Hulk

When I retired from my day job, I had 3 choices for my "pay out" of accrued vacation/sick leave etc.:  save for the inevitable rainy day; go to Europe to visit art/culture centers like Italy/Germany/France (I've never never been north of Maine) or; make myself a studio.  My big treat for myself was buying new equipment-I am a wizard at saving money & have no problem with used/repurposed stuff, but this represented what I had put on the back burner for over 40 years, so brand new it was! Highest costs were my L&L 23s kiln, the Brent ie-X wheel, and my Bailey table top slab roller. Equally expensive was changing the big bedroom into a studio and the back porch into a kiln room, with proper electric, running water, floor covering, & lighting. Even tho I am not doing as much now & the body & brain are resisting a bit, it is still the best money I ever spent!

1.  Greenhouse where the pottery started to take over.
2.  Electronic controller for third-hand manual kiln.
 

Ain' got me flab roller yet.
:|
Aaand, I still have some flab.

Used, err, second hand wheel (it was still squeaky new), and very used kiln (it works gud) easily outdistance other equipment, although initial order - glaze materials, clay, some other clay supplier stuff - was more than the kiln, less than the wheel. Also spent some change on two semesters at the local JC Ceramic lab for Wheel I and Wheel II classes. The wheel, kiln, materials/supplies/tools and classes were all great investments.
Over the last sixteen years, the pounds have been dropping off, am down about ninety five or so, all without a flab roller, but the bike helps, and it rolls!

Ain' got me flab roller yet.
:|
Aaand, I still have some flab.

Used, err, second hand wheel (it was still squeaky new), and very used kiln (it works gud) easily outdistance other equipment, although initial order - glaze materials, clay, some other clay supplier stuff - was more than the kiln, less than the wheel. Also spent some change on two semesters at the local JC Ceramic lab for Wheel I and Wheel II classes. The wheel, kiln, materials/supplies/tools and classes were all great investments.
Over the last sixteen years, the pounds have been dropping off, am down about ninety five or so, all without a flab roller, but the bike helps, and it rolls!

Does a vehicle count? Because I bought a minivan specifically to make my pottery business easier, although it is also my personal vehicle.
If not, then:
1. kiln
2. second hand pug mill

Pugger/mixer just edges out the kiln I bought new for most expensive pieces of equipment. 
I'm fortunate in that my husband has the skills (and welders etc) that we were able to build my slab roller and electric motor extruder. Years before we built the slab roller I put an add in the local buy & sell paper. Had to phone the add in, don't know if it was a typo or if there really is such a thing and I was misheard but the add came out as wanted: Flab Roller. 

My big Skutt was my most expensive purchase,  it was used but needed elements  and a new cord.  My Bailey slab roller with the added cost of building a table for it was second.   My new AIM test kiln and Brent wheel were about the same price as the slab roller.   Best buy for the money was the slab  roller,  I have used it more than any of the other equipment.   I have never had to fix it and it works like a new one,  I could sell it easily for the money I have in it.  I will probably keep it until I kick the bucket,  people will be walking past it at my estate sale wondering what in the heck it was used for.     Denice

Hi folks, no new question in the pool so I will pose another. Based on my buying my first new kiln in over 30 years, anything over 4k is a big expense, especially for a retired teacher and hobby potter. So I will ask of you:
QotW: What is your first and second most expensive equipment expense? 
This is a pretty easy question for me, as #1 is the new kiln, the L&L e28m-3 , and #2 is my 30 year old Brent CXC potters wheel. Really in the end, considering the years of use. . . these have been really cheap, even though the original sticker shock is daunting!
 
best,
Pres

My wedging area is a good height for standing, and I find it easier that way - leverage? The glaze mixing space - at the exhaust fan intake - requires standing. When glazing, I'm standing when stirring and dipping. There are several other tasks that require standing, and I get up from the wheel fairly often.
Otherwise, I'm looking to have a seat - several lil' nagging conditions make being on my feet a lot uncomfortable.
Also, at the wheel I'm dependent on the splash pan and my knee area for bracing arms/hands.
Your question has me reflecting on the many adjustments made, over the years, t' work around, aaah, limitations. I'm very fortunate!

Hi folks, no new questions in the pool. . . but I have been thinking, and doing some reading.
Often when working I stand, especially when handbuilding, Standing gives me much more leverage when wedging, rolling out slabs or coils. Later, when assembling I find myself standing over the banding wheel while working and while analyzing and planning the next stages of the piece. I stand when putting handles on thrown mugs and other forms. I stand when decorating with brush work and other forms. For me standing gives me more control over my view of the pot from different angles, up and down. I think much of this comes from standing in front of an easel when working with canvas or stretched watercolor paper.  
However, when it comes to throwing, I still sit with an adjustable chair that has a tilt leaning me towards the wheel. I often will change the height of the chair when throwing as the pot gets taller or if throwing off the hump. I often will end up standing in final stages of tall pieces so that I can reach with a straight arm down into the form. Everything seems quite natural, and I have not had back problems in many years, so do as I have come to be used to.
So I will ask this: QotW: Whether hand building or throwing, assembling or decorating, do you stand or sit?
 
best,
Pres

Someday, I hope we get that far! It'll be outdoors, so the kiln won't be a permanent fixture and it's very unlikely there will be both a car and a firing cycle needed on the same day. The goal is to meet the need (i.e. talk the landlord into it) of an electric car charging spot (no one has one in the town of a hundred people, but people's out-of-town friends do) that can be used to charge a car two or three times a year, and power the kiln two or three times a year. The kiln will be moved, set up, loaded, plugged in, etc. etc. for each firing cycle. Highly not ideal, I know, but its the high desert- getting a few weeks of zero chance of rain is pretty easy, and since we all rent, an indoor or hardwired kiln is not an option for the foreseeable future. This kiln is very mobile in its modular form and has been moved upstairs, downstairs, through various basements, into and out of several vehicles, etc. We're getting pretty good at it. 

I always have a cup of coffee next to my wheel as I'm throwing. Or doing anything really. 

This is the No. 8 Not Broken piece today-it is indeed already "lighter" in affect, and that is a deliberative part of my process for this mask. When done, it will be more uplifting, bright and pretty rather than sad or gloomy. The edges are no longer so fragile, rough, and craggy, but are smooth and more curved/fluid. The outline reflects the reality that while survivors can emerge from brokenness to thrive, and perhaps attain joy in their lives. The point is to not deny what has occurred and the physical/psychological imprint that may be permanent.  This one will be donated for a silent auction fundraiser for a women's shelter. The other one, on the bottom, is a memorial piece I made in personal response to a friend's suicide. It is HMS No. 3 Secrets. It was part of a community mourning event, in reaction to his passing (he was a widely known artist/photographer).  So---that's some of what I was thinking!

Wedge, aye.
Right out of a fresh bag (a well sealed actually fresh-oh bag), perhaps not, perhaps...
The last bit of clay I got, two bags seemed fresher than t'others; they were softer and more homogenous - likely right out of the bag would have been ok. The other bags, not so much.
Even a slight variation in consistency makes things harder! Looks to me that the clay flows in direction opposite to rotation of the wheel. Anywhere the flow slows down (to go around a bubble, around a blob or bit, around a less wet bit...), there's a thickening spot; anywhere the flow speeds up (wetter bit, a shear...), there's a thinning spot. I don't need more difficult!
I'm fairly certain that throwing is easier with homogenous (Dictionary.com says homogenous and homogeneous are 'bout the same, hmm; language tends to evolve to shorter/easier, so.) clay sans bubbles and bits.
I'm not certain that turning the clay ball up on its right side actually helps, but I believe it does, so, there's that also. I run the wheel clockwise, hence, the clay must turn the opposite way when dragged (by hands/tools). My final wedge is of the "rams head" variety, hence, turning it up on the right side matches what's coming on the wheel. I'm recalling that some recommend the opposite, as the finished piece will then have less of a twist and will unwind less through the drying and firing processes. Any road, I'm not certain, as I haven't thoroughly tested the notion that throwing in the same direction as wedging actually helps, nor have I tested the more/less wound up ideas. I did wedge clay balls for several of my fellow students (just the struggling ones) in "Wheel I" class - matching their counterclockwise-ness - they were amazed.
My preference is to start with clay just a bit damper/softer than ideal (for me), so it will be ideal once wedged up, for there's some moisture loss in the wedging, eh?
I'll spiral a larger chunk afore dividing into the desired size, then rams head. As it looks to me that the inside of said rams head is more static, I'll turn the clay ball several times. After the last wedge, I'm stashing the prepped balls in a container and covering them, so they don't dry out as much.
Clay that's "just right" centers easily, opens and pulls evenly, finishes round and even, winning back some o' that wedging time.
Oh, for a pug mill! I've never worked with freshly pugged clay - maybe some day. However, a new(er) kiln will likely be next.

We have discussions scattered all over the forums about aesthetics, philosophy, deliberate and unintentional technical flaws, art vs craft, the role of things like 3D printers, paint vs glaze and so forth. What we think when we are creating our pieces is quite interesting, but not discussed a whole lot, it seems.  I hope this is related to Making Work. If it belongs elsewhere I trust the mods will move it!  
Anyway, I was reading bits of discussions about these aspects of making work and was thinking about my own focal points as related to creativity, self-expression, archetypes, metaphors, serendipity (that's a biggie) and other attributes of how I do my thing.
Today's gleanings from the posts that I read had to do with flaws or failed techniques & what can go to market and what really should not see the light of a retail day or even be given to a friend. I laughed at a comment related to a hairline crack. I had just spent the morning gouging into some cracks in a drying piece,  seeing how hard I could work it before loosing what I was going for.  So-the pics are the beginning of the next piece in my Hidden Mask series, No. 8 Not Broken. I use clay to represent certain things in life--sometime very clear, sometimes very obscure. So, what was I thinking? In this case, I was thinking about a battered woman I once knew, who survived severe physical/emotional abuse & trauma, and how she may be cracked, but she is not broken. 
When you make something---what are you thinking?????

Am feelin' compelled to reiterate...
Material the motor/fan assembly is connected to can act as a sounding board.
The ducts can act as resonator tubes.
A large portion of the noise may be emanating from the intakes and exhaust.
My kiln vent is fairly quiet, however, the secondary system (overhead, for heat and any escaping fumes) is rather loud; I have some ideas for reducing the noise.
Any road, please do post an update with your findings/results OP!

Am feelin' compelled to reiterate...
Material the motor/fan assembly is connected to can act as a sounding board.
The ducts can act as resonator tubes.
A large portion of the noise may be emanating from the intakes and exhaust.
My kiln vent is fairly quiet, however, the secondary system (overhead, for heat and any escaping fumes) is rather loud; I have some ideas for reducing the noise.
Any road, please do post an update with your findings/results OP!

Wedge, aye.
Right out of a fresh bag (a well sealed actually fresh-oh bag), perhaps not, perhaps...
The last bit of clay I got, two bags seemed fresher than t'others; they were softer and more homogenous - likely right out of the bag would have been ok. The other bags, not so much.
Even a slight variation in consistency makes things harder! Looks to me that the clay flows in direction opposite to rotation of the wheel. Anywhere the flow slows down (to go around a bubble, around a blob or bit, around a less wet bit...), there's a thickening spot; anywhere the flow speeds up (wetter bit, a shear...), there's a thinning spot. I don't need more difficult!
I'm fairly certain that throwing is easier with homogenous (Dictionary.com says homogenous and homogeneous are 'bout the same, hmm; language tends to evolve to shorter/easier, so.) clay sans bubbles and bits.
I'm not certain that turning the clay ball up on its right side actually helps, but I believe it does, so, there's that also. I run the wheel clockwise, hence, the clay must turn the opposite way when dragged (by hands/tools). My final wedge is of the "rams head" variety, hence, turning it up on the right side matches what's coming on the wheel. I'm recalling that some recommend the opposite, as the finished piece will then have less of a twist and will unwind less through the drying and firing processes. Any road, I'm not certain, as I haven't thoroughly tested the notion that throwing in the same direction as wedging actually helps, nor have I tested the more/less wound up ideas. I did wedge clay balls for several of my fellow students (just the struggling ones) in "Wheel I" class - matching their counterclockwise-ness - they were amazed.
My preference is to start with clay just a bit damper/softer than ideal (for me), so it will be ideal once wedged up, for there's some moisture loss in the wedging, eh?
I'll spiral a larger chunk afore dividing into the desired size, then rams head. As it looks to me that the inside of said rams head is more static, I'll turn the clay ball several times. After the last wedge, I'm stashing the prepped balls in a container and covering them, so they don't dry out as much.
Clay that's "just right" centers easily, opens and pulls evenly, finishes round and even, winning back some o' that wedging time.
Oh, for a pug mill! I've never worked with freshly pugged clay - maybe some day. However, a new(er) kiln will likely be next.

Hello everyone.  I'm the guy who put together EuCal.  This Forum is new to me, so I have some catching up to do, but I'll do my best to help out where I can.  No calculator can predict everything.  Testing is always still needed.  When using EuCal, you will find that most glazes will tolerate SOME excess SiO2 and Al2O3 before they start getting opaque.  The recipe posted recently could probably be made slightly more transparent by reducing the EPK and Silica a little bit.

There was a recent thread where glaze eutectics was brought up. Stemming from that was a link to an article by Robert Magnuson in the Feb 2018 Ceramics Monthly which contained a link to a eutectic calculator, "EuCal",  he created. Magnuson discusses an interesting aspect of eutectics, to quote from the article:
"One of the most interesting aspects of eutectics isn’t how they melt, but how they solidify. When a eutectic mixture cools from the molten state, the individual components all stay molten together until they solidify. When they do, a transparent glass is formed. If the molten glaze contains ingredients that are not part of a eutectic, these ingredients may solidify separately while the glass is still liquid, leaving tiny crystals suspended in the glass, producing opacity and other effects in the final glaze. But, if a glaze contains only eutectic mixtures, a transparent glaze will result.
Very few glazes are based around a single eutectic and most incorporate both alkali (R2O) and alkaline earth (RO) oxides. Any combination of the eutectics of Na2O, K2O, and CaO (see left) will result in a transparent glaze. For such a neat trick, it’s surprising you don’t hear about it more often. If you have ever tried to formulate a fully transparent glaze by trial and error, you know it isn’t easy to do—unless you know this trick."
Since the time of that publication Magnuson has updated and revised his EuCal. Version 1.8 added borate eutectics for the alkali fluxes and the latest version, 1.9, added a calcium borate eutectic. This could be very useful as it now brings mid and low range glazes into play with the calculator. There are some provisions, see the read me file linked below.
Given that not everyone has access to the links in the article Jennifer Harnetty asked Magnuson for permission to link the read me file plus the eutectics calculator here to which he very kindly agreed to. I've added the links to the updated version below.
I realize this isn't an area that gets a lot of discussion but perhaps as time goes by as more people get familiar with the calculator it can be utilized as a stand alone piece of software or perhaps in tandem with Stull charts. Lots of food for thought here.
Link to the Feb 2018 article here:  https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/ceramics-monthly/ceramics-monthly-article/Techno-File-Using-Eutectics 
Link to the User File here:  https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/eucal_1_91_user_guide.pdf?Status=Master&sfvrsn=a5d9b703_5/ EuCal_1_91_User_Guide.pdf
Link to the EuCal here:https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/eucal_ver1_91.xlsm?Status=Master&sfvrsn=6fc99709_9/EuCal_ver1_91.xlsm
 

Yes, it’s fairly simple actually. Generally glazes and clay contain silica and alumina of which do not melt below about 3000f (1650c) so fluxes are added to get them to melt at a lower temperature often referred to as a eutectic point. Anyway this reaction is more dependent on time and temperature, sort of like baking a cake where the recipe says 200c for 15 minutes.
Time is an important element to get it baked correctly. Cones are made of glaze, so when a cone bends a certain amount of work has been done and we are sure it has received the right amount of heat work or has been baked correctly if you will.
It sounds complicated, but not really. For controllers to hit the right cone (which ensures the glaze and clay has received the right amount of heatwork) the last 100c of the firing is completed at a certain rate.
So in the chart below if I want to fire to cone 6 and my kiln will do 60 c per hour at the end, then I would pick 1222c from the chart, subtract 100c and my final segment would be programmed: 1122c @ 60c per hour until 1222c..
This is the easiest way to approximate a proper amount of heat work with a controller, peak temperature does not really have a bunch of meaning actually. Sort of like baking our cake, just because I hit  200c, it may or may not be finished to perfection.
Anyway, it’s easy to do and helps ensure the right amount of heat work has been done which is important to fully bake the clay and glaze. Unlike our cake, soaking at one temperature does not have the same effect, we use final rate in the last 100c to get a specific amount of heatwork.
Most kilns struggle to do 100c per hour at high temp, so 60c is usual and in the center column. Also going this moderate speed helps even out the firing through the kiln.
@MarkTilles sorry, just got all my rates corrected above, final edit.

Wow @Pres, you posted this question 21 hours ago and no-one has yet replied......
For me, the answer has to be "both".
I like ^6, but my little kiln doesn't.  The one at the community centre likes ^6, but no-one else does, or needs ^6.  
So, for some purposes, ^04 is fine, the glazes are more plentiful (UK), they come in every colour including special effects.  They suit the users at the community centre, and make my life as the advisor and firing tech much easier.
 
But for mugs, outdoor pots, bonsai pots, casserole dishes, I still want ^6.  Or higher and wood fired.

CO (Carbon  monoxide) is very dangerous to human life but in fuel based reduction a necessity to get the reduction reaction. CO is not explosive, it is the end result of a very dirty (fuel rich) flame.  Folks who do reduction generally wait until approximately 1600 f degrees to go into early reduction. This is often called body reduction or clay body reduction before the glazes have begun to melt. So why 1600 degrees? Before one introduces excess gas into a kiln to produce a dirty flame they wait for the temperature of the kiln to be above the self ignition temperature of the fuel so as not to build up enough raw gas to reach the lower explosive limit  (LEL) of the gas.
So that’s a mouthful but .........only  still very basic reduction. Reduction in electrics can be had with fuel / carbon monoxide or in some cases  chemically with silicon carbide local reactions.
Reduction atmospheres in electric kilns tend to corrode elements aggressively so Neil’s question is spot on. Pictures  of your kiln will help determine how this reaction was being obtained.
Reduction firing is fairly simple and folks do it daily with great result yet it only affects a handful of metals with respect to color and carbon trapping is a thing decoratively as well.
Much has been said about reduction, most of it with elements of correctness but as you have likely noticed much of the information can be partially correct or perception based. IMO, This is a solid description of the process and a good start: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/firing-techniques/gas-kiln-firing/demystifying-the-reduction-firing-process/  From there fuel based safety, carbon monoxide safety, gas train safety are all things one ought to learn  when firing a gas kiln, especially in reduction. Again, these things are relatively simple unfortunately one can find good and not so good explanations so locating good credible reading material is a thing.
unfortunately much of the above is from 2018 / 2019

Set o' mugs

Nah, I just don't clean my splash pan very often. That mess is from a lot of pots.
I work with cylinders rather than sausages/coils. For these I throw a 7# base slab with a 1" tall wall, then stack two 12.5# cylinders (all while wet) and pull and shape. After it stiffens up a little bit, I add another 12.5# cylinder to finish it off. So 45 pounds total.