Hulk

At the mill (the California Pittsburg, w/o the h), we stocked replacement boards for the antiquated fire control system. We lost a operator station in the entry pulpit early one morning; the mouse family that had moved in on the station's main board - right over the "history unit" (an early hard drive) - had added enough "moisture" and salts to rot that board. There was over a half gallon of sunflower seed shells and other detritus in there. Good ol' days.

Set o' mugs

Correlation of pyrometer readings to cones - that may be important for any/every control system? I'm still watching my one pyrometer and flipping three zone switches - low, medium, high; hence, I am the "controller." Earlier on, was donning kiln glasses and looking at cones through the peeps. Now that I have some firings under me belt, I look at cones afterward, as I'm confident in the pyrometer, wall clock, and notes to guide the "controller."

Haven't heard or read "grep" since ...retirement! Awk sed nice batch head finger ! (aka bang)

If you have a reasonably sensitive scale, try weighing before and after soaking with water - thoroughly dry off alla surface before second weigh. My somewhat inexpensive US Balance unit reads to tenth of a gram (~$25 for the 2000 g unit).

Original owner had just bought a new set of half shelves; she gave me four of the old set. Two serve as the base, on half inch risers; the better of the other two sees service as top shelf when I have a short stack. The fourth one is falling apart; it might serve as a bottom if the other ones disintegrate... I'm liking half shelves for staggering the load - helps even out the heat. The extra posts take up some room, but overhanging can make up for it. Am looking forward to joining you in new kiln land one of these days Pres. I have a plan!

Maintenance for me putters along with the work/activity - there's some clean up and put away associated with every session, tools are touched up when they begin to show dull, inventory edited/updated when container requires filling, reclaim when there's sufficient amount in that clay's bin, order/wish list updated when supply is low, orders placed when supply/item will be needed soon, and so. I'm not quite able to remember everything; lists help.

We get a few flashes of "Spring" between the onset of cool and/or wet, ~November, and onset of warmish/not as wet, about now - when daytime temps exceed 65F or so. Mostly, the "Winter" season features 40-50F overnight and 50-60F daytime, although there are flashes of sub freezing, and horribly cold days <45F. There are stretches where studio temps barely get over 50F by mid afternoon, that's over for this year. Spotted a lone (scout) Swallow mid February, a small flight early March, and another small flight this last weekend - Spring! It was a warm Winter here; many California poppies made it through the winter and posted blooms as early as February. Typically, from seed poppies start blooming late April to May, however, without another rain or two, looks like there won't be much late blooms this year. Our Summer weather pattern is almost established, overnight ~50F, daytime 55-70F, Northwest winds picking up just about every day, diminishing overnight, hence studio temps are a bit higher, things dry faster, nice! I've a bisque load to glaze, and am working on the next bisque load as well, for second ever show is coming up. Am almost decided where to put up a few more shelves, and also what items to move to storage/elsewhere, needin' more room... Our fellow potters in the Southern Hem are into Fall 'bout now.

Hi Anna! My guess, the differently coloured pots are thick/thicker - takes longer to reach peak temp, longer to burn out organics, etc. As for picking up a glaze layer, easy enough to test for difference in absorption. Given that a sufficiently thick layer of glaze is applied, reaching full maturity - the clay, that is - in the glaze fire may be at issue. The more open pots' inside can "see" the elements better - they get the radiant heat more directly than the enclosed shapes. Back to thickness, perhaps more time at the critical temps (750, 1050, 1500F) and slow ramp to peak, giving time for thicker parts. Back to thickness II, if all the ware in a load are not about the same thickness, loading so the thicker ones are in the hotter areas of the kiln should help. Some air movement - supplying oxygen - is important for thorough bisque.

Aye, have also pulled the block from the bag, sliced like bread, water spray each slice, wedge, maybe repeat, wedge thoroughly, and go to work, returning any portion not for immediate use to the bag. I'm liking when the clay is on the soft side, where wedging brings the moisture level down to just about good-oh.

Oooh yeah, forgot 'bout that! The white plastic rounder (in my picture, above) has a hole cut in the bottom; the cut off turquoise tumbler is fully open, of course, and the intact turquoise tumbler doesn't get stuck on account of the shape is not round, there are facets that allow air. The faceted one actually works better that the smooth one, imo.

Hi Roob! The RK55 is belt driven, correct? Might be a good place to start - is the problem the motor and/or upstream from there, that is, the controller, the footpedal, powercord? Or is the problem somewhere between the drive wheel on the motor and the wheel head - small pulley, belt, large pully, wheel head shaft bearings, something dragging on the wheel head. Likely that means looking underneath/inside. Be careful - unplug, push the pedal to verify, etc.

Per my limited experience, a hold at peak - adding heat work - may cause more fizzing. More heat work might clear things up for you, hmm. Are you firing same glazes, applied about same thickness, to other clays in same firing? Seeing same bubbling? In other words, any evidence that the problem is the clay vs. the glaze. Looks like very small bubbles, which mostly heal over, but leave an orange peel look - excepting for the four (or so) larger holes, which may be a dry spot (where the glaze didn't wet the clay fully going on), or a larger chunk of something in the clay off gassing, or? I found dropping and holding to help. No doubt you've already found links to Tony Hansen's articles, e.g. Drop-and-Soak Firing (digitalfire.com) and Glaze Bubbles (digitalfire.com); keep on it! Keep good notes on each case...

Likely as many takes on your/Bam's question as there are potters (plus those dreaming of being potters). While dreaming/doing can be exclusive - opposed on the "doing" continuum* - per the core o' this week's question, my thoughts on it keep veering toward the dreams that drive doing. I'm well into my third year of retirement, happy to be where I am, and looking back, gave up a lot for it - nights and weekends burned to complete my second degree, restore and remodel properties (our several homes) so we may be able to sell at a profit someday, and work, work, work (including working away from home - out o' town). In the world of 24/7 production, one must, etc. Now, the "must do" is between my partner and I, and no one else - no one that's a regular base human creature, that is. The dream, dreaming is important, whatever Hamlet say. Any road, to the question, I am competitive, to a fault, hence, to get "doing" going, a smidge of competition, whether real or imagined, doesn't matter, I'm all go. Pottery is a hobby for me; I don't see that changing. Motivation to do isn't a big deal for me. For those whom motivation looms larger, may I suggest looking at the big picture - decades down the road, what's your dream? Like the song says, "You gotta have a dream, if you don't have a dream, How you gonna have a dream come true?" Aaaand, balance, priorities. *pronounced continue-uhm; Webster on continuum: : a coherent whole characterized as a collection, sequence, or progression of values or elements varying by minute degrees "good" and "bad" … stand at opposite ends of a continuum instead of describing the two halves of a line — Wayne Shumaker

Hi Miriam! I'm re-rounding pots when a) they get a bit tweaked during the handling process - attaching handles, that is. There may be an ideal dryness where the clay is damp enough to take a handle attachment, but dry enough such that it holds its roundness. Yeah, well, sometimes I undershoot that by a bit. b) they start to go out of round whilst drying - perhaps due to the air moving from one direction, sunlight coming through the windows, a bit of uneven thickness; the first two can be ameliorated by rotating often enough. I use bats - plastic, treated powder board, plaster; am having fairly good luck with allowing the pieces to dry enough such that they can be wired off and moved without disrupting the shape. I've enough bats lying about that I'm not in a hurry to free one up. Wiring isn't needed when using plaster bats - the clay releases. The base doesn't dry as fast as the rim, being thicker, and sealed by the bat (excepting plaster bat!!), particularly the plastic bats. Placing the piece on a plaster bat will speed up drying the base. I don't mind the base being damper than the rim when it's time to trim, not at all - not trimming the top two thirds of the pot, eh? I don't throw off the wheel head - bat pins. When I do throw off the hump, careful handling and prod, jiggle, flex (as Neil suggests) gets it close enough to round. Plastic bats flex - this can be an advantage (or vexing)! Any road, here are three slightly tapered plastic vessels; the tall one fits my mugs, the cut one fits soup mugs, and the white one sees use for larger pieces. Typically, I'm finding bowls keep their shape fairly well - a glaze fired bowl can serve as a rounder, when needed... I'm still working on repeat forms - the two mugs on the left are within a millimeter or so, 450 gram mugs. The taller one is a 500 gram mug. Drying can be delayed/controlled. I will mist (spray bottle) and cover (with a bucket) to arrest drying.

Hi Miriam! Regarding 2) throw on my plastic bats You might try wiring the piece earlier - when it is starting to stiffen up, but not yet ready for trimming. Later, when it is ready to trim, you might need to wire it again, however, it will be easier. Before taking the bat off the wheel, trimming away the skirt at the base - leaving a groove may make removing the piece easier later on. Some potters wire the piece before moving the batt off the wheel, then wire again later. I'll typically wire pieces and remove them from the batt when they are stiff enough to move, but not yet ready for trimming. Timing! As for 1) throw directly on the wheel There are tricks, e.g. leave a thicker base reset to round via the way the piece is set down - takes practice reset to round when leather-ish hard using a tapered tool. I have a collection of tapered plastic containers I use. Here's a "rounder" that Bill Van Gilder demonstrates in a video. He used to have them for sale on his website as well. I prefer a steeper taper...

Coffee Food and drink. I'm believing the cautions taken are sufficient. There is some dust generation - however careful I'm bein' - hence food and drink is sometimes covered, and I've a bucket of clean water just for second rinse against clay prints on things, including food. Check the handle/outside of that coffee cup/door handle/light switch - touched things. As for testing/measuring for airborne dust, still watching the horizontal surfaces for accumulation, particularly accumulation rate; interesting how it can vary, likely not all clay related, there's the usual living dust(), plus what wafts in the rollup door. I'm not seeing any difference between aged reclaim and just reclaimed, so not aging. The clay, heh. Having overlooked element <> ware spacing suggestions, I'm leaving more room now, but still less than what's typically recommended; am also cramming ware fairly close together in glaze fire. Interesting how the red sometimes picks up blue, am thinking from the neighbors.

I'm also: recycling clay (adding some of Nerd's reclaim mix), which isn't particularly rare - it all goes in there, excepting what's been on the floor retaining and recycling glaze dribs, drabs, etc. - first batch came out grayish blue, and behaves well enough that I've started on next batch sharpening trimming tools - the bladed ones, which I've been making from hack saw blades turning clockwise - the wheels I started on have reversing switches, hence, I tried both ways; clockwise is easier for me

Searching dust threads, found "What things you do that most others don't, that you ain' gonna stop doin' neither?" Perhaps "What studio habits/practices do you remain committed to that most other potters do not practice?" 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).

Hi Nics! Potterycrafts is carrying an Alsager (out of stock). Try contacting Potterycrafts? They carry a few wheels that look (kinda) like a Wenger - Cowley, Alsager, Staffordshire... Excerpted from https://www.potterycrafts.co.uk "Potterycrafts was formed in 1983 with the merger of the craft supplies businesses of three industrial companies Podmore, Wenger and Harrison Mayer following their purchase by Cookson plc. Potterycrafts became an independent company in 1988..."

Have been daydreaming a round robin workshop - where each participant shares some of their techniques - of folk from this forum; how interesting it would (very likely) be to meet you all!

Jerry Marshall, the guy turning out lids offa mound in the You Tube vid. Bill Van Gilder, because his book, articles, vids and that ancient (1986) cbs interview were (still are) helpful and inspiring - it'd be worth the trip just to thank him; Hsin-Chuen Lin, also because - his vids so helpful and inspiring and I'd like to just say thank you; Bunzy Sherman, err, I'm happy to wait a very long time for that ...when I get to meet alla people I miss or never met; ditto Warren, Ruth, Ziesel, and others. Someone who is an expert thrower who (somehow, amazing, right?) also clearly recalls the learning process and has the incredible knack of teaching and communicating, oh, and toss in a biting and insightful sense of humor please. ...and I hope the presenter is both small and a woman, just to turn gender bias on its ear, and the big strong thing at the same time.

Hi Pir! Agreed that checking sg is just for repeatability - do a thorough stir, getting all/any gel on the sides and bottom. The value would be significant if one were sharing results with others (who may use the different equipment, eh?), I suppose. Are you able to get repeatable sg using same equipment? Watch the level, and any drips stuck on thar. I use a cheap plastic graduated cylinder, looking to get within a gram on repeated measurements o' same glaze... I'm trying for same sg, very nearly same thixotropy as "last time," unless I didn't like how the glaze went on - if going on thick, lower sg; if running and dripping, more gel! Each glaze is a bit different, that's where the notes help somewhat... I go wetter on account of it gives me more control of the thickness of the layer, and it also wets the nooks and crannies, any carving, etc much better - it covers better. I say more control because the same dip time as a "dryer" glaze yields a thinner layer; I don't have to be precise with the dip or pour time - the time window of success is bigger. Also, wetter on account of a "dryer" glaze that doesn't gel well - low thixotropy - will be unmanageable goop when jelled, won't it? The Epsom salt or vinegar increases the thixotropy (gel); the glaze sheets off the ware, then stops moving. The glaze behaves as a liquid when moving; when not moving, it gels. It Just Stops. That's the revelation in my glazing - the glaze doesn't just run and drip ...and drip and drip. Staying suspended better is a side benefit for me - I want help with applying the glaze in an even well behaved layer. I don't mind that it takes a bit longer to fully dry.

Hi Jamie, Try a .pdf reader? If you are running windows, Sumatra is free, simple, easy Free PDF Reader - Sumatra PDF (sumatrapdfreader.org) I can read the file ok. Likely you will be looking at disassembling the pedal and troubleshooting from there; good luck!

I've gone wetter and jellier. My post, copied from Uneven dipped glaze application - Clay and Glaze Chemistry - Ceramic Arts Daily Community I'm having better dipping results after employing Tony Hansen's suggestions, here https://digitalfire.com/4sight/library/thixotropy_and_how_to_gel_a_ceramic_glaze_73.html I'm thinning my glazes (I have some white and light blue premix powders, the rest are mixed from raw ingredients in my studio) to ~1.41 to 1.47 specific gravity (I'm keeping notes on each glaze), then adjusting thixotropy with Epsom salts ...then, much easier to apply glaze in even layer, not too thick, and they "gel" (that is, not run and drip!) better. When piece is lifted out of the glaze bucket, a good grip helps, for a few sharp shakes helps to lose any drips, then wait for the glaze to mostly gel, and finally, smooth any drips with a wet finger before they set up, where the trick is to not smooth too soon, else the glaze will be thin there, and not too late, for the drip won't smooth. Viola! Hope that helps. and from White glaze problems - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community How "wet" the glaze is - ratio of water to solid matter - can be expressed in terms of specific gravity: Specific gravity (digitalfire.com) I'm running between 1.39 to 1.47 (per my notes - keep notes!!) for the several glazes I use, mostly mixed from raw materials (I don't plan to buy any more premix, but do plan to use the premix I do have until gone - a powder blue, bad clear, and a matte white). A wetter glaze allows a wider (longer) "window" of dip time to achieve desired thickness, but will take longer to dry. A wetter glaze may also be more prone to running/dripping, however, the undesirable movement can be ameliorated! A less wet glaze typically goes on too thickly. How the glaze moves can be adjusted: Thixotropy (digitalfire.com) This is the hot tip! A wetter glaze that has been adequately "gelled" goes on like a dream! I'm not having to rush to avoid a too thick glaze layer; a shake or two takes care of drops at the rim; any remaining drops I'll just run around the rim; any other remaining drops, I'll wait several seconds for the glaze layer to loose its sheen, then smooth the drop with a wet finger*. Glazing (almost all dip/pour - very little brushing, no spraying) is much more fun for me now. As I typically don't glaze fire twice a month (if that), I start out with thorough mixing, sieve, then check/adjust specific gravity, leaving thixotropy check for last. Turning the glaze with a large kitchen whisk (clockwise, easier on my hand, elbow, etc.) to the meter of "Positive Vibration" (Bob Marley's 1976 album), when stirring is ceased, I expect: the glaze to turn as a mass, with very little shear (iow, not much currents of differing speeds); the mass to continue turning for about three to four turns; the mass to slow and stop all together - again, very little currents of differing speed; the mass to "bounce back" a bit when it stops. The desired behaviour - liquid when moving, gelled when not moving - is much more conducive to successful glazing than the "liquid until it dries" extreme (imo). Inadequately gelled glaze will exhibit currents of differing speeds as it turns in the bucket (use round buckets; square buckets are bad, heh) - a portion of the glaze will just keep on spinning for quite some time, whilst shearing against the portion of glaze moving at a slower speed. *Some prefer to allow droplets to fully dry, after which they can be levelled by "fettling."