor which is new and I'm testing. I buy the motors thru Amazon with a warranty so I can replace for low cost.. The new style blows the fine dust out the sides not thru the motor-we shall see how long the brushes last-as the fines kill them fast. Never had one make it past 6 months.
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I have a high tech delta air handler with small micron filters , but only use it when making glaze. I do have a small squirrel cage that I use every few years if I forget to heat the shop before going to in winter .It blows heat down in throwing room from ceiling. The gas heater has no fan . The shop has two roofs and is insulated so it cool in summer and with a gas heater warm in winter. If I need to let heat in or out the shop has two door and we leave them open when needed -like loading kilns. I like the open door as it into a kiln covered area so spring and fall its open.
In the winter with heater on and off the layers vary in shop as to the drying levels and needs. I use the heater for the cycle of pots more than my own comfort.When I need them dry its 90 inside and we work in that when its no rush its 70 T short weather is my favorite temp for winter shop-summewr as cool as I can get it. If iot gets any hotter here near the coast I will install a small Mr cool like the two in house already.(they heat and cool)
Closed at night. In warm summers doors are closed to keep it cool. No fan.
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I agree with Bill its downdraft after looking closely (I miseds that)-I do not see a damper as the top exit looks like fiber lined. Use a mirror to look down or up the flue.
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your 37 Mbar restictor equals about 15 inchs of water which for me is 1/2 pound of pressure which seem pretty low -that said those burners look small. I'm not a propane potter -I'm a natural gas potter-I fire with 1/4 pound pressure which is 7 inches on a water column . A pound of pressure is 28 inches
In terms of orfice size most burners unscrew -I would try that 1st-the burner closed in photo has a screw holding it it looks like
As an alternate way You may with a chop stick and a piece of tape tape a letter drill bit taped to the stick and drop that down thru kiln floor thru orfice to find the size (letter drills are sized exactly) In the UK you may have some other system of measurement ??I know you do. I think the regulator may be to restrictive-you should check that out.
Hopefully someone here will chine in with propane pressures on kilns
I see your hood has fiber glued to it which will add lots of life to that metal
The other item is the flame looks like it can just go upo the side and out the flue not going thru the load-how is the kiln stacked in top 1/2?
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Looks good to me except do not use any premade kiln wash if that comes with as its cheap and will flake off and you need to make your own.
Looks in great shape and with teh pists and shelves is a good deal-pick it up soon before its gone
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Thats a manual kiln that uses 24 amp and needs a #30 amp breaker. Its not computerized and has a kiln sitter withg safety shut off timer
what are your plansd low fire (cone 06) or cone 6?
its a smaller kiln and new cost about $1700
its an older model
its very clean looking and if there is any shelves and posts that come with that would be good
since its from 1991 I would offer 500$ what are they asking?
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Yes what size are the orfices now? natural gas has larger orfices -LPG should have considerable smaller orfice holes.
I get that its been convered but all 4 burners in one spot is a bit strange-We need to see the inside with door open as well.
You never mentioned anything about a damper-does it have one on top (I'm assuming its a updraft?)
The only downside with the hood so close is it will rust out sooner if it gets super hot and you could always have a stainless one made like i did as they never rust-make sure to cover your chimney cap when not in use for rain.
In terms of to small a hood that whole shed is just for this small kiln and your shed has a wall of windows on one side and one opens so ventaliation is looking great to me as long as you do not sit in there all closed up firing
So the issues can be
orfice size
burners to small-burner placement (all in one spot)
The stacking load of wares and bag walls
draft -layout inside to let gas flow thru load
damper issue-size of exit flue
explain in detail these issues as best you can to help us
Photos inside are a must
- Hulk and Kelly in AK
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I use the 20SS all the time-and the hopper size is the smallest I feel one wants. As you noted you can unbolt the sections and clean the screw as its exposed 360 degrees at that point
I feel this machine is the perfect size for most applications-I bought as 1 year old model used lightly for 4 k with stand
Keep in mind they are really heavy so the rolling stand is a must have unless you want to never move it (check the machine weights to see what I'm talking about)
Forget the 7SS for all my resaons I posted in above post.
I also think the 9SS is also a bit on the small side with only outputing 13#s of clay so outpouuting 150#s an hour would be a tough killer job.
My friend has this tiny machine and he felt burned about it. The local clay supplier recommended this size to him and he went with that suggestion.He had a falling out with them and this one one of the resasons. The 13# output is pretty small then you repeat the feeding cycle all over
I think a few on this board own the 9SS so maybe they can chine in about it?
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Not sure if you had read this fellow issues with the Shimpo pug mill
Did you see this poast last week
I own and use two peter puggers so I know your learning curve-the real issue is size of machine
That said they all do exactly the same thing and they do it well
The VPM 7s are just to darn small-the output that is
the VPM 9 also is pretty small
not the machine as much as the whole mixing chamber which get really small in thiose smaller units
All clay mixers and puggers hold larger volumes of clay that never make it out the barrel-in the nooks and crannies as you said. Folks new to this need to understand that 25#s in does not equal 25#s out more like 2/3 of that if you are lucky
That relationship is pretty constant My larger VPM 30 holds 85#s of clay when its 100% full and I'll be lucky to get 55#s out the other end.
same is true with my VPM-SS 20 45# capacity -and 30#s output
As you noted you need to add clay turn it on so the hopper clay is away from entry hole and add more etc until you cannot close the hopper almost so ikts jambed full 100% to get your maximum output. This process takes a bit of learning-its also harder with smaller amounts in those smaller machines . The VPM 7 is just to darn small.
This company makes a great product but after they sold all the larger units to schools and professionals they went for the hobby market and the VPM 9 was that go to unit. (I have full timer potter freiend with one of those) He said its output is way to small for him.
They should have stopped making any smaller machines at the VPM 9 instead they shrunk it down again to the VPM 7-That machine will only output 2/3 of whats in it-its max capacity is only 14#s so on a good day you get 2/3 of that 14#s of clay-just over 8#s
My advice as all the machines are just within a 1000$ of each other ($4k-5K) is to get the larger machine the VPM 9 is the smallest machine in my view you should consider.
As noted in above pots you need to stuff that hopper full turn it on a second stuff it again and again until you can only force it closed and then its full to get your most output. This is less importaant in the larger machines VPM 20s and above as the outputs are just better amounts.
On needs to look at batch capacity in all Peter Puggers and realize outputs are 2/3 of that no matter what the size of machine
You are not the fist person who feels the 7 is to small and for justa few hundred more dollars one can get the VPM 9 which hold 25#s so you get 2/3 of that which is about 16#s
For me as a professional the VPM 20 is a s small as I would ever consider as it holds 45#s and you get 30#s
A standard box of clay is 50#sin two 25# pugs-so if your output is only 8#s well you get the point its just a small log of clay even for a hobbist
Here is the whole thread
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I have a supplier about 10 minutes away. that said there was no supplier within a 8 hour drive most of my 50 year career . So I had to be my own supplier and thats almost still true today. I do buy a few items locally when I'm in need between my usual truck orders.Its a small shop with no equipment for sale usually
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So if its only about make clay softer or firmer and NOT wedging the peter pugger or any mixer pugger (like a Bailey) is your machine of choice-You can add water or dryer clay to wetter clay or dry material to Harden soft clay. In a pug mill you cannot change the clay mosisdture cintenr very easily as it moves thru the machine from point a (hopper ) to B the (end nozzle)
whereas a mixer pugger will aloow you to mix the clay in the 1st chamber to how you like it than discharge into a pugged log when you get it the way you like-no straight (stand alone) pug mill will allow this process.
I pout 6 tons thry a Bluebird pugmill so I know something about standard pug mills-
As I said mixer /pugger is the only way to go. You can get them used if you have time on your side.
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Alumina Hydrate from any ceramic distributor is what to use-not something off the net for beauty products
Its a costly material these days but worth it-I buy it in 50# bags but its sold by the #
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I'm with Neil on the whole expensive machine deal-I threw away my trimmings and slop for decades and the only reason I have the two Petter Puggers is for my wrists (after surgery)
I have 7k invested in them total as I bought each used. I need soft clay these days and do not wedge -these work well for that-I can soften clay if need be or Harden it for my press mold forms.
I have yet to clean either of them as there is no need to-the clay never dries out with the rubber cap on.
- Pyewackette and kswan
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The Venco and the shimpo in my mind only pug clay-which is only part of whats needs doing in my mind
whatever machine one gets its needs to come apart to clean out. Usually its 4 bolts
I would never buy just a pug mill-waste of money-as the newer machines mix and pug so making clay more or less firm is easy as well as reclaim or even starting with dry materials
Pug mills are outdated unless all you want to do is pug mixed clay say at the clay factory.
My peter puggers keeps clay moist for any amout of time. I would only clean it to change bodies and I have two of them with different clay bodies .
The Petter Pugger and the Bailey that mix and pug are the only way to go.
Venco came out long ago and was one of the 1st mills on the scene for consumers. Parts are a bear to find-the Shimpo is another import so check on parts availability .
all machines need from 4 to 6 bolts off to come apart-My Peter has 4 bolts on the barrel
De airing is the only way to go these days with whatever machine you get
I no longer wedge -its been about 10 years ago I stopped after my wrist surgery
QotW: Is trimming just a clean-up job for you, or do you use it to enhance the bottom of the pot in some way?
in Int'l Ceramic Artists Network (ICAN) Operations and Benefits
Posted
45 years ago I trimmed every pot bottom As a production potter I still trim most forms with feet (I think a foot adds to the form) and glaze the bottoms if the foot is tall enough.
Nowdays I do not glaze many flat form bottoms like pie plates and chip and dip dishes . I still trim a foot and glaze the bottoms of dinnerware /platters
I use a tool to add a drip line and undercut to mugs (no trimmers) and sponge holders and spoon rests
Most of my smalls are no trimmers these days-you learn to add the undercut and drop edge to the thrown form when throwing-these include mugs -all sizes and spoonrests and sponge holders. I do trim salt cellars and honey pots
I trim all other medium and large pots. so most of my 30-35 forms get trimmed except for the smalls
All bowls are trimmed as well-no matter the size.Most forms take longer to trim than throw