Mark C.

So Laguna is the importer for Mahavir spar and thats the new go to spar to replace Custar read about the breakdown analysis below you can also find this at Laguna's website under articles https://www.lagunaclay.com/_files/ugd/e5330f_f36857d85c574abc9da8e88c9d6fde7b.pdf

Nobody I knew got it. No students no teachers. You need to be exposed for many many years Not-2-3 years. Just forget about it and work smarter. If you are still worried about it read up on mine workers, they get it after a lifetime of exposure . Many more things way more dangerous to you like crossing the street or driving

Just forget about small exposure and now start to work smarter with a mask and wet mop . I have been a full timer for 50 years and for the 1st 15-20 years was exposed badly . I mixed clay in collage and it was in the early 770s (no masks) -had to go outside to breath from clay dust. I swept dust for deacads before useing a wet mop. Mixed clay and glazed in large amounts. In the 90s I caught on some to dust.' Now for the record every 10 years now I get a lung difusion test that measures how elastic your lungs are (in asbestos or silicosis or any lung disease )your lungs become less elastic and this test can show you that you are headed that way. If you get diagnosed with any lung desease you are already toast so this test gives one a heads up. I have three such tests now under my belt. I also have a central vac heps system in studio and a air handlers that is also hepa. I hepa vac the dust and do not sweep it. The vac is outside of building. Give up greenware sanding and use a wet sponge-think no dust you will be fine moving forward-welcome to the forum

I ordered some of these potentiometers as the site has a 25$ min buy (I got some other items as well) if you are needing one just PM me-they are super low cost

you can also try this cheaper fix if you are handy

Speaking of sustainability I have felt bad about my part in global warming for decades using so much fossil fuel (natural gas) as a full time potter. For me as a Potter I try to offset this in other areas and we all can do some part as each of us has a part to play in this whether it’s simple recycling or an electric car or other small part. Everything counts. For me personally I have had a solar water preheater (copper solar water heater panels, two 4x8 panels on roof) feeding into my water heater since Jimmy Carter funded an incentive in 1980 and help me pay for them. They are still up and working today after43 years. I have moved them once and had to keep them serviced and replaced the 80-gallon solar tank once but it’s an active system. My wife and I personally installed ourselves a 9.6 KW ground mount solar electric panels in early 2020 as well as a 22.5 KW lithium backup battery system. Yes, I helped raise the price of raw lithium. We did 100% of all the install. We use a very small amount of grid power and make the rest ourselves from the sun. Do whatever you can as it all adds up.

Its a crazy heavy stand. I have just the stand next to my wheel that holds my throwing clay and plaster bats. Its a heavy table . This was the 1st model they made. The motor is one that the user cannot change the brushes but any motor shop can. Parts are non existent . You sit on the corner which is odd. I threw on one that my partner had in themid 70s. 250-350 for a working unit with zero issues is fair-remember no service or parts.

(Can we talk about sustainability please) Sure lets talk ,I have made a living from clay for about 50 years give or take.I have had some time to consider it. You talk about classes which really compared to say a toilet or tile manufacture are about 1/16 of a drop in a bucket compared to the use of materials and cumbustion gas output of all the classes in. the world. I have strong feeling on keeping beginner pots-I think it should be, throw them back on the plaster table for a long spell of time until one gains the skills but that's never going to happen as humans feel it's precious once made and want to keep the cracked dog bowl thats warped and 1 inch thick with crawed glaze. I consider it part of an industrial process. Its hard on mother earth ,any way you want to feel good about it its a fact. The electric or gas kiln is not great for earth but for that matter either are humans on this scale of population we are at now. Pottery making in all but a commercail level is small time compared to the commercial ceramic world. Is ceramics stainable ? Well are humans stainable on this planet? We all have thoughts on that point I'm sure. Just for some prospective we have been at war most of our existance even though most of us on this planet despise war we are currenty still at war on this planet . Still at war in 2023 is that sustainable ? as it seems its been going on as long as we could pick up a club, so one could say thats as sustainable as we humans are. Mining materials and processing them and and shipping them and then making clay from them-its a ton of energy and its not yet a mug or a plate.Far from that. I think of sustainibiliy as a loop and like say paper-trees =paper= recycle for more paper=growing more trees for more paper. Trees help the earth.It can be a loop and go on forever depending on the amout of paper we humans consume as the population grows.As you know at some point its no longer a loop as the use of paper gets to be more than we can recycle and grow.But for now its a loop Ceramics is not even close to a loop Now waste thats easy to curb. Clay is clay as long as its not fired. completely recycleable for the most part. The issue is those palstic bags that keep clay moist,all plastic is bad news ,real bad news. The cardboard boxes all can be boxed aagin recycled. One you fire its going to last close to forever so some thought shold be made about that. In teaching most do not consider that. Never had a teacher even talk about it in my days in collage. Have I ever thought ceramics as a sustainable loop no as its not for me. All we can do is be more efficient with our processes in ceramics.

New battery?

So I have some EPK news They got hit (the mine) a year or two ago with a big hurricane and then the vein they where mining ran out and they have had to move the whole operation (lots of machinery) to another site on the property. They are now back up and shipping it out once again I still had two bags as I'm a hoarder of materials-which is a good thing if its your business

I heard (not comfirmed )that Pacer (they mine custar) is going thru bankruptcy and may once again come out as a working mine over time. I now have enough Custar to last me until I'm gone I have a bag or two of the Kona F4 soda spar as well . Good to be a horader of glaze materials

I was fortunate enough in high school to have a class that used the weilding/ ceramics lab in a city collage setting. They had a few wheels and a electric kiln that was not being used so a few of us learned from the teacher what he know of low fire pottery (he was the weilding guy mostly). That went into a private night class in Seal Beach Cal. two nights a week using 5 wheels all different in rotation . I bought a brent wheel during this operiod in later high school days toi work at home. I was taking flying lessons at that same time and got my instrument hood training behind me and was solo and decieded mid flight school that taking my friends flying was really not a goal I wanted . At that time what I wanted to do was fly a glider at places like torry pines off the cliffs into the pacific but then you had to have a motor pilots license (now you can get just a glider license ) back then you need a full blown motor pilot license . I had about 18 hoiurs in behind the wheel at the point when I just thought for wanting to fly a glider it felt ridiculous as an outcome to have to get a 40 hour power pilots license . I just dove into clay instead never looked back. I have sence been is gliders as a passenger and feel I made the right choice. I never wanted to fly passengers in power planes. From that last year in high school where I was exposed to clay I transferred to the other end of this state (cal) and took Juior collage classes in clay and 4 quarters later tarnfered to Houmboldt state and took another 4 years worth of clay classes. I knew how to thro from High school so building kiln s and galze calc and all the rest is what I sponged up from recent Alfred grads who where new hires at collage and my instructors. Right trime right place is my story and also dumb luck

I will try the darvan theory. The thing is this glaze made from all old glaze materials just started about 14 months ago. I have had three other potters call me about pinholes in past year. My guess is for 49 years almasot no pinholes now pinholes its not a new particle packing issue.

When it comes to pinholes (which I have been fighting for over a year now in my gas kilns) I have only one suggestion and that is a soak at end of fire.Its easy with an electric kiln harder with gas. My last 3 kiln loads I have soakes (slowed down and held the top end temp for 10-20 minutes and all my pinhole issues went away. a soak is whats needed since your bisque ware is clean

I'm pretty sure that is a earlier pacifica wheel made in a small town in Northern Wa state when they 1st opened. They used pressboard tops covered in plastic and smaller motors trhat are super quiet (they made the 1st super quiet wheel). I visited the factory in about 79-or 80 on a return trip from BC. I recall the pressboard and foot pedal I'm about 80% sure it a pacifica

Soldners are fine wheels I just do not think about them since he died. My biggest issue with them is they are so large. My studio is to small for one. The foot pedals are super smooth.

That is Not a Brent wheel but may be an very early Pacifica wheel a photo of the foot pedal from top and the motor would help

speedballs are Chinese and so are shimpos now. Pacifica is made by laguna the best quility wheels are Brents Baileys and Skutts these days . These will hold resale value best and last a really long time I have 4 Brents myself now as I sold.a few over the pastr few years

No need for that keep asking questions and doing pottery as you will learn more and we can help

(This sounds like a lot.) a tablespoon or two is plenty for a 10,000 gram batch 5 tablespoons is way to much for 3,000 grams-it will be thick soup

(I will Google to see what is available in the US) all of those ingredients are in the US no need to check that

weigh your glaze with a 100ml plastic syringe for quick gravity test

I refire a few pots everty fire to cone 10 and never used cmc for that process. If you want more glaze on pot warm the pot and then dip or pour the glaze on a warm pot let dry. refire . no need for gum

Of course I'm not an institution or a art center , just a production potter slowing down a bit. Safety is 1st always is a good rule to live by

All my outlets in outer kiln area are all GFI (overhead lights as well in outer area) and I have a few fire extinguishers around-one in shop one near kilns.