Pres

That sounds normal to me.  It's just a simple squirrel cage blower, so not the most advanced  blower technology. When they go bad the bearings wear out and they make a lot more noise than that. I couldn't hear it in the video, but if you're getting any additional noise from vibrations in the wall, you could put it on the floor on a piece of foam to isolate it more.

I have 3 giffens and never do they lossen. I have used one for 3-4 deacdes now. I think this must be all operator issues. If the grip is counter clockwise then the wheel must be counter clockwise. When the grip gets dirty they get very hard to move either direction. I take mine apart now and then and clean it and spray a small amout of silicone spray -then it slides to easy for a day or two. You can also drag your pant leg on it to keep it tight (never had to do this) I suggest reading the setup instructions again as this sounds like its not setup right. The slick washers go on the bottom under the 0-ring.Are you 100%v yoiu have the counterclockwise model?
Brand of wheel should play NO part in this as a wheel spins as a wheel spins-no matter the brand. The grip adjusts to any size wheelhead at setup.When adjusted right you do not have to  stop and tighten 

My Giffin Grip loosens, I've learned that I need to tighten it every so often. I have a Shimpo VL Whisper Wheel and someone said that the Giffin Grip can be a problem with this wheel. Personally, I would rather stop & tighten it than trim without it.
I know that my response didn't help to solve your problem...sorry, but unless someone has a solution, it might just a be a matter of recognizing that you have to stop and tighten it every once in awhile. 

Bam2015 posted a question in the QotW pool this morning around 9am. She asks:
To wedge or not to wedge? Do you wedge clay when it comes straight from a bag or pug mill? If you do wedge, why?
Maybe you wedge for the following?
a) It's what I was taught and I can't get my instructor's voice out of your head?
b) I'm a little OCD, I can't sit down at the wheel until I've repeated my wedging "x" number of times.
c) There is scientific proof that one must wedge! 
d) Nope, don't wedge, waste of time and my pots turn out beautifully!
e) Other...please enlighten us.
 
Ha, I suppose I should point out that there is one other possibility here, which is . . . because I have to! All of you by now have heard that I order clay once every few years, and store it under my sea kayaks. This means in central PA that it freezes often for months in the winter. That means that the freezing turns the "mechanical water" or water of plasticity to ice. This causes large rifts in the bagged clay, and as it thaws, the water is to the outside of the clay. Wedging or pugging is the only way to get the outside and inside areas of the clay to become homogeneous again. So I wedge, first by cut and slash (tip here: a wiggle wire works really well if having to add water by spraying) then by cone wedging that I learned in my first Ceramics class in college. Without wedging the clay first as I do not have a deairing pug mill or any pug mill my clay would not throw well at all.
So I will ask for @Bam2015, and myself: QotW: To wedge or not to wedge?
 
best,
Pres

Wedge, aye.
Right out of a fresh bag (a well sealed actually fresh-oh bag), perhaps not, perhaps...
The last bit of clay I got, two bags seemed fresher than t'others; they were softer and more homogenous - likely right out of the bag would have been ok. The other bags, not so much.
Even a slight variation in consistency makes things harder! Looks to me that the clay flows in direction opposite to rotation of the wheel. Anywhere the flow slows down (to go around a bubble, around a blob or bit, around a less wet bit...), there's a thickening spot; anywhere the flow speeds up (wetter bit, a shear...), there's a thinning spot. I don't need more difficult!
I'm fairly certain that throwing is easier with homogenous (Dictionary.com says homogenous and homogeneous are 'bout the same, hmm; language tends to evolve to shorter/easier, so.) clay sans bubbles and bits.
I'm not certain that turning the clay ball up on its right side actually helps, but I believe it does, so, there's that also. I run the wheel clockwise, hence, the clay must turn the opposite way when dragged (by hands/tools). My final wedge is of the "rams head" variety, hence, turning it up on the right side matches what's coming on the wheel. I'm recalling that some recommend the opposite, as the finished piece will then have less of a twist and will unwind less through the drying and firing processes. Any road, I'm not certain, as I haven't thoroughly tested the notion that throwing in the same direction as wedging actually helps, nor have I tested the more/less wound up ideas. I did wedge clay balls for several of my fellow students (just the struggling ones) in "Wheel I" class - matching their counterclockwise-ness - they were amazed.
My preference is to start with clay just a bit damper/softer than ideal (for me), so it will be ideal once wedged up, for there's some moisture loss in the wedging, eh?
I'll spiral a larger chunk afore dividing into the desired size, then rams head. As it looks to me that the inside of said rams head is more static, I'll turn the clay ball several times. After the last wedge, I'm stashing the prepped balls in a container and covering them, so they don't dry out as much.
Clay that's "just right" centers easily, opens and pulls evenly, finishes round and even, winning back some o' that wedging time.
Oh, for a pug mill! I've never worked with freshly pugged clay - maybe some day. However, a new(er) kiln will likely be next.

Cone 11 fired 1/2 way is my lifes blood-If I had to choose between low or midrange I would be a midrange person. Low fire breaks much to easy . I did them all in art school (not midrange) and settled in at cone 10. I like wood and salt but my btread and butter is porcelain toughness with bright colors. They sell themselves and people love them for the durability.
I got this from square today in fact
  Wait Time, Quality, Other, Selection, Environment, Customer Service     Thanks mark! We appreciate your work. 
We have 4 mugs and 4 bowls and a butter dish with lid and 4 large plates, and few other things I’m not remembering. 
Plus all the countless gifts we’ve given to friends and family over the years. Thanks for your help, and take care!
 
All my collage low fire work is broken and gone except a jug from high school on a shelve (non functional ) most likely lead glazed.I was 17 or 18 then.It reminds me how far I have come. Must be about 1 foot thick wall as well.

I understand that I can do things like that. I believe that I will have to see what the present settings do, look at what I see going on, and then set up some sort of custom setting that allows me to fire up, and fire down the way I was used to doing it. I knew that there would be a learning curve, after all it took me 25 years or so to get to where I could fire the old one intuitively. Hopefully this one will not take that long!
 
best,
Pres

I understand that I can do things like that. I believe that I will have to see what the present settings do, look at what I see going on, and then set up some sort of custom setting that allows me to fire up, and fire down the way I was used to doing it. I knew that there would be a learning curve, after all it took me 25 years or so to get to where I could fire the old one intuitively. Hopefully this one will not take that long!
 
best,
Pres

Following. Great thread! 
But I keep lamenting my inability to buy an L&L here in Europe.
They now have a distributor in UK, but UK is not in EU anymore! >hits forehead with open palm<
Well, like I said, really good discussion!

The factory thermocouple offset of 18F was used with the closed-end protection tubes because the tubes insulate the TC a bit. With the open-ended tubes they started using this year, they do not need an offset because of the tubes since they're open. An offset may be needed for typical calibration reasons, though.

Actually @Bill Kielb, after posting the fast, and thinking of the newness, I changed to the medium setting as the preheat was not over. I still used the ^5 target, as I believe the kiln is overfiring by about one cone. or close to 20F.
 
best,
Pres

Actually @Bill Kielb, after posting the fast, and thinking of the newness, I changed to the medium setting as the preheat was not over. I still used the ^5 target, as I believe the kiln is overfiring by about one cone. or close to 20F.
 
best,
Pres

Might be worth trying the medium slow. Pretty popular schedule and for larger kilns generally can finish more even and on cone with a pre programmed final segment of 120 degrees per hour. Definitely closer to the Orton specified 108 per hour. With our glazes we could only get away with fast glaze in our little test kiln, all others just didn’t have the power to really maintain the rates so the results and evenness would vary significantly amongst our four other kilns which range from L&L to Paragon to Cone Art.
Might be worth a try, still can slow cool as you like.

I'm all about durability and functionality with most of the pots I make, I like my clay vitrified to the point that it won't leak without glaze, for me it's midrange stoneware or porcelain.  Would be great if there was a commercial body that was in the cone 2-3 range that met those requirements. I'ld gladly pay a bit more to fire lower than ^6 and yet have a clay that would be less expensive than a lowfire fritware body. Would probably need to use more frits in glazes than I currently use at ^6 but I think the decreased wear on the kiln elements (and kiln itself) would more than offset that cost. 

Midrange is really all I have known.  And to echo what Min said, I am on the platform for functionality and durability as well.  I love the variety of clays at midrange.  Porcelain (like) stoneware, dark, light, grog, smooth.  I love what it all brings to the table.  
Roberta

Hi folks, once again nothing in the pool for QotW questions. . . Hope everyone knows where it is?? At any rate, after the last barrage on electric vs gas firings, I thought why not on firing temps?
QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why?
This has been an interesting question for me over the years. I grew up as most of you remember with my parents painting bisqueware and having it fired. They could do it in the shop where they got the bisqueware and had it fired, or they could as they often did, work on it at home, sanding and glazing. I was never really much involved with it, being more interested in other things at the time. Then after three years of college with a Math/Science emphasis I  ended up in a college ceramics class in the summer. This was ^10 gas fired stoneware, and wheel throwing, or handbuilding. I became too involved with the wheel to do much handbuilding. Glazing was simple dip and pour with brushed oxides, simple and direct I loved it! Another Ceramics class confirmed my love of ceramics. Then I went to teach at a large HS in Central PA. They were just ramping up with more art courses, and had added a new teacher the previous year, then me, for a department of 3. The teacher hired before me had started a ceramics class, and was doing cone 06 Earthenware clays form Amaco with Amaco glazes. I worked that year on the 2 speed Amaco wheel with students and over the next few years the program became mine, and I moved it to ^6 immediately as I really did not like the Amaco clay, and had checked out several of the clay bodies from SC, choosing one that I thought looked most like a ^10 body that was also good for handbuilding and throwing, SC 112. I also took several courses at PSU allowing me to explore more in the way of throwing(large) firing salt and regular reduction, and glaze formulation.  After we bought a house with a garage, I decided to set up a shop. Bought a motorized kick, and a kiln. . . . I had gotten over ^10 knowing it would never work on main street. Earthenware? I really never liked the feel of it for throwing or otherwise. I always thought of it as being "not as nice", even the ring was false to me, and I know I will get some sour retorts on that statement, but it is IMHO.
So once again,  
QotW: Earthenware or mid range Stoneware, What is your preference and why?
 
So once again 

^6 for functional work. Low fire for experimenting with alternative firings. I am moving my soluble salts to ^6 in the near future with a glaze. Meanwhile, using a small amount of earthenware for a pit firing coming up in may with friends.
 
Marcia
 

Wow @Pres, you posted this question 21 hours ago and no-one has yet replied......
For me, the answer has to be "both".
I like ^6, but my little kiln doesn't.  The one at the community centre likes ^6, but no-one else does, or needs ^6.  
So, for some purposes, ^04 is fine, the glazes are more plentiful (UK), they come in every colour including special effects.  They suit the users at the community centre, and make my life as the advisor and firing tech much easier.
 
But for mugs, outdoor pots, bonsai pots, casserole dishes, I still want ^6.  Or higher and wood fired.

I have my TC's about 3/8" from the end of the tubes, and I haven't seen any flaking into the kiln yet after about 20 firings. Definitely some flakes visible inside the tubes, though. So far so good.

Yeah, throwing this way will wear on you. I still open up large pieces with the pounding method, it takes less energy and makes a really well compressed base. Multiple section pots are tougher on one wheel as you are always shifting the bats. One of the many reasons I miss my old HS classroom! Even though it is quieter and easier to concentrate in the studio, I miss the kids.
 
best,
Pres

Exactly! It's about due for a cleaning...

Yeah, throwing this way will wear on you. I still open up large pieces with the pounding method, it takes less energy and makes a really well compressed base. Multiple section pots are tougher on one wheel as you are always shifting the bats. One of the many reasons I miss my old HS classroom! Even though it is quieter and easier to concentrate in the studio, I miss the kids.
 
best,
Pres

Making a couple of big planters for our deck.

 

I'm reminded of a tale told to me by a hunter/potter down in Georgia years ago when the conversation of mold came up. He said he had a bird dog that got hurt ran into a pig. on a hunt, and they couldn't find her for a couple of days. Finally found her part buried in a red clay bank along the river. She was doing fine, and the clay and mold had helped her survive. Don't know, but I have heard often that hurt animals will go to water for the water, and the clay.
 
best,
Pres

Sorry to say @Bill Kielb, but you are speaking in a foreign language at this time. I guess what you are saying is that L&L uses a certain type of Thermocouple cover that has an insulation value that is programmed into the controller. If so there should be a file/program that has the entered values for that  T cover.  Where would I find these values, and the values that should be entered?
 
On another note, I have been thinking that when running a bisque firing that I would use a lower cone value maybe 08 or 07 to see how my 06 witness cones are affected. If it is as @neilestrickhas said, that the differences at lower temp are nearer to standard, I might even try running the glaze load at ^4 to see how close that comes to my ^5-7 cone pack. I am currently reluctant to physically change any of the settings with offsets even though I believe I would know what I am doing.  I really don't know how far the kiln overfired other than it was above cone 8 in all probability considering the pimples on the cones 6 & 7.
Thank you for you input, more to look into.
best,
Pres