Mark C.

GEP Here is an more detail thread on the soap dishes-I was throwing away photos on my old posts because no one needs to see them anymore due to my over the limit photo files. I have reached my limit again-darn so I found this old post from 2012 on soap dishes-I will wait before throwing out these photos.I'm not happy about throwing photos away on posts that folks can still learn from but seems there is no other way.Or I could stop posting photos-ok rant 4 over tonight

The market is super small for these

I make a few hundred of these every year.They can be cut to any length . I made the die from aluminum-I shoot out a foot and a half at a time-about-6-8 of them let dry a tad cut them with my favorite two mud cutter tools -the large bow and then the smaller bow(mud tools). I fix some (banana shape a little) that way they drain and soap sludge either drain out hols or on hole less ones it stays in center. I designed the ridges to sit the soap high and dry just like your thrown rings. I think an extruder is a great production tool if not overused-which many times it is. That being forms that are not very functional enough. We hot dip the feet in a hot wax pan so these wax right up easy. The black holes are hard to see in the bottom black soap shot. A side view would show a slightly curved form in the narrow view. We use the hole less ones ourselves as they keep the sink counter cleaner. I make them up to 5 inch and down to 3 inch in length I cit the feet at a angle -then they all need a super sponging job while in teen state. I use a 3/8 brass and wood handle hole cutter. These forms are super strong if dropped.The extruder compresses the clay .They fit under bowls or in small spots all over the kiln as stuffers.I can whip them out . I sell them for 10-12$ right now I stack them in piles and customers paw through them (in normal times) now they are piled in the natural foods markets and are selling well now. If you box them up in a box of say 50 they weigh a ton.-not as heavy as a banana box full of French butterdishes.I just moved a bunch of heavy pottery boxes so thats my crabby.

I'll take a photo today-I'm dropping pots off at one of my markets today-they have been selling soap dishes like crazy now along with hand sanitizer bottles . The soap dishes I make are about 50% with drain holes 50% without-thery are smaller than any wheel made one and work as stuffers in kiln loads well.

My draini g ones are extruded and i have a slight banana bend to them with 3/8 inch drain holes in them-they work in a shower well soap stays put.

Two galze fires coming out tbis afternoon-so that on the workbench until they get boxed up.I'm not pricing pots anymore as all shows are off the table this year so they go to wholesale outlets or building inventory-either way no prices on pots. Its a first for me not to at least price some stock.

I can relate to that story very well right now.

Pres I have had about 100 requests over the decades on these handbuilt butterdishes. You want to get into that business? if so I'll send them your way if and when art shows open again in the next decade.. I always turn down handbuilding projects or any custom work these days.

Still pretty tight around here. Beauty shops that hare certified opened two days ago. Resuratants still closed -but soon will open at 50% and must certify.Only take out still. Some galleries opened -my largest local one can have three patrons at a time -they flow in a clockwise manner in shop.99% of all business have you must wear a mask to enter. All employés must be masked.Far from normal here Pottery sales are picking up and demand is solid. Tourist are not here much yet and we still have a shelter in place order. 108 cases with 92 recovered in the county. No groups more than 10 yet-except to protest and the limit is whatever you want.lets hope the spike does not occur

Its a spoon rest with a pedestal set to drain well. I have two glaze loads just about done and will laod the kilns on Wens. Fire Thur.-unload Monday-I need to get back to putting condiut and water pipe in trenches .

I figure I have saved about 3-6 months time over that past 35 years with a GG in trimming bowls alone maybe more. I know I have saved at least 5000-1,000 pairs of shoes since buying a car I have saved about 2,000 skinned knuckles sice first buy a socket set

My wife married a potter-I was a potter for over 20 +years at that point. She knew what this was about. Over time I think she learned that customers have no clue (they call on weekends whatever). They never return work at a show on booth where they find it -Thney leave trash on the the shelves-the usual leaning curve that the public is clueless . She wishes now that I would only be driving 2 horses over the 6- I normally drive.I am starting to slow it down and this pandemic has done that for me as well-only working clay every other week now. The extended family-sister and here kids really do not get what this is about or how it works at all. They live a long ways away and have strange ideas on the whole thing. Seems like magic I think they think? They do get the passion for diving or fishing tuna more I think as thats a more normal deal.

Yes on this (Maybe check and fit up the mounting legs a bit, there has got to be a reason.)

A GG is just another tool like a screwdriver-but more like a screw gun in the right hands. Learning to use one is the same deal-some folks never can use a power screw gun and stick to screwdrivers. I can use both but it was a learning curve with a screw gun .Same with a G.G. The orginal OP just needs to learn the ins and outs of a GG

Since you have had one work before with no issues-whats the differeance now-the wheel -the bat its on?? you or the GG? whatever it is Its most likely operator related As I said get rid of the Bat (just another out of round issue) and try the setup again (aligned the grip feet to wheel head) like you do when its new. Start over and then see what happens. I have usaed one a a whisper before so Iknow its not the wheel.

Learning to tap center is a skill I have used for 45 years -still use it every month even though I own 3 griffen grips Having more skills is better than less skills If you want to really get it here is one driving a stick shift and an auto-you might say well all my cars are auto and I do not need to know that stick shift stuff but wait you are in a small third world contry and all the rentals are stick shift -maybe it even in a new world country .

So I have always said learning to trim comes 1st as its a skill I use weekly -that saids my giffins save me time as a production potter. U still trim pots teh old ways as well depending on the form.That said triming 40 cereal bowls the giffin save about 1/2 the time. so here are some suggestions take your grip apart and clean it-I lube mine with silcon spray once a year as it gets sticky and does not slide-spray the bottom piece not the top. Make sure the setup is spot on and set the grip up directly on the wheel head if you can. Spend the time getting it set up right so its dead on true and has no play. Then it should slide easy and the grips will work well. I think its all in the setup (your issue)

Prep-Your lid is loose sitting on top?? no hinge?

Low fire and high fire programs will always sooner or later have this diasater-its not if its when If you are the teacher trying this approach of low and high fire you are sitting on a ready made disaster.It will ruin a lot of equipment and furniture and work-just will take some time no matter how you set up the checks and balances. I had outlawed any low fire clay in my studio in the 70s-I had a few pugs outside of 06 clay -some tine in the 80s some found its way in the glaze fire-wahat a mess-threw out low fire clay and never looked back.

Silly or stupid-its a toss up lets see back in art school early 70s -well lets call him Ed (to protect the stupid) stacked the 36 cubic Alpine with bisque ware one late afternoon and started a candle falme on kiln and left-I was throwing late after after a few hours we all heard a huge Kabam sound and dust shot out of kiln room in huge clouds. What the heck we all slowly went it to see what that cpould have been??? Seems Ed did not know about lining up all the posts on top of each other on shelves-he just put them where he felt like and the whole load collapsed to the floor taking out all the greenware-all 26 cubic feet of it.Many people where not happy with Ed after that. Lets move forward about 5 years and Ed was firing his 1st homemade catanary arch kiln-it was propane-he had trouble lighting it-has the gas on and then turned it off and went for more matches-started the burners again and Kabam as the kiln had lots of heavy propane still trapped in foor area it went off like a bomb. The arch went up -he was crouched to the side and was knocked away of front wall as both front and rear walls blew out and arch came down in pieces-a complete loss of wares and kiln. He was ok but shaken.I was about 25 feet away at the time. Fast forward about two more years Ed called me to see if I was interested in buying all his stuff which I did at that time.I figure I saved many many a pots from destruction getting Ed out of clay . Never heard from Ed again but if you hear a huge Kabam sound he may around still.

Jury fees are a mixed bag for sure. After retiring from a large show that I had done for 25 years twice a year they asked if I would jury the show (ceramics)-no pay -a Zapp show over 500 entries under 1000. Remember. clay and jewelry are the big categories I passed for other resons than no-pay-I have many potter friends and I did not want to alienate any of them. My fellow potter said yes to that same request at another Wyoming Zapp show . He was only doing the ceramic arts part -it took him most of two days -he said no next time. Jury work is long and tedious for these large shows can have many many thousands of appliacants -jury fees can be big business. Our local show I'm on the board of- (100 artists) we do not charge a jury fee.

This show has been around for a long long time now

All my shows are juried as well-some have jury fees some do not.Its the way it is everywhere.

Thats not a fair proposal -they are forcing you into something you never signed up for.Its pure greed as far as I am concerned-you signed up for the show -if it canceled you get the money back-if you want to participate in plan B (online market where they get a cut) thats anew deal not part of original contract.Its just like the description of that Montana show I referanced.