Hulk

Hard to tell from the pic Savannah - looks like the plate/box the switch is mounted in is welded to the leg; is that a weld? ...hence, steel? Could be the unit is a cut up from the very bottom. Quick search indicates 79 lbs, 250 watt, about $250 US, table top/portable.

Redondo! My sister in law lives there! You are near Aardvark, jealous I am!

Hi Dawn! Given your wash is staying stuck, and hasn't had glaze run onto it, just keep on firing! If the wash is flaking off, or otherwise not staying stuck, consider using a different/better wash. Assuming you're referring to wash applied to ware side of kiln shelves, to protect them from running glaze.

Aye. I misspoke as well - had tried drop from peak and soak, then aimed for a lower peak, with about the same drop and soak, now lower yet, with a short hold at peak, then drop and soak - iow, getting about the same heat work, with lower peak temp, then a hold ~100F below peak.

Just curious if you by soak you all mean drop and soak - reduce temperature from peak, hold temp before free fall/cool - e.g. I've been dropping about 100F from peak, then holding there before shut down.

Have been considering strategy for own holiday open studio as well, if such a thing is allowed come Fall. There may not be any group type of opportunity around here. Masks required, aye. Ware stations spread out, aye that too. Was thinking that any pieces picked up and/or breathed on be placed on cleaning station table, where it would be wiped down before being placed back. I like wrap and bag yourself, however, each customer should only be able to inoculate their own wrapping materials. I'm carrying a 2.5 quart plastic snap top vessel with me - with some soapy water plus a dash of bleach, and a washcloth - since onset o' pandemic, everywhere. I keep the wet washcloth in my hand; everything gets wiped. Cash goes straight in - we're "laundering" money, all money, incoming aaand outgoing as well. A check written in non-smearable ink can take a wipe with damp washcloth, and for sure clean hands and surface after putting the check in its box. The mail is holding up ok, fwiw. Later, alla checks can be hung in the sun with a clothespin for an afternoon? Don't know why solution and washcloth isn't "a thing" yet; makes sense to me!

The colour gradient interests me. Might break some bisque (that I don't like much) later today; will report back. Would more firing time be indicated? Is there sufficient oxygen? Is there lighter layer in the base portion as well? Looks like the base section is thinner; might more uniform thickness make a difference? There may be more than one cause o' cracks goin' on. Broke some bisque - cone 5/6 buff and red clays - not seeing any colour gradients - uniform color across the section, electric fired, with powered vent, to cone 04. The thickest part is just over 5/16 inch, at the foot ring.

Bill had mentioned Sue McLeod's discussion on R20/R0 ratio (try searching Sue McLeod R20 R0)on another thread - interesting read.

The steeped in safety culture of the Steel Mill (where I worked for several years) changed my life - doesn't mean I don't make mistakes, doesn't mean I don't (stupidly/silly-ly) do dangerous things - just "see" somewhat differently. A safety measure only has to "work" one time. The opposite is, sadly, also true.

OP, you'll get critique, if you wish it! ...lots of vids out there; I still go back to some that I've seen many times, for I "see" them differently, given some passage of time, gain of experience, and, perhaps, a smidge of improvement. I have my favs, some listed here https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/21849-free-video-recommendations-for-potters/ Each thrower's technique is a bit different. I'd like to have/get more real time experience watching others work, however, that might not happen any time soon, and as for mentorship, uuuh, travel/expense/time for that isn't top o' th' list; perhaps will find a community nearby ...some day. I'm still (in my third year now...) working on throwing pieces to the reclaim bucket, getting better at it! ...trying not to waste time, space, and energy bisque firing, glazing, and glaze firing something that's meh. When ready to load the kiln for a bisque fire, it's helped to have way more on hand than will fit - even so, ended up with some pieces that should have been reclaimed. Toss'm! Reclaiming involves some work, which helps motivate toward less trimming - that is, throw better - and less bad pieces (kind of like hiking hills; if it hurts enough, then diet for weight loss has visceral motivation!). Now I'm trying to be very critical before moving drying pieces to the queue shelves, we'll see how that goes, next firing cycle! Some pieces have served their purpose a) before they're done being thrown b) before being dried for trimming c) after they are trimmed d) before they are fully dried e) before bein' centered, let alone opened! Toss'm!

Silly, yep; many, many ...and just three years in! Mentioned previously (somewhere in here), my inexpensive scale came with two calibration weights - ooh, I thought that was a mistake, haha! Having calibrated the scale with one of the two weights, the reading, of course, was off by 50%, which I finally caught when I'd learned about adjusting specific gravity (glazing) - my cheap plastic graduated cylinder is wrong! Oh. Up to then, no problem mixing glaze batches, as the proportions were ok, however, wasn't very happy comparing my one, two and three pound pieces with what I was seeing others do online. Haha! Have been a bit happier since recalibration, as a pound of clay goes a bit further than half a pound... No one got hurt. Perhaps not silliest, however, for me, silly includes dangerous and disastrous, e.g. (not ceramic related), cutting tree/shrub branches at an angle, well away from the next join, leaving behind a long sharp stake and obvious potential for injury/death.

Good idea, thanks! Somewhat related, learned to add a drop of tempura paint to spackle, particularly when patching over white primer, as it makes finding all the spackled spots much easier after sanding smooth, for the spackle spots require spot priming if the finish is not flat. Less related, primer sticks better than caulk and spackle, so prime first, then caulk and spackle, spot prime the spackle, allow the caulk to dry fully, then let the finish flow. So far, each glaze colour in my limited palette is unique/discernable, however, not so much the clears, hence I'm marking the bottom of the pot with code to indicate which clear, and which clay as well.

Suggest replacing with a similar "weight" oil as found, "The viscosity for a gear lubricant is primarily chosen to provide a desired film thickness between interacting surfaces at a given speed and load." At room temps, low load, a finely machined (tight tolerance) box may require light oil.

"It took hold of me in the middle 90s..." Thought you were in early sixties (ba-bing). Good question! Just wrapping up year two of retirement, hence, it resonates. The importance of social activity/contact is highlighted by our current situation - it's an important part of sanity maintenance; have been missing trips to the gym, meeting new people out and about, and weekly brunch with friends. Swimming and cycling are important sanity maintenance activities for me, also reading and projects.

Hi VS! Grease may be more appropriate? :| Ahem, well, finding the source - could be a bearing, loose pulley, squeaky belt, something rubbing in the motor - might be a good first step. Does the wheel squeak the same when running in the other direction? If not, try looking at the motor brushes. Try crawling about, that is, listening from all possible angles, to pinpoint the source. If you have a few miles on your ears, try enlisting a young person (with undamaged hearing). Lubrication may not be the solution; could be adjustment, replacing a part, etc. is required. "Squeaky wheel gets the grease" Heh.