Mark C.

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.

I have heard about some show doing strange things like that. Now in Montana cancelled and offered to sell your small wares at 10% on their website-you do the shipping. They would keep your entry fee as a down payment on that endeavor -made zero sense (this was from a another potter that told me this story) I despise shows that prey on us without respect-they need to give the booth or jury funds back or if you wish let us decide any other option like next years show as option two. Anything else is unethical and you should decide not to continue business with them in the future. We as artists have the power to decide who we get to work with. since they are supported by us we get more say than you think. Sometimes it s letter to the board that wakes them up. I have more than once in my career done this letter or spoked directly with the main person (above the director) . I was instrumental in replacing a sour director at a show about 10 years ago-they fired her on last day as we had had enough and the board knew we would never return.She was hired from one of the Ann arbor shows and treated us like slaughtered pigs .Its in their best interest to do the right thing.

Let us know IF any of those shows happen? For me I doubt any show will happen in 2020 -those are shows are in Washington State, Nevada state and California .I think 2012 is up for grabs as well for gatherings-espacially the spring. The only hope I feel for shows is the states that disregard all science-and there seem to be plenty of those states.

Summer gatherings in Ca are all canceled-the fall is on the fence leaning heavily towards closed. The cal sate university system (largest in the country) is all online in the fall. I do not think I will do any shows this year-very slight chance I may do my private outside xmas sale as its a perfect covid-19 venue with only one or two customers -outside and the 6 feet apart is easy at that location-booth is one long setup about 24 feet long-outside under huge overhang. I would have to want to do it and find some younger sales help-(6 hours a day sale)I'll see how I feel then which is two weeks before xmas-I will have to decide to send in my 200$ rent by November so thats a ways off still Our fair board meets this coming week to talk about our local show-I am going to push for using the jury results this year for next year so we get something for our work already done this year on show and return all the funds and cancel show which is 3rd weekend in Sept.

I do a show in Wa state every August-since 1993 they are a non profit but are really focused on making that money-I mean really focused-they just sent out a survey monkey on dates for the show in Sept-as tey know its off for this summer. We as artists have other obligations on other dates-really a bad thought moving the show dates. Many artists have cancelled.I suggested putting all the energy into next year-moving the show dates is always a BAD idea always. Folks have other oblgations and the public knows the datse not the new ones-always a less turn out on another weekend-always less money. I'm hopefull they will see the light and give it up. I do not think its a viable time for a show.,unless there is a major health breakthru. (by sept small chance) Yes I;m a professional but after my 45 years in this I know a bad idea when its floated.

Neil is the expert on this as he worked for them once I have seen a few of them restored and a few junked yours looks in pretty good shape-the controls and fans and burners and conduit do not look rusted to heck-Pretty clean really .You should 1st keep all rain and weather off kiln-no matter what you end up doing to it.Most folks leave them outside and they did of weather I can say that it has zero salvageable bricks as they are all covered in hard cement and will be a mess once busted apart. The kiln inside looks about 90% better than any I have seen so that a great start. I have seen this kiln turned into a down draft natural draft kiln with burners up thru the floor and a exit flue in lower back wall with at all brick chimney. Thats a big job and costly My thought and Neil can say whether its possible is just get the burners to work and forget all that fancy controls you need a new larger tarp and keep it dry. Also make sure you do not smash more stuff so the end user has a chance of doing something with it Are you wanting to use this yourself or just move it on ???Its value is low very low really maybe less than zero .

Ok I moved them from the work bench to the truck and then took all the little piggies(12 boxes) to market (a gallery) -just in time before the pig factories closed down due to sickness. Now the factories are ordered to stay open but the workers are all out sick. Just maybe the top piggy will work in the factory and keep the piggies moving?? Strange time for the piggies Time to make some new little piggies for market

Nothing like a cold shot of STP on a hot day to send you to the ER. Oh not a good time to go there.

I'm still thinking and planning for a very very long no show period .Sales at galleries when they start up also will be weak. (less tourists and spooked people for good reason) sales at my markets will also be less. I am getting more personal contact sales thru returning customers which is fine but I'm having to ship myself more now and I have stepped up and been doing that.Most of those sales(99%) are from far away places. Like Mondays boxes are going to Wa and Mo-all returning customers from my show base of customers. I was trying to slow down before this all hit and now I'm a bit slower than I thought so I'm adjusting to this new norm . I am thankful I had three streams of pottery income and still have one solid one (essential natural food markets) these are the streams and how they now stand 1 shows-direct sales to customers-still have them contacting me for small sales 2 wholesale-galleries-markets-bakeries-still have a few orders from galleries and markets are still open selling work 3-consignment-galleries-closed up tight- but one is selling online ok

Yes (penetrating oil and remove the setscrew.) take the top apart and soak the head (working upside down) sort of speak on the wheel head itself.I would leave the bottom alone.But if you keep working on it use and let sit penetrating oil . I'm pretty sure the head screws off . Have you removed the table top?

I think these come apart for sure-its been over 40 years since I did that so I'm no help.

I started out (after learning the basics)questing for now what I refer to potato chip pots super thin. They broke easily -I sold them to the public-I did not know any better. Time went by. I got feedback over time how fragile they where-I made lots of replacements. I learned that funtional =daily use pots for the open market need to hold up well. More stout. I made this change and never looked back. I'm not in the art pot business . I can throw a thin one for me but not for sale.People like them to last. Shapes is a different deal thats an evolution of learning what you can do with clay and mastering it.

I think an all glazed top with swing top lid is most sanitary and better than any unglazed threaded lid.

Funny thing about that video Min is those are some crystalline potters I'm friends with. He just stopped by our place a few months ago and I bought a large bulk buy of heavy duty metal lotion tops from him.I seem to do this about evey few years from them. They have a second home up the coast from me that they are outfitting for another second pottery studio . They have stopped by a few times. We do a few of the same shows and have helped each other out over the years .Good folks.They are full timers like me and do only crystalline work. Look for them at Anacortes when the next one happens whenever that may be. PS the lotion pumps I make are screw on tops-the clay is threaded in a mold similar to the video but a bit different as the top is made ina press mold and added to pump jar when firm

That vendor is Chuck and he is a potter-really nice guy-I have dealt with him for Decades. although he has dropped much of the potters line of goods.He is in Seattle area