Mark C.

Vivika simi matt is from Otto and Vivika Heno I think as I have thier glaze handout from a workshop years ago.The rest are unknown to me. Looks like one mans,womans glaze book collection he/she put together for a class

Always done my own work-from electrics to gas. Once 50 years ago I melted my 60 amp service and called a friend (an electrician at the time) who tught me how to fix it. He became a electrical contractor and I used to work for him now and then never looked back on hiring anyone for electrical work. I call for code updates now and then . Gas kilns same deal build them and fire them-up to about 12-14 under my belt now. Worked as a plumber with a plumber contractor back a the in the 80s never needed one to run pipes . Being a potter for me means knowing a lot about manicanical things. I learned them for those in the trades-same with home building -framing and roofing. Potter for  me means the whole of an all-arounder. 

Well my 7k worth of Thermo lites showed up a few days ago. I picked them up in my smaller pickup and just uloaded them an d got a thin wash on them to stop plucking on my porcealin.
They where boxed very well and since they are the huge size 14x 28 inches I was woriied they may not all make it but all 20 are fine. I got them dry in heated studio and am now ready to slow bisque them soon in the Geil kiln. Trcking was about $585 fro NY to  nomans land where I live in extreme costal Cal by the Or. border
These weigh 12.5 #s each are a joy to handle. A bit heaver than my #9 12x 24s.  Now I have over 70 advancers and thermolites.As well as a few dozen spares which I think I will sell next year.
If you pick them up  from Bailey leave them in the packing they give you and if its iots less than 8 electric  kiln ones you can put them in 3 piles seperated with padding and secure  with no issues. If you are moving lots like I do on thier sides is best but as noted a few in piles of 3 can be flate with cardboard between just fine.
This box had them all on edge bubble wrapped each and taped in two's as a unit with sheet foam between the piles and cribbed with more 2 inch sheet foam and taped empty boxes inside wood crate which was a bear to open with so many nails.. 

Always done my own work-from electrics to gas. Once 50 years ago I melted my 60 amp service and called a friend (an electrician at the time) who tught me how to fix it. He became a electrical contractor and I used to work for him now and then never looked back on hiring anyone for electrical work. I call for code updates now and then . Gas kilns same deal build them and fire them-up to about 12-14 under my belt now. Worked as a plumber with a plumber contractor back a the in the 80s never needed one to run pipes . Being a potter for me means knowing a lot about manicanical things. I learned them for those in the trades-same with home building -framing and roofing. Potter for  me means the whole of an all-arounder. 

Vivika simi matt is from Otto and Vivika Heno I think as I have thier glaze handout from a workshop years ago.The rest are unknown to me. Looks like one mans,womans glaze book collection he/she put together for a class

Well my 7k worth of Thermo lites showed up a few days ago. I picked them up in my smaller pickup and just uloaded them an d got a thin wash on them to stop plucking on my porcealin.
They where boxed very well and since they are the huge size 14x 28 inches I was woriied they may not all make it but all 20 are fine. I got them dry in heated studio and am now ready to slow bisque them soon in the Geil kiln. Trcking was about $585 fro NY to  nomans land where I live in extreme costal Cal by the Or. border
These weigh 12.5 #s each are a joy to handle. A bit heaver than my #9 12x 24s.  Now I have over 70 advancers and thermolites.As well as a few dozen spares which I think I will sell next year.
If you pick them up  from Bailey leave them in the packing they give you and if its iots less than 8 electric  kiln ones you can put them in 3 piles seperated with padding and secure  with no issues. If you are moving lots like I do on thier sides is best but as noted a few in piles of 3 can be flate with cardboard between just fine.
This box had them all on edge bubble wrapped each and taped in two's as a unit with sheet foam between the piles and cribbed with more 2 inch sheet foam and taped empty boxes inside wood crate which was a bear to open with so many nails.. 

As a gas potter for 50 years I see the burner is pushed into the kiln  to far-needs to be away from kiln a bit and the air flaps are closed down to much (open them up)
these are the most obvious ,but kiln design and orifice size are also concerns -I can see the 1st two issues in your photos for sure so they are easy to fix.

Well my 7k worth of Thermo lites showed up a few days ago. I picked them up in my smaller pickup and just uloaded them an d got a thin wash on them to stop plucking on my porcealin.
They where boxed very well and since they are the huge size 14x 28 inches I was woriied they may not all make it but all 20 are fine. I got them dry in heated studio and am now ready to slow bisque them soon in the Geil kiln. Trcking was about $585 fro NY to  nomans land where I live in extreme costal Cal by the Or. border
These weigh 12.5 #s each are a joy to handle. A bit heaver than my #9 12x 24s.  Now I have over 70 advancers and thermolites.As well as a few dozen spares which I think I will sell next year.
If you pick them up  from Bailey leave them in the packing they give you and if its iots less than 8 electric  kiln ones you can put them in 3 piles seperated with padding and secure  with no issues. If you are moving lots like I do on thier sides is best but as noted a few in piles of 3 can be flate with cardboard between just fine.
This box had them all on edge bubble wrapped each and taped in two's as a unit with sheet foam between the piles and cribbed with more 2 inch sheet foam and taped empty boxes inside wood crate which was a bear to open with so many nails.. 

As a gas potter for 50 years I see the burner is pushed into the kiln  to far-needs to be away from kiln a bit and the air flaps are closed down to much (open them up)
these are the most obvious ,but kiln design and orifice size are also concerns -I can see the 1st two issues in your photos for sure so they are easy to fix.

Clay is made from materials mined in the earth-they vary ,stuff is in it ,things happen. A few rocks or wood or whaterver is all part of it.

Good idea but Its taken care of.
I bought in 1983 3,000 pounds of Kingman feldspar in Kingman Az when it was going off market for for $300. in 100# bags. That lasted me until two months ago so potash feldspar has never been an issue for me . I still used some custar over that time as well. (I think I have a 50 # bag somewhere as well of Kingman with the az state map on it)
I had 4 bags of custar last week and bought out my local suppliers 5 bags so now have 450# of it and this next week I'm  heading south for a family gathering and will pick up at least 200#s from another supplier on way south  to Santa Barbara and My fall clay order of 3 tons of Pocrelain has another #200s of custar on the truck from Laguna and shows up Tuesday so I'll have #850 enough for my remaining days as a potter. Thanks for the idea but I covered my self on this one. Heck I may start selling grestly borate as I have a lifetime supply as well

Looks good does the kiln floor overhang the stand at all? if so the walls are not well supported.. I always cut a circle  of steel or even thick 1/4 aluminum that supports the whole kiln and  put on top any stand provided . It s simple physics walls are downward force of walls and lid usually unsupported or cantilevered over the floor support to outside of floor hence the cracking usually seen in most kiln floors. I hope L& L has figured this one out as all others I have seen have not.

looks fine to me. I always put a full support under a kiln stand that covers whole bottom. It can be steel plate or hardy board if its a few thicknesses . Kilns usually have poor support stands
The full support will keep those cracks from getting bigger.

Looks good does the kiln floor overhang the stand at all? if so the walls are not well supported.. I always cut a circle  of steel or even thick 1/4 aluminum that supports the whole kiln and  put on top any stand provided . It s simple physics walls are downward force of walls and lid usually unsupported or cantilevered over the floor support to outside of floor hence the cracking usually seen in most kiln floors. I hope L& L has figured this one out as all others I have seen have not.

looks fine to me. I always put a full support under a kiln stand that covers whole bottom. It can be steel plate or hardy board if its a few thicknesses . Kilns usually have poor support stands
The full support will keep those cracks from getting bigger.

I wore out one wrist and a thumb bone in left hand. Missing three bones now in right wrist (PRC) and left thumb bone taken last year in left hand. The Wrist is also from some injury long ago (unknown) and throwing for so long did not help.
This is 50 years of heavy production  throwing so others need not worry.'Yes arthritis in all fingers and hands-but alas its also an age deal.
The plus sides-its kept my back and body in good shape. Its made me strong (age slows this down a bit)  . I had a one time incredible hand grip.
I move clay 12 times from pick up to sale. Pallet moving into truck then hand offload to clay shed) You do 8-12 tons a year for many many decades you either get strong or quit.I got strong
The biggest positive I can say is lifestyle. its given me freedom and focus and more learning than one could ever ask for. I had a lifetime of fixed dates I had to work the rest of the time was mine to work or play when I wanted.
Its also had some great side effects as I needed to master plumbing (to build kilns-I have done 12 at least)
I needed electrical skills so I worked with my best friend an electrical contractor back when I had an off season-learned those skills. I need more space so I worked witha carpenter friend and we built some more pot shop space and a few outbuildings.
Early in my carrier I did not have two dimes to rub together . Later after figuring out my markets (shows and outlets) It gave me financial freedom. 
Yes its taken a toll on the body but the mind and spirit have has tremendous uplifts
You learn to be humble as clay/glaze/fire always will lay you out sooner or later-whether its a ruined load of pots from bad clay or pitted glaze or some other large mistaka. You lewarn to move thru it and move on. I just throw the laod away and throw another and try to understand the whys.
I love being a potter and the same fire I had at 18 with clay is still there in this old mans body.
 

I have been a free weebly user for a really LONG time. many many years now. I also was with square as soon as they started. That all said Square bought out Weebly and now have only a fee based system for weebly square . I will add that Mea also turned me on to Weebly long ago. The flat rate for a simple pay for a year site was 110$ paid up front. I have yet to be forced into that as my free site is still running (i'm not looking ever for e-commerce). When it does go away I'll pay up. I'm near the end of wanting much of a website . It does drive my long time customers  spread over the west my way and does pay for itself in spades when I have to pay for it.I'm getting to not want more work and my wholsale is plenty . I did just send out 42 mugs to one customer who realized I will be dead and he will run out of my mugs so he bought a lifetime supply he said.Now thats a weird thought for me.

Denice if it helps I'm bringing in a new to me 18cubic foot Giel downdraft this spring/summer. I need to pour a slab and up my 2 inch gas service . The kiln is about 15 miles away -I found it about 10 years ago used in LA for a potter friend (he was a hobbist but at a high level) I already  bought him a kiln (electric I found in AZ from some of my customers) and ran some gas pipes for him. He was sitting on the fence about this Geil and I at that time said you buy it or me take your pick. I really wanted a 24 cubic footer as that a better fit as my car kiuln is 35 my updraft is 12 and 18 is a bit odd and beside Geil on some modela like this oine uses shelve sizes that are non standard (I love and use advancer 12x24 and this Geil is set up for 14x28 and us oldies say to big to heavy.Anyway he tased few years back afterv two fires (it really was to big for him as his one of a kind works just takes to long to fill that kiln. The thing is he buildt a kiln room around it and made it so it could come apart (the room is sheet rocked and insulated ) so I nee to take that apart and move it onto a trailer after supported the ach (its all soft brick) with a fork lift most likley  as the road is private and really small and out in the boonies. Then trailer it to my place on a steep hill and unload it and get it thru my 8 foot gate under my 7 foot (low spot) metal roofed area. That is filled up and shoe horn it onto a slab. . It maybe be possible  to use a small mini fork lift for that as long as it has 5 foot fork extensions which are harder to find. The space it is going in is very tight with uprights holding the large 24 x 30 roof up. Once its in. I need to cut a hole in metal roof to vent it and change orfices back to Natural gas. 
I cleaned out this potters shop for his widow a few yaers ago and this is the last large item.I was on the fence as Denice says (I thought long and hard on whether it was a sensible thing to do at my age it invest in new equipment at my age) and I came to the conclusion that another 6-7 k on a kiln that saves gas(big deal these days out here in high gas priceland  and is smaller and has all the furniture included  and has a few auto features like set and hold so I can sleep as it gaining temp and stop and hold at whatever I set (the older Geil DD system-simple)
I gave it a green light recently after lots of thought

As a Laguna distributor and with lots of  full timer Potter friends I hear things.
Right now custard feldspar due to supply issues is now at 200#s per customer (including me) with Laguna clay
I'm in the ordering mode this week  so I found out about the 200# limit per customer on Custar
.There are rumors  Custar may be going aways but they are just rumors at this point.So thats a heads up. If I where able to by a lifetime supply  right now I would .Just saying
The other news is Kemper tools may not be around for long as the owners are selling the property they have been on for many decades in fact at least since 1947
Now someone could set up and buy the equipment and supplies and move the business but I would not hold my breath on this. The tool business has been defuzed in the past 20 years with so many other tool makes as well. So I ordered what kemper tools i like and there are only a few like the pro needle tool thinking its my last kemper order. So if  you use kemper tools just beaware they may go away soon or not if its bought up.
Well sorry to have such bad news but thats what I have heard all in the past few days after being away on a long trip and just returned.
 

I bought a 500$ new washer just for clay stuff and its out next to studio and drains to my timber bamboo patch. I use only cold water and never any soap. You will have to clean out rubber trap under washer every now and then as clat settles there.I would never wash clay stuff into a house drain system especaily ours on a septic septic system

I bought a 500$ new washer just for clay stuff and its out next to studio and drains to my timber bamboo patch. I use only cold water and never any soap. You will have to clean out rubber trap under washer every now and then as clat settles there.I would never wash clay stuff into a house drain system especaily ours on a septic septic system

Ok my reduced gas line to new kiln was unable to fire the new kiln and it shut off at 2100. I fired the other two kilns. Today I fired that Geil kiln off in 8.5 hours to cone 10. Paul Geil expalned the pipe size issue and my 1 inch flex is on the way from Supplyhouse.com.
I will see those pots on friday as that kiln is super insulated and is a two day cool like all my kilns now.

Well I spent 5 weeks this summer getting ready ,pouring a 2.5 yards concrete pad ,moving  kilns around and bringing a new used 18 cubic foot Geil into the mix -got it all vented and organized did the 1st bisgue in the Geil a few days ago and today I have all three kilns glaze firing a 12 cubic and 18 cubic and a 35 cubic car kiln. I'm a bit worried the gas system may be streched to thin volume wise (all two inch supply) and we shall see later today.I have not had a new gas kiln here for about 4 decades. I have a few unresolved issues with the Geil like new 14x 28 advancers that I yet do not have. I'm firing 3 typrs of sheles in that geil thaty came with it.
The hollow core type -4 brand new and they will warp soon at cone 11,4 old style silicone carbide which will warp soon as well . (I fired this style alot in the 70s -80s but not since then have I used them and the cheap Chinese recystilized sic shelves which will warp soon as well.I need to order about 14 of the advancers  which will cost as much as the kiln did (6K). I keep reminding myself I'm slowing down.
all this will equal 664 cubic feet of glaze wares-I hope the Geil helps with my rutile pitting issue I have been fighting with all year. 
On the pitting issue many I know are struggling with the same rutile issues as well currently . I have used rutile for 50 years an seen alot of woes with it but nothing like now.
all three kilns have oxy probes and I can tell easy about reduction atmospheres in each.
I have my only art fair this year coming up this weekend (its my 49th annula show  there) and am almost done packing up a huge wholesale order (20 banana boxes which will fill our Forester Subaru).
I'm working hard to get out of the country for 4 weeks of diving in Indonesia soon-I know tough life

As a Laguna distributor and with lots of  full timer Potter friends I hear things.
Right now custard feldspar due to supply issues is now at 200#s per customer (including me) with Laguna clay
I'm in the ordering mode this week  so I found out about the 200# limit per customer on Custar
.There are rumors  Custar may be going aways but they are just rumors at this point.So thats a heads up. If I where able to by a lifetime supply  right now I would .Just saying
The other news is Kemper tools may not be around for long as the owners are selling the property they have been on for many decades in fact at least since 1947
Now someone could set up and buy the equipment and supplies and move the business but I would not hold my breath on this. The tool business has been defuzed in the past 20 years with so many other tool makes as well. So I ordered what kemper tools i like and there are only a few like the pro needle tool thinking its my last kemper order. So if  you use kemper tools just beaware they may go away soon or not if its bought up.
Well sorry to have such bad news but thats what I have heard all in the past few days after being away on a long trip and just returned.
 

Well Bailey had the stock mixed up and they had in stock 20 of the  14x28 Thermo Lite shelves at $331 each so I ordered them all-Trucking to my remote part of the planet for a 275# box on a pallet was $590. Now my back is feeling better not using old shelve tecnology which is heavy ,and I had them shipped to my friends lumber yard a few miles away for cost reduction in shipping -still $590 via Fedx ground economy .
They will show up second week in November when I return from diving Indonesia .
I'll need to wash them lightly and bisque fire them with a bisque load..work almost never stops
Funny the shelves cost more than the kiln, never used to be that way.