Hulk

Enjoying the studio pics, thanks for sharing! Open Studios Art Tour just over, here the tables have been put away, some of remaining ware put away, the bikes, buckets, mop, vacuum, etc. that were cleared away brought back in. Above, from the corner behind the kiln. The wood shelving typically is encumbered with work in progress - raw clay and/or bisque awaiting next steps, glazed ware awaiting final inspection, polish, wash. Putting that shelving up makes it easier to reach, and provides bucket, bag, etc. storage below. Behind the person door is a large cabinet - glaze materials, tools, notebooks. This space also serves as bike headquarters and general repair/puttering place, but it's mostly pottery. The Cervelo is #1 bike. Looking back from the person door. The shelves behind the kiln are almost always for raw ware. There's enough counterspace to deal with a full kiln load and still have room for glaze buckets, tools, and some other stuff. The windows supply nice light. Even so, the two eight-foot bulbs and two four-foot bulbs aren't quite enough, hence the several spot type lights... The Wilier is #2 bike. In left corner there's more shelving, wedging area, and the sound equipment - amp, old laptop, subwoofer. The surround speakers are up high.

This article* might be "the latest" on the subject: Physicists say they’ve finally solved the teapot effect—for real this time | Ars Technica where a case is made for the "teapot effect" being related to the flow rate. To me, it says when the liquid is flowing fast enough to "detach" from that lower edge, there's no dribbling; when the flow rate isn't fast enough to cause detachment, there is dribble. Hence, design such that a) the flow rate required for detachment is lower, b) and the transitions between no flow and high flow (and high to none) are very quick. Seems to me there's still work to be done to share the findings in everyday terms for practical application, heh. *Actually, the article refers to the latest (link below), which I'd rate as a challenging read: Developed liquid film passing a smoothed and wedge-shaped trailing edge: small-scale analysis and the ‘teapot effect’ at large Reynolds numbers | Journal of Fluid Mechanics | Cambridge Core

Hi Windsong, Good question! Perhaps a Forum member who owns an EnviroVent 2 can provide a point of comparison*. My kiln vent is a home made setup; the motor gets warm, but not too hot to touch. Is the motor housing hotter than the ductwork? If so, a little bit warmer, or a lot? Is the system blowing a strong stream of air outside? If the kiln room is fairly airtight, a window or door may need to be opened to allow sufficient "make-up" air to enter the room**. See if the fan's output changes when a door or window is opened. The three holes in the "plenum cup" should be unobstructed (per second paragraph under "How It Works" - manual, page 3), which allows ambient air to mix with the small stream of hot air that is pulled from the kiln. *Else contact Skutt; their Support is excellent! **See "Fresh Make-Up Air" (manual, page 12)

Hi Csikor, Good question! While waiting on Forum members with slip ware experience to weigh in, can you identify the clay, engobe and glaze you are using?

Hi Brian! This thread indicates Alpine* was responsive to foot pedal inquiries six years ago - perhaps worth a try Pottery Wheel Foot Pedal Stuck To On - Equipment Use and Repair - Ceramic Arts Daily Community A contributor to this ClayArt thread indicates the motor used in the Alpine requires a different controller than typical modern wheels: clayart - thread 'alpine electric wheels' (potters.org) *Alpine Kilns | Contact Us

I'd missed the percent sand. Now I'm curious how my clays would behave with twenty percent sand added. Looks like you smoothed those small cracks over. The big cracks, do they still appear when the piece is allowed to shrink - removed from the mold sooner?

I like recycled clay! It's a bit of work, on the other hand, the material is "free." I'm bagging the clay when it is just a bit wetter/softer than what the vendor provides, however, not so wet that it's very sticky - I can wedge it without having to then scrape off my hands, and although some bits stick to the wedging board, it's not much.

Hi Taylor, An older manual* indicates "Special Error codes, consult Orton" for 0128 through 0225 0128 through 0255 corresponds to set bits 1000 0000 through 1111 1111 ...which doesn't appear to help, at all, except, perhaps, that there are (or were) more than eighteen error conditions defined... *Orton-Autofire-Manual.pdf (nidec-shimpo.com)

Some of my glazes don't need any thixotropic adjustment, likely on account of the gerstley borate, so, yes on naturally occurring thixotropic, imo. The clay absorbs water, hence the layer of glaze right on the clay gets the water sucked out and sticks on thar; "wetter" glaze - thinner layer given same exposure time. A surface that isn't absorbent will also get thinner layer with a wetter glaze; looks to me that an absorbent surface multiplies the thickness difference per unit time tho'. Do trials, keep good notes!

Tony Hansen's articles and video clips on thixotropy were, err, are major factors in turning glazing around from sigh, ugh to Yeah! Whee (for me)! I'm doing SG first, then thixotropy. For me, adjusting SG relates to how fast I have to move: Wetter takes longer to build up desired thickness. Wetter takes longer dry. I prefer not having to hurry the pours and dips, so, wetter, between 1.39 to 1.45 for my glazes, where more time is required to build up the desired thickness, more time to execute the glazing. A drawback is that I'm also waiting longer for the wet sheen to fade to the point where any drips can be smoothed in, etc., and overall, takes longer. Once SG is dialed, then I'm adjusting thixotropy, which, btw, is not exactly same as viscosity. I want to see the entire mass of glaze turning together when stirred, rotating just a few times once I stop stirring, then come to a stop all together, with that "bounce back" that Mr. Hansen points out. Adjusting thixotropy ("gel") means much less sheeting and dripping. Pouring out in a smooth, slow manner, then waiting a few moments (whilst running any drips at the edge around and around) afore shaking off drips yields a smooth application, no sheeting, no drips. Withdrawing a dip slowly, then same waiting a few moments (whilst running any drips at the edge around and around) afore shaking off drips yields a smooth application, no sheeting, no drips. Ohh k, less sheeting and drips (much less). With lower SG, I don't have to hurry, can take more advantage of the "gelling" action. When the glaze is moving, it behaves liquid; as the glaze stops moving, it behaves "gel"... "...simpleton terms" Yep. As interesting as the physics, chemistry, rheology, et cetera, are, adjusting SG and thixotropy can just stay simple.

Where to start, indeed. Not that long ago, I spread out on a table several glaze recipes* I'd gathered from local J.C. Ceramic Lab (thanks to the instructor), Bill van Gilder's book, Lakeside Pottery website, Hesselberth's Frog Pond Pottery website (which may be offline now, but is still archived), Tony Hansen's website, and a few other books. From there, with some consideration to common materials (hence buying fewer different bags o' powder), I picked a half dozen. That to say this: try to find recipes from dependable sources that include usage notes, testing results, pictures, comments... Some of my choices went no further than a small test batch. Some are in production! The challenge was dialing in a liner glaze; that took some time, research, testing, more of all that, and some help (thanks to several Forum members!). *what is your firing range preference? I'm doing cone 5/6 (more five than six...)

Detail: The flanged lid style stays put all the way to the last bit of pour without falling off. The spout is thrown on the wheel, however, as it set up, was cranked over* with a rod fitted through the hole. From there, the channel shape was polished and elongated once the spout was mounted and cut. No glaze on the cut edge of the spout, trying for the "wettability" gradient at the edge that Mark mentions. The untwisting Mark mentioned, this spout is overcompensated a bit (I throw clockwise). The spout test project should then include untwist measurement, hmm. I pour in, pour out the liner glaze; wax, then cut a sharp line at the outer rim edge, then sponge away excess; and dip the outside upside down. Any beaded up drops, a small sponge sweeps up, np. All that to say this - a little wad of clay in the spout end and covering the cut edge worked well to keep the green glaze out of the spout and off the cut portion. The liner glaze has to be dry-oh, however, and fix the clay, dip, then gently remove the clay soon as - when the slick sheen has died off - so, within a minute or so, else the clay wad might pull away some liner for you to fix, heh. Waxing kinda fixes that. *learned that from someone's post on this forum, imparting the spout's curve/lean early on, using a chopstick/wand/brush handle that fits through the small hole; seems to work better than trying to shape from the other end later on

A local Fair Trade shop carries some beautiful leg warmers! ...even a cut off dress sock - a second layer over the ankle - can make the difference between another great day and a great day overshadowed by painfully purple swollen-ated toe...

Hi Ash, Good questions! I see throwing and firing as separate learning curves. I've no experience with table top wheels, however, several Forum regulars have some experience and may yet weigh in here... Table top models are often used for demonstrations, classes, etc. Given the wheel runs steady, no wobble, and responds predictably to the speed control, there's tradeoff between portability and convenience against torque/power. Back to throwing and firing as separate, indeed, in two semesters at the local Junior College ceramics lab, I never touched a kiln. I did become interested in glazing, however. Even so, learning to fill and fire the kiln seems easier to learn than throwing, trimming, and glazing. I'm curious, do you have a sheltered outside space where a full size wheel could be set up? Ventilation could be important for your kiln. I wouldn't run any kiln in our living space.

This is the twelfth teapot*. It pours well - solid dependable arc of fluid, which stops predictably and, and, no dribble along the bottom edge of the spout! I'm also happy with: the overall feel; the shape/profile; boss lid that's heavy without being over heavy, stays in place through full pour-out, and fits well; the color. I'd looked at many many teapots and searched for The Authority on dripless pouring in general, teapot spouts in particular. Although there is a study on spiraling path of liquid flowing down a glass rod, uhm, didn't find that helpful - maybe there's something there. There are many articles, forum posts, etc. that offer helpful suggestions, however, I didn't find anything truly definitive. Features that may help: spout tip higher than (reasonable) fill line; lots of holes between the spout and pot body, so the liquid doesn't back up in the pot when pouring, and doesn't back up in the spout once pouring ends; the "sharp edge" at the pouring lip that so many mention; design such that the liquid prefers running back inside the spout over dribbling down the outside when pouring ends. Ah, that last bit! Good luck. I hope to replicate my good fortune in future... I'll post some detail pics later on. From last Saturday's glaze fire. Aardvark Buff clay, cone 5; exterior Rutile Green glaze, dipped; interior my low COE liner glaze, poured in, poured out; chattermarks filled with Clear Blue glaze. The tea cups are very close to same size; the camera I'm using distorts the image, especially away from center. This is my last attempt before branching sideways into a spout test, making an array of test spouts that fit up to a test vessel, perhaps a soft rubber ball with spout and vent holes, press up against the spout to test, huh. I still might do that. No doubt others have done something similar already. ...the protocol for such is simmering *The prototypes that poured reasonably in bisque were glazed and fired; none poured without dribbling, once glazed. Several prototypes are still in bisque; as shelf space is tight, they'll likely see the bin, soon.

Thanks Bob! Any concerns being around and/or downwind of the pit fire with ferric chloride involved?

Your first pic, nicely melted, smooth. The other Alabaster ones don't look melted - underfired - gives a good idea how much smoothing out there is to do from there. That other glaze must melt sooner? Was curious about oxygen supply - especially for bisque fire - and how hot a bisque, as the more out-gassing/burn-off is done, the less fizzing there is to pass through the glaze. Also, the more thorough a bisque fire, if not hotter, than a significant hold above say fifteen hundred F, maybe help with some bloating, if there's some bits that could still be more burned out. Still, that first pic looks on target, nice work! Looks like more heat work required. I started with the drop and hold looking to clear fine bubbles and get a smoother surface, especially buff and red, less the white clays, all rated cone five or five/six. It does seem to help. Can't quite tell if the Birch one has some tiny pin holes? Would like to know where the bubbling is coming from, how much from the glaze, how much the clay.

Influential glaze resources This Forum https://digitalfire.com Susan Peterson's The Craft and Art of Clay

Hi Fromphyl! Welcome! While waiting on more replies, some questions: Looks like the glaze on the handle portion of "Cone 5 Bmix Speckles Alabaster 3 coats" is smoother; is it? Is the glaze on the inside of the same piece also smoother (or different) than the bumpy and pin holed outside? Are you doing any holds and/or controlled cool? Looks like that Alabaster needs a bit more heat work and then perhaps a drop and hold*. Are you bisque firing, then glazing and glaze firing? If so, what cone are you bisque firing to, and is your kiln fitted with a kiln fan setup, else, are you leaving the top peep out? One more question - how big is the kiln (in other words, how quickly does it cool off)? *Drop-and-Soak Firing (digitalfire.com)

Sponges (and Denise's water), several sizes - big, half a big, cut to size and shape pieces for particular jobs (per Bill van Gilder's suggestion - somewhere...), for clean ups, controlled application of water whilst working with clay, also removing water from a work in progress, wiping back glaze and underglaze.

It's a bug! "...it's a feature." Nah, it's an actual bug! Furnace control consoles (at the steel mill where I worked) had two large circuit boards inside (early 70s stuff, still in service, early 2000s). Operators called us out for after hours support; the console at the entry pulpit wasn't working. We found a mouse nest on the board, over the "history unit" (an early hard drive) where it was always snug and warm, and piles of sunflower seed shells. "No food allowed" in the pulpits, heh. We kept refurbished replacement boards at the ready; that particular board had an $6,000 price tag, that's if the "core" was rebuildable.

Focused demo: If the student is comfortable with your focused attention, set a wheel next to them or facing them (whichever is better for the student - many people are more anxious when faced, but there are exceptions) and demonstrate the one or two* steps/skills that are key for that student, then follow up after some practice. Watch. You try. Good, keep at it, I'll be back. A lot can be said without words ...Do This. First This. Next, This. I like you. I care about you. Build common vocabulary: Choose key terms and systematically add to the common vocabulary. Point, say. Now you say. Yes, no, clay, bat, fast, slow, pressure, water, uh-oh, Milk Carton Kids. Rib, needle, stick, small sponge, big sponge, bucket; finger, foot, hand, eye. Always take your foot off the pedal before standing up. Always take your foot off the pedal before reaching into the pan. You might pick up some Korean from the student, if they will "play" the game. The first phrase, and icebreaker between myself (swim coach) and star Brazilian swimmer was "Led Zeppelin" (blaring from the poolside sound system) - from there, we built a strong teacher/student, coach/athlete and friend/friend relationship. I learned to swear in Portuguese. The first phrases, icebreaker between a group of children just arrived from *** to the U.S., Hello and Goodbye, and what translates (loosely) to "Go With God" which serves at a greeting and farewell in the kids' language. The group learned all the "pool rules" without any common language, in just a few minutes. It's been over four years since I completed "Wheel I" at the local Junior College, hence, my memories aren't as clear as they were, and have acquired rosy patina of "good old" days... Any road, I definitely learned a lot more by observing the instructor and the other students than via any words, written or spoken. *Over a few decades of teaching physical skills, I came to believe that for each student, there are one or two "things" to work on for each skill. One or two things now, once mastered, there's next, yes, but most of us aren't able to learn dozens of "things" all at once. The kids notice when you see where they are and have a plan for them and each of their peers as well. Acquire or correct This skill or (more often) sub-skill; design activity or drill that "forces" the acquisition/correction. Stick the clay on the bat. Apply centering force until the clay comes loose. Repeat. Repeat, but slower, come up to forcing the clay loose sloowly. ...now you know how much force is too much. When the clay comes loose from the bat, you are *******, start over. Good. Hope that helps!

Hi Witt, No doubt Forum member(s) with direct Soldner experience will respond. In the meantime, "NOTE: The mixer must rotate clockwise" from instructions pro (soldnerequipment.com) also "The wiring diagram will be found either on a placard on the motor or inside the cover of the wiring box." If you find a wiring diagram, please post a clear image of same here. The doc includes current manufacturer contact information (Muddy Elbow Manufacturing). Nice find. I'm a little jealous!

Hi Onward! Are you looking for mid fire (cone 5/6)? I'm not finding that particular recipe. There are several oranges listed on glazy.org My guess would be that a dependable orange would be based on orange stain, e.g. Orange | Mason Color Works Here's an article on oranges: Time to Warm Up! 5 Red and Orange Glaze Recipes (ceramicartsnetwork.org)

Hi Audrey, Regarding working with your kiln's controller, please identify the particular model (the controller), and/or post a picture of the controller's programming interface and any identifying plate/information. There are archived threads on this forum on the general subject of bisque firing ...somewhere! This article might be a good start: Bisque (digitalfire.com) There are many other articles on Tony Hansen's digitalfire.com site, watch the clock, you might find several hours have passed afore you know it! There are several variables to consider, some: the clay's target cone; you'll very likely want to bisque fire to a lower cone; how "dirty" the clay is - you might want to incorporate "holds" in your bisque schedule to burn out undesirables if/when you use dirty clay; how thick and/or big your wares are - you might look to slow down for thick/massive wares; how much air/oxygen is being drawn through the kiln - oxygen helps burn out those impurities and helps your elements last longer. I don't do much preheat when the wares are bone dry, just run up to 200F the night before, leaving all the peeps open, then full gas the next morning. If I have damp wares, I'll do the same, just being much more careful not to run over 210F, run the kiln fan for a few hours, then run up the temp again before turning in for the night, next day, full gas. My wares aren't particularly thick though...