Hulk

More from Labor Day glaze fire, Clockwise, from top left Tortilla warmer in Cassius. I took a closer look (with magnification), see now that the clear glaze that "clears" the bubbles fairly well over the black clay also crazes (my vision ain' great); have finished the one bag, may not buy more... Storage jar, ~7.5 inches tall, same Rutile Green The two mugs are same Selsor Faux Celedon, same white clay - the seven o'clock one is from previous bisque and glaze firing, the five o'clock one appears similar (the colours are actually about the same - camera settings, not), but very little crazing, just a few spots! Hard to believe that firing (more thorough bisque and a bit cooler glaze with slower initial cooldown) could make that much difference!? Same clay, same glaze. ...more testing...

From Labor Day's glaze firing Clockwise, top left, Test tiles for "waste" glaze (retained, settled, sieved and adjusted cleanup, wipe off, etc. - just over 1.5 gallons; it's "free!"), crazes over these clays, may fit buff and red clays better, tbd New lower expansion liner glaze (per recent entry to https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/19922-clay-composition-and-crazing), goes on well, looking good so far - more testing required. I'm not minding the specks, which may be from petalite, as all the other ingredients have been used in previous low expansion trials... Am still liking the Lakeside Clear Blue, here over white clay; the lower part is BVG Rutile Green, which mutes the carved red slip - will be trying this again. Really liking this tin chrome red, here over Cassius. This firing, no bloating in the black clay pieces, likely due to extended bisque (longer holds at critical temps). Selsor Faux Celedon (with some minor coe adjustment) over buff clay - really like this look.

Less inflammatory diet seems to help me significantly, also as much activity - mostly cardio, onna bike and in the pool - as I can fit in, with full range o' intensity, given enough rest to fully recover at least once every ten days or so (at my "age" it can take a few days to recover). For some bits, targeted routines (aka Physical Therapy - in caps, on account o' th' copay$$) really helps. Base o' th' thumb, left hand, is the touchiest bit for me - lucky to still have all ten fingers, so there's options; from there, a couple o' Reynaud's toes, then elbows, shoulders, hip. So far, am able to stay away from aggravating the touchy parts in the studio. Keeping hands and feet (especially them toes) warm, that's important. Daily citrus seems to be (almost) critical. On flat bar bike, molded grips and sram shifters (easier on the thumbs) works for me; on the road bike, sram shifters (fit my hands better), bits of elastomeric padding under the tape, and hand position (weight bearing on the ulnar side) all help. Top left, then clockwise: paddle-y molded grip (not exact same that I use, but close); elastomeric under tape padding (for drop bars) - I cut just the bits I need, about a square inch behind the brifters, and full length of the drop; Tyler can custom make you any kind/shape of cu$tom of bar you want (message me); a swept back bar. There's a "bike kitchen" near us - good option for browsing "gently used" parts - perhaps there's one near you (St. Pete Bike Co-Op) Lady.

I'm trimming most pieces, however, the amount trimmed away has been diminishing - almost to where the there's just enough clay left at bottom to trim a foot (+ a bit of wiggle room) and enough on the lower side to complete a smooth arc to the foot.

First ever commission, spec was for black clay, hence one bag o' Cassius. It's so smooth and plastic, a joy to work with ...and, one can more easily see everywhere that clay can (and will) go... From there, similar road as very red clay, longer and targeted bisques, clearing bubbles, dodging bloat... Lately, am venturing into the joy and heartache of the teapot; good to be trying something new/challenging, eh?

About the same as - surround sound a) set to local public radio station, else KPIG (mostly rooock) b) streaming favourite public radio shows "on demand" from old laptop c) playing music from mah extensive library (stored on same old laptop)

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.

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.

"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.

Nice work Phill! Looks like plans are available (Simon's webpage); might be interesting/worthwhile to inquire regarding naming, particularly if copying the design... Does the layout have to be flipped to turn clock wise? I'd like to go with a bearing over the leather strap, and more metal/composite over wood, and easily reversible ...am liking the (electric) foot pedal more tho'!

Recall we received clarification from Orton on small vs large cones: https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/21668-kiln-sitter-cone-for-witness-cone The website was corrected (the .pdf was ok) The small cone description has been changed on Orton's website, now reads (emphasis added) "Small Cones used on the kiln shelf deform at about 9°F after Large or Self-Supporting Cones of the same number." My take is still (mostly) repeatability - how the glaze and clay behaves when cone is bent thus, hence difference between large and small cones matters when a) switching to the other cone type (I like the small ones) and/or b) when sharing firing info with others.

Hi Michaela, Kudos on motor replacement and adding a foot control! I don't have a suggestion on the gearbox - not finding any detail on the gearing. There is a 1-101 on eBay right now; they're asking a Lot of $ (imo). The original motor is AC? Varying the speed on that wouldn't be trivial. Good luck!

Check Claybabe's post on page two, the .pdf is still available. https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/37-anyone-have-a-really-old-creative-industries-model-mp-wheel/page/2/ ...looks like JohnnyK posted the same manual on page three! Per said manual, CI wheels have a reversing plug; the Jr model is .25 hp, "...can center 25 pounds of clay..." Centering capacity and hp ratings - not an exact science. If your JR model is still running well, give it a break and stick to small pots?

Long limbs, eye that, in the 99th percentile, reach for height - fun shopping for long sleeve shirts that fit at the wrist, neck, and body ...on t'other hand, reaching the top shelf, painting walls, etc., heh. Often overlooked: a) clay shifting on the wheelhead/bat, where just a smidge of movement is all it takes to "throw" off your center. b) shearing - apply too much pressure, too soon, where the separation/shear that results will continue to influence that pot, throughout - start over. c) poorly prepared, where a thick or thin bit of clay, bubble, crumb - any inconsistency - will disrupt the flow of the clay. d) poorly prepared, where thorough wedging is continued in the several "conings" (as DH mentioned, above) on the wheel, continued, where a clockwise thrower tips up the rams head to the right, eh? Try it. e) poorly thrown base, as the opening and working of the base/bottom is a continuation of the preparation to throw a vessel - easy to impart a shear at this step. f) direction, where one may be better suited for one over the other; whilst I can (sort of) throw counter clockwise, t'other is soo much easier for me. There may be a right/left handedness to it, meh, I'm right handed. f) too wet/dry, where the patience and persistence required to work stiff clay ...it's difficult! ...and squishy clay doesn't provide much feedback, and requires quick work. If the clay is a smidge too damp to start with, it will be just right once thoroughly wedged - wedging removed some moisture, eh? Learning (wouldn't say learned) all that th' hard way. Having seen eighty five pound eighty five year old potter throw large pots without straining (except, perhaps, lifting the clay to and from the wheel head!), not sure much strength is required?

Nice color! ...however, "Significant Flaw: potentially toxic" Barium, just not seeing a need, excepting for a smidge in scummy clays...

"Did anyone live through the chalk blackboard era...." yeps, and music class as well

Fluctuation in humidity (what Curt said, above) is key; your fridge idea would likely help, however, likely wouldn't take long to fill it up. I like the points Preeta (also above) made - one's progression is a factor. I'm culling more green ware to reclaim than ever, but it's still not enough!

How has your work progressed in terms of thickness and shape(s)? Several folk have worked toward thin/light sections, then moved away from the extreme for strength, durability and feel. Just into my third year, I have turned away from thin, for the most part.