Hulk

Cimbar's material data sheet dated 4-AUG-21 includes these paragraphs, which may reflect their "new status" as talc suppliers to potters?
"Cimtalc’s are also used to produce low expansion ceramics, for example thermal shock resistant stoneware bodies. In these, it acts as a low expansion flux that reduces body expansion by converting available quartz mineral, mainly in kaolin, to silicates of magnesia. Cordierite bodies used in kiln furniture and flameware (an a[sic] host of other applications e.g. catalytic converters) employ a high percentage of Cimbar talc and extend this concept so that all free quartz is used up.
Talc by itself it is a refractory powder; yet in amounts of only 1-3% in stoneware or porcelain bodies it can drastically improve vitrification! Yet adding these same low percentages to some zero-porosity highly vitreous bodies does cause them to warp, blister or over fire. Cone 06-04 ceramic slips containing up to 60% talc can be fired to cone 6 without melting or even deforming (50:50 mixes can even go to cone 10).
Talc is a curious glaze material also. At middle temperature raw talc is refractory, its presence tends to create opaque and matte surfaces, yet if supplied in a frit it can create wonderfully transparent glossy glazes. At cone 10 it is a powerful flux but also can be used in combination with calcium carbonate to create very tactile magnesia matte glazes (the MgO forms magnesium silicate crystals on cooling to give both opacity and a matte silky surface). This being said, where transparency is needed it is generally best to source MgO from a frit (since talc loses its water of hydration quite late in the firing, after melt of most glazes has begun)."
Cimbar offers at least six different talc products, btw.
I picked up a fifty-pound sack of C-98 when passing through Sacramento earlier this year, which may cover my talc needs for quite some time, and at a very reasonable rate as well (less than 50¢/pound)

Earlier, same room.
We're using concrete anchors to fasten the frame.
We hold that rectangle of sheetrock again' the window framing so it comes up again' the window where we want it - simple.
That 2" poly board is rated three more R than the less expensive board.
All the materials have gone up, up up! ...about a third, since we did the first room, last August.

That's the view out the front door

 
This is Camp Fire country, much quieter now.
Along this stretch, over half the homes burned.

I've forgotten half of what I knew about glaze formulation, because I just don't do much of it any more. But when I do need to do some tweaking of a glaze, I use glaze formulation software. I've used Hyperglaze since I started making pots in 1992, and it has worked well for me. Back then it was the only system for Mac users and I never found a good reason to switch to anything else. I first learned to calculate UMF by hand, which I think is a great way to understand what's happening when the software is making those calculations for you, but unless you're pretty comfortable with math it will most likely make things more confusing. A good understanding of the materials is more important IMO.
Even if you're not super knowledgable about glaze formulation, the software (whatever brand) is a great way to catalog your glazes in a format that gives you lots of information beyond just the simple recipe. It will also calculate batch sizes, which is a big help for folks who aren't handy with math.
I rarely calculate a glaze from scratch. It's just not necessary with all the glaze recipes available on the interwebs, plus I have a database of like 800 recipes that I've built up for the last 30 years. Instead, I find something that's close to what I need and tweak it as necessary. I was trained to work with the UMF, so that's what I do. Most of my tweaks involve substituting ingredients to use what I keep in inventory, and adjusting melt, glossiness, and COE.
I think the best way to begin to understand glaze formulation is to first find a good book or online tutorial on the subject that lays it out in simple terms- fluxes, stabilizers, glass formers. When I was in school we did not have such a book, only more technical tomes that were somewhat difficult to understand. But in the last 20 years there have been some great ones that make it easier to understand. From there you just have to jump in and start doing it. Test, test, test. In my 2 1/2 years of grad school I ran about 3,000 test tiles, and that really built on the foundation the books gave me and made me fluent in the glaze language. Glaze formulation has come a long way since I first learned it, and we're much more aware of the benefits of making durable glazes, whereas we used to be far more focused on jsut safety and leaching. I think glaze safety is probably the most difficult thing to learn, but again the newer books address that much better than the old classics.

@Pyewackette tagged me in  this thread with what I think is a really good question.  "@Min Really what I'm looking for are materials to help me understand what the calculators are showing me." 
Given that some of us likely use glaze calc for different reasons; perhaps it's to swap out a material and keep the UMF the same or make a matte glaze more glossy or looking at ratios or to simply look at oxide levels, or … ? I thought it would be good to start a thread on this and not just give my thoughts in the other thread. What features of the glaze calc software do you use that are the most useful? Do you use more than one feature? How helpful do you find it? Would you explain what the feature(s) you use are showing and why that’s useful.
Another question I would ask would be do you think it's important to have a basic understanding of which materials supply which oxides before you started using glaze calculation software or did you pick that up more so after you started using it?

Some days, there ain't much view at all! 

Earlier, same room.
We're using concrete anchors to fasten the frame.
We hold that rectangle of sheetrock again' the window framing so it comes up again' the window where we want it - simple.
That 2" poly board is rated three more R than the less expensive board.
All the materials have gone up, up up! ...about a third, since we did the first room, last August.

That's the view out the front door

 
This is Camp Fire country, much quieter now.
Along this stretch, over half the homes burned.

"Studio" the last few weeks.
Here we're building out the cinder block 2.75", filling the bays with 2" insulation foam, pulling new wiring all around, hanging and finishing sheetrock, repairing and restoring the ceiling and other walls, texture, prime, paint, electrical finish.
Next, the third bedroom, which has one exterior wall, one window.
Here the lid is painted, next, walls.

Next door.
Toms are full on this time of year.

"Studio" the last few weeks.
Here we're building out the cinder block 2.75", filling the bays with 2" insulation foam, pulling new wiring all around, hanging and finishing sheetrock, repairing and restoring the ceiling and other walls, texture, prime, paint, electrical finish.
Next, the third bedroom, which has one exterior wall, one window.
Here the lid is painted, next, walls.

Next door.
Toms are full on this time of year.

"Studio" the last few weeks.
Here we're building out the cinder block 2.75", filling the bays with 2" insulation foam, pulling new wiring all around, hanging and finishing sheetrock, repairing and restoring the ceiling and other walls, texture, prime, paint, electrical finish.
Next, the third bedroom, which has one exterior wall, one window.
Here the lid is painted, next, walls.

Next door.
Toms are full on this time of year.

@Hulk My first car (that ran) was a 69 VW Fastback.  I loved that car!  She had a name.  Lola.
I was almost all set to rebuild her engine (I was just waiting to catch the Snapon Tool Man for the last tool needed) when I opened the trunk one day (in the front of that car) and I was looking at the tire, and it wasn't the spare.  Turned out the only thing holding it together was the heavy duty trunk liner.
Lola:  RIP.  Died of terminal rust.

Reading up on direct current motors, seems that brushless are better in just about every way, except initial costs.
Expect more brushless motor pottery wheels down the road, maybe.

I prefer waffles, then egg soaked fried in butter bread, aka "french toast" - but pancakes are solid third for me in traditional just in time breakfast stovetop fare - without gettin' into special, e.g. croissant, raised biscuit, xmas morning bread...
In motor talk, "pancake" typically refers to a flat/horizontal space saving design, like what VW put in the fastback type cars, and the later model buses. It's flat.
The Whisper doesn't use a belt and pulley - it's direct drive, and the motor is brushless. It also looks kinda flat.
Looks like replacements are somewhat expensive.
 

Absolutely, the pots definitely work, very nice.
As for qow, there are some pots I don't trim, but not many.
I like
a) to establish the ring where the finger catches on the bottom, particularly for unhandled ware, so there's a closed angle between thumb and fingers (I have "bad" thumbs)
b) to trim the portion within the ring to match the contour of the pot, which typically has a slight arc to it, which then flattens a bit in drying
c) to glaze the portion within the ring
d) to burnish the clay, particularly the bare part
e) to tool the portion within the footring
f) chatter mark
Hence, both, it's clean-up, for there's clay to remove, and enhance, per I like, above, however, trimming is just part of my process, and the ring is mainly practical for me.
As for being part of the creative process, yes, I believe so. The humble portion - it's part of the pot, after all! 
Here's the mug I brought with on my trip - the size I like, just over ten ounces.

Is that a belt or cone drive?
Any road, sounds like a flat spot on the cone / bad spot on the belt or pulley. Is the sound synched with the wheel?

These photos were from April 12.  The first one, looking straight on to the patio, is my view from my studio.  Our basement is garden level, so I have nice light.  I can watch the birds as they come to the patio for a drink from the dog's water bowl, or to find a place to nest.  The 2nd photo is simply looking from the upstairs at the  birdbaths filled with snow that day!  
The snow is gone now for sure!  We have had lots and lots of wind this spring.  Once again, we are concerned about the fire danger.  Seems to start earlier every year.  
Roberta

Here is the view from my Summer Studio (on the back porch).

Yes that's a pile of brush.  I cut down a Holly tree that was crowding the eaves awhile back because (a) it had been hacked into pompom shapes at some point and (b) it was too big for where it was at even if it HADN'T been turned into a monstrosity of psudeo-topiary.  I'm working on it.  I am building a beetle bank as I cut it up into smaller pieces.  I'm only recently beginning to be normal, health-wise, again.
And those are my curry leaf plants - what's left of them after 6 months of torture - in that cage to protect them from the blue jay that has developed a taste, apparently, for Indian herbs.  @Hulk my orchids got left behind in the move.  I'd had them for 3 years.  Poo!

(I had been painting, that seemed like the never-ending-renovation)
They bloomed every single year.  I can't believe that's the only picture I ever took of them.  I miss my orchids!
Still haven't found my bats.  I was hoping there was at least one in the box with the wheel, but NOOoooOOooOoo!  I'll have to borry one from the studio until I find mine or get some, or I break down and make the hardiebacker bats I've been threatening to make.  They're cut.  I just need to measure for the bat pins, find some tubing as hole protectors, and Do It.
And here is what I have to look forward to when it gets cold again:

Minus the washing machine and accoutrements which are going next to the kitchen sink.  It's a little Magic Chef portable washer, the middle sized one.  The whole room is all of 6'x6.25'.  No windows.  Barely any space at all.  There is a utility tub on the wall to the left in the garage so there is that.
So yay!  Guess which space I prefer!

Ok, been awhile since I've given any update on this. The new capacitor I had installed was good, the resistors all checked good, diodes were ok. With some guidance from a friend I bypassed the PCB and pot/pedal, I also installed a 500w $15 work light in place of the motor to test that the bridge, switch and fuse were good. The light turned on, so I connected the motor in that configuration instead of the light and it ran full speed again (hooray!/?)
 
Now I've narrowed it *back* down to the PCB and pot, so tomorrow when I get home from work I'll run a jumper across the terminals for the potentiometer and see if it gets full current and spins full speed that way. Hopefully it does, then I'll only need to track down a replacement 60 year old slide potentiometer. 
 
Worst case scenario, I know how to turn it into a ceramics themed night stand/lamp combo 
 
Once I get it figured out I'll try to post a circuit diagram so anyone else that doesn't want to spend the money on a new control board has some sort of reference material

Absolutely, the pots definitely work, very nice.
As for qow, there are some pots I don't trim, but not many.
I like
a) to establish the ring where the finger catches on the bottom, particularly for unhandled ware, so there's a closed angle between thumb and fingers (I have "bad" thumbs)
b) to trim the portion within the ring to match the contour of the pot, which typically has a slight arc to it, which then flattens a bit in drying
c) to glaze the portion within the ring
d) to burnish the clay, particularly the bare part
e) to tool the portion within the footring
f) chatter mark
Hence, both, it's clean-up, for there's clay to remove, and enhance, per I like, above, however, trimming is just part of my process, and the ring is mainly practical for me.
As for being part of the creative process, yes, I believe so. The humble portion - it's part of the pot, after all! 
Here's the mug I brought with on my trip - the size I like, just over ten ounces.

Absolutely, the pots definitely work, very nice.
As for qow, there are some pots I don't trim, but not many.
I like
a) to establish the ring where the finger catches on the bottom, particularly for unhandled ware, so there's a closed angle between thumb and fingers (I have "bad" thumbs)
b) to trim the portion within the ring to match the contour of the pot, which typically has a slight arc to it, which then flattens a bit in drying
c) to glaze the portion within the ring
d) to burnish the clay, particularly the bare part
e) to tool the portion within the footring
f) chatter mark
Hence, both, it's clean-up, for there's clay to remove, and enhance, per I like, above, however, trimming is just part of my process, and the ring is mainly practical for me.
As for being part of the creative process, yes, I believe so. The humble portion - it's part of the pot, after all! 
Here's the mug I brought with on my trip - the size I like, just over ten ounces.

Absolutely, the pots definitely work, very nice.
As for qow, there are some pots I don't trim, but not many.
I like
a) to establish the ring where the finger catches on the bottom, particularly for unhandled ware, so there's a closed angle between thumb and fingers (I have "bad" thumbs)
b) to trim the portion within the ring to match the contour of the pot, which typically has a slight arc to it, which then flattens a bit in drying
c) to glaze the portion within the ring
d) to burnish the clay, particularly the bare part
e) to tool the portion within the footring
f) chatter mark
Hence, both, it's clean-up, for there's clay to remove, and enhance, per I like, above, however, trimming is just part of my process, and the ring is mainly practical for me.
As for being part of the creative process, yes, I believe so. The humble portion - it's part of the pot, after all! 
Here's the mug I brought with on my trip - the size I like, just over ten ounces.

I was going thru downsizing old Ceramics Monthly's yesterday -the 60s and 70,s issues-kept a few 70s glaze recipes rest hit the recycle bin
I found this ad in the October 1970 issue-My Model C is that wheel assembled it was $265-splash pan was galvanized sheet steel. The thing to note was the flat formica decks and the foot pedal those are the two features that they changed fairly quickly in early 70s.  The other features that changed soon afterwards where 3/4 shafts on all wheels (these where 5/8 inch) and motors that had easy change brushes on the outside of motor. This ad also notes the location in Santa Monica that I bought my wheel from Brent himself-which was 1970.
Brent moved shortly afterwards to Healdsburg Ca.. I met recently a woman who's husband worked there back in the mid 70s. Small world
 

Greetings.
This may seem a bit simplistic, but in the last picture you posted the brown and black leads in the middle of the block coming from the thermocouple sure look they are not stripped.  I'd guess you torqued them down and have marginally intermittent connection where the screw cut through the wire's jacket.  Maybe it's the angle of the picture but it should be nothing but metal to metal contact at the bottom of that screw.  Just something easy to check that nobody brought up.  Good luck.

Have 4 Paragons, and hit this issue on 3. The wires from the thermocouple to the block are constricted in a narrow channel, typically less than 1/16th separates them. The heat caused enough expansion that caused the wires to touch. Ended up putting a small piece of fiber insulation between them, after I separated them (very carefully). 
Tom

Must be nice to have all those trees,   not many trees in Kansas.   I have tried planting them a couple of times and the deer manage to kill them.   We have a creek about 3 blocks from our house with a large population  on deer.  Did anyone else get snow yesterday,  it looked like Christmas card snow.    Denice

We had snow in the Chicago area on Thursday morning. Then I headed to Michigan in the afternoon where we had flurries all afternoon, and woke up to more than an inch on Friday morning. It's mostly melted now, though. The farmhouse I'm staying at abuts a forest preserve, and we've had up to 20 deer at a time hanging out at the edge of the yard.