Pres

I think a large part of the confusion comes from the section in the ring binder marked OPERATION. First page shows the Genesis panel and dialogue boxes. Page 2 begins with DYNAIMIC ZONE CONTROL, then FIRST TEST FIRING OF THE KILN. Text here is " See pages 5 and 6 of the Genesis Model LT3140 Controller Operation Manual for simple and detailed instructions on the process. This section is in the binder under CONTROL. If there is to be an edit change, it should be made in the Genesis Controller Operation Manual so that the slow bisque or glaze is chosen. I have inspected the kiln thougougly and do not see anything amiss. best, Pres

ECpot, no problem. New kilns can be frustrating, as they are part learning curve. Hopefully we will both get some answers. For those of you looking at my question about adjustments, I would think this cone is pretty spot on, maybe a little hot. I had two included with the kiln, so one was at the bottom of the top sections, and one on the floor shelves. They both look almost exactly alike.

"If your kiln is supplied with cones, the programmed cone number should match the cones provided, or you may use a cone of your own choice for the first firing. The example below is for a cone 04 firing, but if you use a cone other than 04, substitute that cone number in the programming." Immediately after this is the fast glaze fire menu in novice mode. I guess I missed something somewhere in my reading about running a long glaze firing. I do not believe anything is damaged, but time will tell. As far as making adjustments I was just wondering, and I believe asking for opinions is better than trudging on without more knowledgeable help. This is a new world for me, but I am not without some skills. I would think the manual would show a long firing for first firing instead of referring to a fast glaze immediately on the page for first firing????!! best, Pres

I fired my new L&L e28-3 last night with an empty load, bottom shelves in, and one upper shelf near top zone cone 5 self supporting at top and bottom. Instructions said to fire fast glaze to cone that was included with the kiln. kiln took 5.38 hrs. . .I assume 5' 38". Temp went to 2187, 2186 and 2181. My way of thinking that is ^5 3/4. I suppose I could find way of making adjustments to that in the cone offsets, but if wishing to fire to cone 6 that would get me pretty much there to just use cone 5, I do believe that I have been firing my ^6 firings by hand to about ^6 1/4 or 1/2. Any thoughts here on adjusting or not adjusting? Really excited about the graphic set up of the Genesis controller and the wifi with phone app capability. New world out there.

@Hulk Don't get rid of those broken shelves, they work well as @neilestricksays to use as bottom stilts, or other stilts. I have always used them as a "riser" for a stilt when I didn't have enough 1/2" stilts. @neilestrickI had to get more of the patens in to the loads, and as there was not enough space for two across the stagger helped, then would fire the chalices on the top shelf. I had wondered about large bottom shelves, and probably did things wrong as I used 5 in the octagonals to support the full bottom shelf. It is good to know that 1/2 inch gets me enough to have downdraft ventilation. I leave a small space between halves for air circulation. @Bill Kielb When I was in my first year of teaching, '73, I was talking to another teacher and an administrator. We were standing near the kiln at the end of the ^06 glaze firing that the ceramics teacher had turned up and opened the vent on the old square Amaco. You folks all remember those polyester pants that were in vogue back then? Well, I stood there in the warmth not realizing that I was near the vent hole. Yep, melted them to my leg. Never again. Wore cotton after that. The old kiln? 5 years later I started dong electric raku out in the center court, for the next 3 years. best, Pres

Hi folks, once again no new questions in the question pool - Soooo I will pose another question this week. As all of you probably know, I have a new kiln and will be going through the test firings and first firings and other things. This is big step, as I have not used a vent or computerized kiln before to fire my own work. I have assisted in firing and seen the dyna trol system in use. My new one has genesis, and quad elements a power vent, and 3 inch brick. However, that is not anything to do with the question. . . somewhat. I have always fired my kilns with a base shelf usually placed on 1/4-1/2 inch stilts. I started out with full shelves in the bottom. The full shelf broke after several firings, and I started using 1/2 shelves. Then I started to use 1/2 shelves with different height stilts under them. My reasoning was two fold, one to start the shelf build with the bottom allowing overlapping plate lips, and second to give more air circulation at the bottom of the kiln. Now I have decided that the bottom will have two 1/2 shelves, but do not think I need to use a staggered first layer, as if I leave them flat I could possibly up 3 pieces to a layer, even though one would bridge the two shelves. My practical question for the QotW: Do you protect your kiln floor with a kiln shelf to start your shelf build, and if so do you use a full or pair of 1/2 shelves? best, Pres

Seems like there is a lot more in the way of Potter Maintenance going on here than one might assume! best, Pres

Before I retired in 2009 the HS studio was on a schedule. Once a year the Walker pug mill had the gear oil replaced and the rubber drive grommet checked. The Bailey air filtrations system had its filters replaced and the entire studio was cleaned by cleaning staff. This included dusting pipes and other over head areas like the ceiling lights and ducts. Sink traps were cleaned out on schedule once a month, and all of the tools were hand cleaned by students and myself once a month. As to sharpening and upkeep of tools, if i noticed a dull tool, or handle loose etc, I put it in a small bin to get to on an inservice day. All of my classes would wash table tops, replace tools after cleaning, and wash out the sink after the cleanup was done. best, Pres

Hi folks, no new questions in the pool, but even though a little late. . . . QotW: Do you schedule maintenance activities in the studio or have a non structured format for maintenance? Maybe I should have asked first what you considered maintenance. My definition is any activity that helps to keep the studio moving efficiently. These activities include: inventories of both materials and finished work, monthly and yearly studio clean ups, kiln maintenance including vacuuming and shelf maintenance, ordering clay materials and packing/shipping materials, repairs of tools and equipment. These things usually happen for me in the late winter. I will have running lists of things that need done, inventories, and other things. When these lists look to be getting unmanageable, will order or do the work. Cleanups usually happen once a month, but not during the winter months as it is too cold in the brick garage/studio. Once again, I would ask QotW: Do you schedule maintenance activities in the studio or have a non structured format for maintenance? best, Pres

I had a Summer session, at PSU that resulted in 150 pieces at least. Many of these were raku, but there were a great many that were ^10 stoneware. I did get all of them out of my firings, and took them home to my 3 room apartment. After the first few nights of September weather my wife and I moved them on to the back porch. The pinging kept the baby up! Two seasons later over 50% of the pieces were gone. The following year, none were left. The back porch was on a highly trafficked alley. I am at time embarrassed to see a familiar piece on a mantle or other place of importance when visiting homes, knowing full well they were not gifted or purchased from me. I will sometimes quietly check for the EPR on the bottom as that was my signature back then. At least I got a chance to analyze my work before it disappeared. best, Pres

Hi folks, little late with this as I just didn't have an idea for a topic this week, but thought of something that is nearing for all of us, and in the north is important. .. Spring! Its on the way. So I thought that something about the season was appropriate. So, QotW: Now that Spring is on the way what will be your first task in the studio? This change in the seasons, and the warmer temperatures will bring on several days in the shop. I will not be throwing or producing anything, but unloading and unfinished glaze load, removing two kilns, and clearing the area for the new kiln. I will also take the time to do the yearly material inventory and cleaning to get ready for the new kiln due at the end of April. Lots to do, with big excitement! Once again I will ask Now that Spring is on the way what will be your first task in the studio? best, Pres

There are thought in the US, that extending HS to include another or two more years may be useful. History of Education followed the need for higher and higher levels of learning as we moved out of colonization through industrialization. It may be time for some form of HS or post HS public education. best, Pres

I don't know, when I watched Ghost years ago with my wife it was all about the nutsy stuff with the coin and all, but when we were at the scene with the potters wheel I kept telling her how fake it was, and the piece on the faux hump with her running her hands up and down with no intent kind of ruined it for her. However, she laughed about it as she had taken ceramics with me in college for on semester. All in all, I figure if they had really wanted to get suggestive they would have done a handle pulling scene instead. Glad they didn't, as it was always a little awkward when doing a demonstration in front of a bunch of HS kids. I never could take the way my prof in college did it, taking the most suggestive approach, and asking the best handle pulling girls out after the group effort. Oh well, some things are best left on the shelf. best, Pres

Hi folks, haven't seen a new posting in the pool so once more. . . I will pose a question. I had some experience with clay when in elementary school (abysmal), then my parents did some poured ceramics where they cleaned the greenware, painted the bisque and had bragging rights. It was fun for them, and I was sorry they couldn't continue it, but from base to base there were different family opportunities. High School, no ceramics nothing at all that I can recall. Then after 3 years at a community college in Williamsport, Pa undeclared I was approved for acceptance into Art Ed. I had had some HS art courses, never to excel, just in the middle of the pack. I really went because my girl friend had transferred into Mansfield for El Ed. Art Ed seemed to fit, and she encouraged me to try it as I had always done her posters for her preliminary work at Williamsport. She started a semester before me, and I started with a multimedia class taught by the ceramics professor, Stanley Zuchowski. Big man, strong as a bull, and very opinionated. However, we did one ceramics based slab construction that was to be a cube 6" to a side. I ended up doing mine with nothing more than a stain, and used a found object as the stamp. Turned out it was a metal door hook. At any rate, it was very successful and quite the opposite of abysmal. This success encouraged me to take Ceramics in the Summer session. I worked tirelessly trying to soak up as much as I could to succeed in the class, and was bitten by the bug. Rest is history. My question for the QotW is What, How or When did you become interested enough in ceramics to decide that you would be making pieces some way the rest of your life? Notice I don't say pots in order to leave it open. best, Pres

@Miriam AshI used to teach in the high school, and used the water trick off of the wheel head often. Sometimes students could not get the hang of it with a wire so I moved them to a cutting string. Little thicker cut, would drag more water through. Sometimes the cutting wire cut will re-adhere to the wheel head clay that is left on there. This can be dealt with by a quick twist when removing the pot from the wheel with most of the grip at the base of the pot. You can make a string tool with a handle that has a pointed section for trimming, and it does save a lot of time. best, Pres

I could spend a life, learning, and never producing, but then where is point in that if the learning produces nothing but itself. best, Pres

Hi folks, even though there was no QotW in the pool, I did receive an email with a good question to ask from @Bam2015: have good intentions to work on pottery in the evening, but after a long work day I'm tired, so instead of working on pottery projects, I spend time on Instagram looking at pots. While I learn a lot and it's entertaining, I realize that it's not very productive. So my question, how do you motivate yourself to be a doer rather than a dreamer? Feel free to revise, or if it's not in line with what you are looking for, I understand. I know how this went years ago. I was teaching school HS full time, just barely making ends meet when I started doing the Penn State festival. I had shown my pots at local shows and sold some. I had also joined the local PA guild of Craftsmen, and was the head of the jurying committee. The Penn State festival is in mid July, and the same weekend as the Alumni weekend. At the same time they opened up the rules for the locals to jury in with their pieces in person. I started producing in the middle of the early Spring in the garage, heated with a kerosene heater. I would get home at 3-4pm, turn on the heat, go in to change, then get out and throw til dinner, usually at 6pm, then throw til 11pm. Thing is, I am not a good judge of time, and often I would work until 2, get up in the morning and do it all over again. It was joyous at first, then work, then drudging. To do the festival, rumor was 10K of stock was needed to properly do the show. I really worked hard for months to get there. In early Summer as soon as school was out, I was in the shop everyday for all day often working before breakfast, and til 11pm or longer. My wife and one of her friends learned to dip glaze, and I sprayed color and did calligraphy for decoration over the white bristol type glaze. 7 year I did the show, until my wife was burned out, and was I. In the end, it really made me better at everything, but I realized in the long run, I loved to teach, loved to make pots, but wanted to make pots for myself. . . whether I kept them, sold them or not. Hope that last statement makes sense since it is not as simple as it seems. If being a doer is in you, then I believe you will do, being driven is inherent if you love it, but how do you sustain that if working two jobs. So, QotW: How do you motivate yourself to be a doer rather than a dreamer? best, Pres

@Miriam Ash, I have worked with students in the past where they would warp a piece when trying to take it off the wheel, or a bat. There are a few tricks that work when working with bats. First as others have said, wire off the bat (especially for a non porous bat like plastic), and leave a little extra clay in the bottom for stability and trimming. When throwing of the hump, I use a putty knife to cout and remove at the same time when throwing small cups or bowls for chalices. When throwing larger pieces on a bat, leave them on the bat, until the rim is leather hard, then put another bat over the top and flip the whole assemblage. Then you can gently peel of the base bat as it is on the top. Lots of tricks over the years, and with time and patience it will come for you. best, Pres

Don't underrate coffee! best, Pres

Hi folks, as I have not noticed a new question in the QotW pool, I will pose one. I have been thinking of the question last week involving studio habits that folks adhere to, and wonder about those studio habits that have been warned against. What you say?? The idea started the other day when I carried in a box of clay to the house. Clearly printed on the box of clay is "Don not freeze" This admonition is from the manufacturer and I assume that it means that frozen clay will be no good to use. Clearly as I store all of my clay outside under my kayaks all of it freezes. I just make certain the boxes are off of the concrete on wooden risers, and that the entire kayak rack with two sea kayaks is covered with a tarp and bungeed down. I realize that clay that has frozen needs a little TLC when it comes Spring, but I have always wedged my clay, and will continue to do so. Over the years, I have also found that the clay that has frozen and been rewedged by me seems a little more plastic, and throwable than the clay when delivered even a few months ago. Aging counts, and maybe the freezing has something to do with. I do realize that everytime it is frozen the aging has to begin at 0, but it is still better more workable clay a month after the thaws. So my question for the QotW is: What studio habits do you have that others have warned against? best, Pres

@Hulk posed a question yesterday in the question pool that I think would be a QotW that has already had comments from @oldlady. He asks "What studio habits/practices do you remain committed to that most other potters do not practice?" He also follows up his question by stating. . . For example, I wipe out the wheel's pan after each session, and start each session with fresh water in the bucket (freshish - I pour off the mostly clear, wash the sludge out to reclaim, pour back the mostly clear, then top it up). It is really nice to have a statement that helps to explain what the question was about to the person posing it. best, Pres

I went to KC 2016, had some great times with some great friends including John Baymore. I was on the ICAN board at the time. best, Pres