Hulk

Ah! Thanks Johnny, thanks HB! How's it look now? The Activity Stream has been replaced by a Topics widget/thingy.

Hi All, Regarding the Recent Posts layout change concern. I'm curious, how does the Forums/Browse page look for others? I'm seeing the right hand column about split, where the top half is Recent Posts and the bottom half is Status Updates. Here's a screenshot (where I'm logged in under an account I registered for testing). Right now, there's five Recent Posts. I've cropped the bottom half of the page; there's another four or five Status Update entries down there. Is this what other Forum members are seeing? I hadn't noticed any changes. How is it different than before?

Good question! Confusing, looks like G200 ran out, replaced by G200HP, which also ran out. If possible, compare the G200HP component analysis against the material you have now. There's enough potassium and sodium differences between the G200HP and "Old Blend" to justify small batch testing*, imo. Digitalfire article: G200 HP Feldspar (digitalfire.com) This thread has some history: Feldspar G-200 - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community *else limited testing, then look to adjust small amounts if you already made a big batch!

Any chance there was something on the underglaze that caused the clear glaze to crawl (e.g. fingerprints) and/or the underglaze burnished by contact with something? If you are dipping the mugs into clear glaze, the rim area could get a thicker layer of glaze. I'm typically going for a thicker layer of liner glaze at the rim, for that's the portion that thins the most during firing. I'll pour in, pour out, wait a bit, then dip just the rim for more thickness.

Shimpo wiring diagram indicates shr623-2 ...ah! Same one Peter found (above). I'm finding that part discontinued (see also TANAC006232). Perhaps figuring out what a switch actually does so a suitable replacement can be found is the only option.

Just curious, how were the the coats of underglaze and glaze applied? Looks like the clear glaze beaded up in the portion between noon and 2:30 o'clock in the image. Was the glaze good around the rest of the rim?

Stainless steel, if available, should last longer, still, use thread compound against corrosion/siezing, e.g. I went with wingnuts and lockwashers. Overlong bat pins can be a hazard, measure carefully!

Hi Dz, Welcome to the forum! If you're able to remove the switch, taking it to your local hardware shop to match up a replacement might be an option? I'm seeing Krueger carries a replacement, does the image match? Shimpo RK-2 Parts – FWD/REV Switch Knob (RK Common) – Krueger Pottery Supply Perhaps someone familiar with classic RK2 wheels will chime in here...

That a significant portion of thrown pots don't come off the wheel close to exactly round, never mind stay that way seems true, has been noted ...and yet, many do! I had a bowl with a wonk in it, so picked out a finished bowl (a round one!) - a bit bigger and wider, so easy to hold on to and makes contact at the inside rim only - to use as a rounder. Now I have several shapes set aside to round with. For cylinders, am still using tapered containers... ...I like the faceted tumblers, they do the job, less prone to sticking. These type of rounders are set in the rounder place, on account of they have a hole in the bottom; if/when a seal is achieved, the hole is helpful. looks like dormant threads are archived after two years of inactivity This thread last updated two years ago tomorrow* if update.date +2 years < today's date then archive

Hi Tony, Welcome to the Forum! Good question. Depends on what you're making and how you go about it - you might start with a cut off wire, a set of sculpting/modelling tools, and perhaps a paddle, a set of rails and a roller. You'll need a surface to work on and somewhere to put your in-progress work. When you take a break, keeping the work from drying out may be important, so a spray bottle and coverings*. Buckets are key to my process, water to work and clean up with, clear water for final hand rinse afore leaving the work area, another bucket for clay scraps that I'll let dry out for reclaim, yet another bucket for clay slop/slip - buckets! Big sponges for clean up, small sponges for working with clay. *cloths, plastic sheeting - something to slow down the drying. I use rigid containers, inverted over each piece, which isn't a particularly popular approach - it works for me!

Hi Zoe, Welcome to the Forum! The 254 and 240 both look to be vitrified at 1240C, cone 7; are you glaze firing to cone 7? 0254: Pottery Passion by GOERG & SCHNEIDER 0240: Pottery Passion by GOERG & SCHNEIDER Are you using commercially prepared glazes, or mixing your own? If mixing, please post the recipe. Sorry I don't have any specific glaze suggestions. The low COE liner glaze I was working on fits some light stonewares I found; let me know if you'd like the recipe. Perhaps another Forum member will have specific suggestions.

Good question! Would it not take some time to: test materials - find a casting slip that behaves well and a range of glazes that also behave and fit well; create/obtain a range of molds; get the casting process down; get the firing process down? Is there special equipment - slip tank, mixing tools, the rack where molds are drained, mold storage? Plaster, plaster mixing tools, special mold making gear? If you're making molds, that's another level of complexity? Would a unit on casting in your first and second term ceramics courses lead to a full term in casting? That would give you another several months to iron out the kinks, and meanwhile, break in those new kilns. :| Perhaps there's an existing program to tap for info... ...try searching "ceramic molding in high school" What comes up near the top of the page, looks like skeleton of a lesson plan (not a full term), right above your post! Ideally, there's resources - people and print - that can help.

There's a nice write up on page fourteen of this month's (March 2023) Ceramics Monthly magazine. If ever I transition away from tape for a clean line at the foot, magnets it will be! I've tried waxing, wasn't getting the sharp line, where there's full thickness up to the edge that tape can give, and there's the grip problem. The magnets would solve the grip problem! My grip isn't reliable enough on a narrow footring. I want to be able to give the ware just the right amount of shake at the right time, in the right direction(s), so grip is important. Also, keeping the ware flat throughout the dip is important - to avoid the burps - having a good grip helps a lot. Min's magnet on a wand/handle should make keeping the ware flat much easier, as deviation from flat is amplified by the length of the wand.

Lots of practice, that appears key, as Florian Gadsby demonstrates in his video clip on the subject*. He's tapping on the away side, but between three and four thirty or so? Looks like John Hasegawa is tapping on the toward side, but at less than nine o'clock, the pot is moving away from his fingertips. Both nod to the many varied approaches, which I appreciate! Left hand seems natural to me (I work clockwise). I haven't progressed much with tap centering, although Florian's video has inspired me to practice more. I might yet find a way to be consistent, however, it's been like throwing a baseball is for me (now), I can do it, but every once in a while - too often - a ball goes sailing off in a wholly unintended direction, which I attribute to nerve damage. So, I can throw underhand consistently, and left-handed consistently, if not very well. I can tap a few times effectively, then oops. The oops taps occur too often, oh well. I hadn't seen any of Hasegawa's clips, thanks for the intro! *Florian Gadsby How to Tap Centre Pots on the Potter's Wheel - YouTube

Looks like one can get closer to the wheel head (compact, as Mark points out)? The height may be different. Have you ever driven a Skutt? I like mine, but I wouldn't say it is better to work on than a strong Brent. I've the built in cast pan, which I really like for setting my forearms on... That you like it is the main/good thing!

Any chance vertical storage would work? If not glazed cylinders left over, perhaps some other cylinder, e.g. half gallon black plastic planter (drains well), plastic tumbler, five quart snap lid (Home Depot) container... I keep my throwing and trimming tools in separate cylinders, then switch them out from the wheel's basin when changing task. The tools that I don't use very often are in drawers. The points and edges may dull when stored with the sharp bits down, however, the sharp bits facing up is when, not if, someone gets hurt.

Feel for the clay, precise economy of movement, as they improve with effective practice, so will the clock. When looking for a clockwise direction video clip that I liked, watched some of the clips I used to watch over and over, like these: Clinton Pottery didn't post many video clips (maybe two?), lot to see here Mug throwing, advanced production techniques, Clinton Pottery - YouTube I like his book as well Michael Casson - The Craft of the Potter - Throwing (extract) - YouTube When some time has passed, I'm still seeing others' throwing differently; the clips are still the same, but I am not. What Clinton Pottery says about clay conditioning - I believe, more and more as time goes by, it being my experience - I'd forgotten, that video clip is where I first heard what a difference the uniformity/homogeneity of the clay makes.

I'm mostly right handed*. I throw clockwise, period**. I'd tried centering and coning with main pressure on the "away" side (left hand), am sticking with the "toward" side, right hand. The clay is moving into the force hand, seems easier to control, more effective - for me. Looks like the more popular approach, from what I've seen. ...am not recalling seeing a thrower work on the toward side for pulling. I work with the right hand inside, left hand outside, on the away side, seven to nine o'clock or so. Have learned much watching this one over the last few years (a clockwise example): Tokoname Master Craftsman - Hokujo (Genji Shimizu)　伝統工芸士　清水源二 - YouTube Most often, my opening move is both thumbs, where the right thumb tip covers the bottom half of the left thumbnail. The right thumb does touch and spread the opening, but the left thumb is at the point. Both thumbnails are protected - the nails wear away too fast and don't grow back fast enough to be of much use, hence, each throwing move/grip involves protecting the nails... *right eyed, throw right, kick right, bow/slingshot/pistol/rifle all right, bowl right, bat right. However, I skateboard/surfboard right foot forward, pull wrenches for torque left (and most other "power" things left), and breathe left (swimming). **no contest, it's correct for me. Perhaps due to minor nerve damage, both hands; the way my eyes work; the slight twist of my torso due to years of breathing left (swimming); idk, I really don't. I've tried counterclockwise, it's ok, but I prefer clockwise, by a long chalk.

When coated at all, the knob and tube of old I've seen had a loose sleeve of woven white fiber -asbestos - which thermally rates rather well would be my guess, else bare copper between the knobs. Google images of wire coated with blackened/tarred material may have been ubiquitous, I just haven't seen it in person. No doubt three wire Romex, when properly sized and protected by its breaker, is superior in every way.

I've seen markers carved from wood and other materials, modeled in clay, and cast in metals - curious to read what other Forum contributors do... I use a small stylus (ball point pen) to mark my Studio initials (TC) within the foot ring. The edges of the mark I leave rough, for the edges are easy to clean up after bisque fire. Almost always I fill the mark with a colored glaze or underglaze, wiping with a damp sponge to leave just the mark highlighted. Unfilled mark, clear glaze over Filled with blue glaze, liner glaze over Filled with blue glaze; here the zircopax is clearly visible in my "clear" liner glaze over this red clay. I like how this red glaze sometimes picks up blue flecks. I like how these soap dishes came out. Those last two, sigh, am missing the clay, took some time off to heal up after a fall, then we sold our house and moved, so enjoyed paging through images of my old works! Looking forward to getting back into it!

My Dad pointed out that the "knob and tube" wiring of old did have an advantage over the Romex of today - it dissipates heat better when overloaded. That wiring shouldn't be overloaded to the point where dissipating heat is an issue, should go without saying*. The charger that came with our Volt failed earlier this week, likely a combination of several years of daily handling (wind it up, unwind, repeat) and closing the cable in the door, oops. Any road, the cable from the transformer box to the plug definitely warmed. Needing (packed away) tools to diagnose & repair, we ordered a replacement; its cable is heavier, it is not getting warm. *said it anyway.

Engobe covered with a liner glaze might be another safer option. I'd thought Hansen's reference to stains and safety had to do with safety for the potter in the process, but on that page he did line the ware with a black glaze*. The colorants are the same thing once all melted, whether supplied via stain or raw material, is that true? The stain is safer to handle. The potter's safety, that's important too! Hansen typically (what I can see) liner glazes and makes an argument for it, Liner Glaze (digitalfire.com) *black glaze, for which he makes a case, in keeping with "Liner glazes can also be colored (if they are well tested and demonstrably non-leaching)."

Plan to jump up, aye that! We're shopping for a new home this last several weeks; insufficient power* has been a rather significant point against some of them... A few work lives ago we specified four pair of fiber optic for a production line upgrade**. "Four, are you ...kidding me, why?" "We need one pair now, one to back up that one for when you guys break it." "And?" "And the data reqs always go up, never down. The third line is for that day when it may be needed, and the fourth line is its backup." They put in three. One is for sure broken, which leaves one spare (...twenty years ago). Told you, din' I? ,) *Where I'm looking for a 60 amp circuit for my new kiln and whatever will be required for my Studio's heat pump, then add lighting, and 110v outlets. A 100 amp subpanel isn't always sufficient, and as a main panel, it just isn't enough for our needs. **from the old "thinlan" which was somewhat slow and required frequent repair.

Good point - depends on the panel. The upgrade we did is like the circled in blue, where the darkened in locations can be filled with the twins or single. Some panels, not an option, some can be filled top to bottom with twins or singles...