Mark C.

I have been a full timer makin g full time income on pottery money for most of my 50 years. I have had some other interests also which brought in income but its minor  (diving jobs ,underwater photo sales ,writing .My wife and I have had separate finances with a joint account to run the home/food. Clay can be a great gig but you have to be motivated more than most .

I have been a full timer makin g full time income on pottery money for most of my 50 years. I have had some other interests also which brought in income but its minor  (diving jobs ,underwater photo sales ,writing .My wife and I have had separate finances with a joint account to run the home/food. Clay can be a great gig but you have to be motivated more than most .

For me its a peter Pugger all the way-the 20 VPM is best for classroom size wise
I own a SS VPM20 and an aluminum VPM30
If you are using low fire clay get the Stainless model as it will pit the aluminum model

1-Make it bigger a lot bigger
2 -add lots of LED 4 foot fixtures and a central vac system
3 -wire in tons of outlets not all at floor level-heck I have a few on low celling inb glazs are for my mixer drills-outlets for electrics or at least one for me 
since I'm a gas guy
4-some key windows next to wheel throwing area
5 -gas kiln area attached to studio can be open ona few sides away from prevailing winds
 
 

I like the Bailey Nitrate bonded shelves -they are as good as the advancers -I have tested them now with a over 80 cone 11 fires and they are in every way the same if not better as the corners are nicely rounded.
I always buy the best shelves that never warp.
In my 50 years at this I have a stacks of what was best at the time-thick mullit shelves-silicone carbide -the 70s and 80s) -then 1 inch heavy english dry pressed (mid 80s) and then advancers and Baileys Nitrate bonded (early to mid 90s to present). Once you buy these you never buy another shelve and they save so much space and are so light.

I like the Bailey Nitrate bonded shelves -they are as good as the advancers -I have tested them now with a over 80 cone 11 fires and they are in every way the same if not better as the corners are nicely rounded.
I always buy the best shelves that never warp.
In my 50 years at this I have a stacks of what was best at the time-thick mullit shelves-silicone carbide -the 70s and 80s) -then 1 inch heavy english dry pressed (mid 80s) and then advancers and Baileys Nitrate bonded (early to mid 90s to present). Once you buy these you never buy another shelve and they save so much space and are so light.

I rarely try new bodies and stick to ones i have used for many decades. I have tried a new to me porcelain in past  few months to see if my rutile pitting was body related. I liked the Ardvark Nara Porcelain but at twice the cost it was not worth it. The pitting was not cured 

Here is start-if its not in any of the videos call amaco Brent and ask-We would need to see the photos of controller and what brent wheel it a ,B ,c D egg well you get it.
There are som many years and types more info. You sure the outlet is good and is live and  is 110V? tester would be a start as well.The fuze is a special ampreage did you replace with same?
 

My 50 years experience (about 40 with Laguna most as a direct  supplier) is the same story. This may sound weird but its only 1 bad ton.
I have had it happen to more than a ton a time . My fellow potter friends (all full timers) have all had this happen over time. It never the suppliers fault-thats always the same story. The box of most clays lists this on the outside and say to test it.
One had a ton with lots of  inch silicone caulk chunks in it. They did know about iot and sent him another ton-they do not want the clay back ever
I'm sorry for this but for me its been a lot more than a ton.
Rawa materials are going thru some strange times now as well.
If you want all my tips just  check your PM and I will send you my # and lets talk a bit-I have some ideas
Now on a great story about bad clay from the later 80s .I once got many tons of bad porcelain clay from laguna (these where elery days for them). It bloated a lot at my usual mcone 10 soft 11 gas fires . I had lost 3 35 cubic foot car kilns loads. They asaid I was niot bisquing hot enough and not drinking enough tea and rubbing my head to much and using to much water and whatever else you could make up. It was a crital point for me and I knew I could not get satisfaction from them so it dawed on me I needed to feel better. Now I had met the owner and knew his dad as well I should add. I got three huge color TV boxes (you know thw old large TUBE TV boxes. I loaded 2 kiln loads of fired pots in those three boxed and used no padding at all in boxes and really tappeed them up. They filled my 3.4 ton truck bed and took them to UPS and sent then directly to the owner of Laguna. It cost well over 100$ in 1980 money. I felt great afterr that.Decades later I was at a wood fire gallery opening and my old Laguna friend (clay body guy John Pacina was there and after decades of phone talking we meet face to face at the opening in Eureka Ca,) I told him my old story-little did I know UPS took those huge heavy boxes upstaire to the owners office and left them. He came to work next day and got really mad as he had to pack them all to the dumpsters downstairs . He said I was famous after that incident at Laguna.I felt it needed doing as a full time who knows how to bisque and rub my head while drinking tea. I later became pretty good friends again with him but I will add I always felt better after sending those bad clay pots.He did have better respect for me after that
It made my point and they made some body changes and that fixed it for some more years
I ordered some red clay for a friend in so-cal last year and it was fuba as well. Saved him as they only had a small amout =so he got shorted with only a smaller amout of the stuff.
That said it can go sideways ina second.
 

depends on the tightness of the clay body(what cone 6 clay  body)-the absorbion rate? Usually clay needs a glaze unless it really a tight body.

weight always-digital scale for speed

depends on the tightness of the clay body(what cone 6 clay  body)-the absorbion rate? Usually clay needs a glaze unless it really a tight body.

I like the Bailey Nitrate bonded shelves -they are as good as the advancers -I have tested them now with a over 80 cone 11 fires and they are in every way the same if not better as the corners are nicely rounded.
I always buy the best shelves that never warp.
In my 50 years at this I have a stacks of what was best at the time-thick mullit shelves-silicone carbide -the 70s and 80s) -then 1 inch heavy english dry pressed (mid 80s) and then advancers and Baileys Nitrate bonded (early to mid 90s to present). Once you buy these you never buy another shelve and they save so much space and are so light.

weight always-digital scale for speed

No photos so its a bit of a guess as to what this is. You need to make your own kiln wash-use the search function  to find formulas-commercial wash is crap and made with the scheapest materials . Mine is 1/2 alumina hydrate and 1/4 calcined EPK and 1/4 EPK
In terms of burning off yours we need to see it or know about whats in it to advise. I suggest wire wheeling it off as it may be a low flux prioduct and firing hotter could bind it more to shelves
 
are you a glass slumper? or using this in a ceramic kiln?
 
Is this your product?
(24 Oz. Hi Fire Primer is a formula of alumina and low-fluxing clays. It is designed to withstand the high kiln temperatures required for glass raking (sometimes called combing). It does contain a dye which burns off when firing and will not affect your fused glass. An excellent smooth finish between the glass and kiln shelf but it is also excellent for coating mandrels for beadmaking.)

depends on the tightness of the clay body(what cone 6 clay  body)-the absorbion rate? Usually clay needs a glaze unless it really a tight body.

Big deals usually fall apart and one must be extra careful . Its got to be in writing and I would be very skeptical to begin with. I had a big deal with another potter for a slip cast deal with Frontier Herbs (national Company) in the 1994. They met us in my kitchen and it revolved around making aroma therapy lamps out of porcealin high fire (the ones they had from china where low fire and did not hold up to tea light candle heat). We had a contract to make so many the 1st year and so on.We agreed on a unit price for 1st order to see how it would go.
We made all kind of prototypes for them. I still have a few.
Both of us potters had car kilns and we each could fire about 575 lamps per glaze fire. At that time the place that frontier had bought was less than two hours awayI(one way)  so we also had to deliver them in apple boxes. We hired two slip persons and had a master mold maker make the masters.-this business was a side business for both of us .This business location moved twice and was never at my studio.  I bought out my partner after about 8 years and after 12 years the frontier got out of high fire lamps.  .By then they had moved back to the midwest and I was shipping pallets of them far away which made little sense .I just found a box of these lamps last week after going thru old stuff-I never want to make anouther lamp in my life. I gave away the mixer and masters in the last few years.For years I could see my lamps in any frontier dispaly nation wide  any natural food stores. That business name was Aura Cacia  for them. They still are a large producer of herbs in markets. They are back to using China and electric aroma therapy lamps now. 
In terms of big deals in my throwing world its like Mea dinnerware sets and soon I will give that up. I did sell over 1 k of mugs last month to a single customer who loves my mugs and realized he would not have anymore when I stop making them..I also never take deposits as I like the control of yes and no.

Big deals usually fall apart and one must be extra careful . Its got to be in writing and I would be very skeptical to begin with. I had a big deal with another potter for a slip cast deal with Frontier Herbs (national Company) in the 1994. They met us in my kitchen and it revolved around making aroma therapy lamps out of porcealin high fire (the ones they had from china where low fire and did not hold up to tea light candle heat). We had a contract to make so many the 1st year and so on.We agreed on a unit price for 1st order to see how it would go.
We made all kind of prototypes for them. I still have a few.
Both of us potters had car kilns and we each could fire about 575 lamps per glaze fire. At that time the place that frontier had bought was less than two hours awayI(one way)  so we also had to deliver them in apple boxes. We hired two slip persons and had a master mold maker make the masters.-this business was a side business for both of us .This business location moved twice and was never at my studio.  I bought out my partner after about 8 years and after 12 years the frontier got out of high fire lamps.  .By then they had moved back to the midwest and I was shipping pallets of them far away which made little sense .I just found a box of these lamps last week after going thru old stuff-I never want to make anouther lamp in my life. I gave away the mixer and masters in the last few years.For years I could see my lamps in any frontier dispaly nation wide  any natural food stores. That business name was Aura Cacia  for them. They still are a large producer of herbs in markets. They are back to using China and electric aroma therapy lamps now. 
In terms of big deals in my throwing world its like Mea dinnerware sets and soon I will give that up. I did sell over 1 k of mugs last month to a single customer who loves my mugs and realized he would not have anymore when I stop making them..I also never take deposits as I like the control of yes and no.

oil burns out in clay and works fine. I do not like working with oily clay so I never do that myself  but do use spray vegetable oil a lot for release on glass forms for flat stuff and the oil burns off on those forms just fine

grolleg will always be pricier than domestic clays-The shipping is killer

Its been a weather issue I'm told-from the big rains in the south affecting mining.. We are living in a less stable climate time and wet materials do not mine well
The tile 6 works fine in glazes

Ribs and mudcutter wire tools which I use to cut sponge holders in my jig. I have plenty of spares so it would be a waste of $

You can can take it to shop that does restoration of ceramics (may have to send it ) goggle this to find one. Or I would use JB weld to glue it . Its water proof. I would pratcice on some othef broken ceramis to gain skill. You trim off the excess after it drys with a raxor blade .Its grey in color if white is better they have a marine white that trims white.
I have done this for many decades but you need to learn how to use and cut it before doing the final piece.

My 50 years experience (about 40 with Laguna most as a direct  supplier) is the same story. This may sound weird but its only 1 bad ton.
I have had it happen to more than a ton a time . My fellow potter friends (all full timers) have all had this happen over time. It never the suppliers fault-thats always the same story. The box of most clays lists this on the outside and say to test it.
One had a ton with lots of  inch silicone caulk chunks in it. They did know about iot and sent him another ton-they do not want the clay back ever
I'm sorry for this but for me its been a lot more than a ton.
Rawa materials are going thru some strange times now as well.
If you want all my tips just  check your PM and I will send you my # and lets talk a bit-I have some ideas
Now on a great story about bad clay from the later 80s .I once got many tons of bad porcelain clay from laguna (these where elery days for them). It bloated a lot at my usual mcone 10 soft 11 gas fires . I had lost 3 35 cubic foot car kilns loads. They asaid I was niot bisquing hot enough and not drinking enough tea and rubbing my head to much and using to much water and whatever else you could make up. It was a crital point for me and I knew I could not get satisfaction from them so it dawed on me I needed to feel better. Now I had met the owner and knew his dad as well I should add. I got three huge color TV boxes (you know thw old large TUBE TV boxes. I loaded 2 kiln loads of fired pots in those three boxed and used no padding at all in boxes and really tappeed them up. They filled my 3.4 ton truck bed and took them to UPS and sent then directly to the owner of Laguna. It cost well over 100$ in 1980 money. I felt great afterr that.Decades later I was at a wood fire gallery opening and my old Laguna friend (clay body guy John Pacina was there and after decades of phone talking we meet face to face at the opening in Eureka Ca,) I told him my old story-little did I know UPS took those huge heavy boxes upstaire to the owners office and left them. He came to work next day and got really mad as he had to pack them all to the dumpsters downstairs . He said I was famous after that incident at Laguna.I felt it needed doing as a full time who knows how to bisque and rub my head while drinking tea. I later became pretty good friends again with him but I will add I always felt better after sending those bad clay pots.He did have better respect for me after that
It made my point and they made some body changes and that fixed it for some more years
I ordered some red clay for a friend in so-cal last year and it was fuba as well. Saved him as they only had a small amout =so he got shorted with only a smaller amout of the stuff.
That said it can go sideways ina second.
 

One other option instaen of sheet rock is what I covered my throwing room in was Laun panneling its super thin and lightweight. You can use small finish nails (air gun ) to tack it up. It comes in 4x8 sheets and paints  well and is very cheap tp but.. It fast and you could still have the lovely wood under if you ever want to peel it off. Its about 1/8 inch thick or so