Hulk

Working on test for a  Greek mythology set.

I spent the weekend glazing the rest of my bisqueware I had saved up, finishing bottoms and taking pictures.  Going to be listing it all on my online store and having a fun sale sometime in the coming weeks.  I have some stuff I know will be popular just from how many people on instagram, facebook and reddit have reached out to try to snipe things early.  
I participated in my local clay art associations pot swap this year and will be sending out this plate to the person whose name I drew!
 

Hmm, sorry, didn’t mean to imply anything other than very fine brushwork is possible as well as depth and precision. Just a possibility, not meant as an assessment in any way.  Just meant as some more ideas that may or may not interest you. Your conclusion “any suggestions welcome” was taken as such.
sorry again.

Thanks for the follow up Brandon B, and good work!

I just replaced the potentiometer in the pedal with the one from the website above. It was a little tricky.
First, unsolder the old slider, and remove it. 
Second, the slider arm is too fat to fit inside of the metal arm, so I secured it in a vice and used a file to trim the fat off the top and bottom of the slider arm.
Third, the potentiometer's install tab is on the wrong side. I used a 1/4" chisel to pop a small slit in the plastic plate so the tab could go through. Epoxy was my backup plan, but the chisel worked. Then I bent the tab so lock the pot in place on the plastic board.
Fourth, I gently bent the prong to the side so it would touch the connecting wire. I pressed the connecting wires into place that attach the slider pot to the trim pots. The connecting wires are stiff wire, not multi stranded, so you can move them into place and they will stay put. 
Fifth, the connecting wires had enough solder on them to reattach them, but I put a dab of solder on top, just to be sure.
I found when I ran the first test, that I had to really tighten up the Allen set screw on the metal arm, because the old pot is very easy to slide compared to the new one. I reset the trim pots and it works perfectly.
Frankly, I'm surprised at how easy everything went together. I'm sure there are pots that might have the tab on the right side and a skinnier slider arm, but whatever. The wheel moves sooooooooooo beautifully. I've used a bunch of Brents, but I've never seen it ramp up and down so smoothly. I'm happy with the results. 
 

According to the features published it can automatically and also has a speed control.
“Intellectual Mixing Technology: Real-time monitoring of clay consistency can be accomplished while mixing. Similar to an automatic transmission, the Pugger-Mixer can automatically speed up or slow down based on the hardness of the clay being processed. The operator can also control the speed by controlling the variable speed knob.”

NVS-07
VPM-20
VPM-7
            ...and all PP, it seems. I wouldn't consider any others, hence ah'm done.

Hi Kate...Welcome to the forum. Noisy is a relative term. Noisy with relation to what? Is it a noticeable whirring noise or does it howl like a loose fan belt on a car...or somewhere in between? There's a good possibility that it could be a loose fan belt in which case you can tighten it by moving the motor away from the centerline of the unit. If it's more of a grinding type noise, then it could be a bearing. It's been a while since I've had the undercarriage housing off and I don't remember the configuration, so I can't say how hard or easy bearing replacement would be. IMO anything that runs with a belt is going to generate a certain amount of noise...it's just a matter of what you consider noisy and whether or not you can live with it...BTW, Kate, did the wheel come with any kind of splash pan? If not, I can give you an idea of how I made mine. Just look earlier in this thread to get an idea of what I've done.

I peeked in on the liner tile firing this morning,  they looked great.  I am going  to have my husband help me unload the kiln tomorrow.   I loaded it myself and made my hand that I had the surgery on recently swell up.    Ice pack took care of it,  but I am going to try not to push it for a while.     Denice

They sure aren’t! Glaze isn’t quite the same as glass either, although it shares some ingredients. It’s like the difference between bread and cake. There’s some ingredient crossover and you need to bake (fire) them both, but techniques and times that work for a crusty sourdough will do something awful to a chocolate sponge. 

If she used glass in her clay, it’s ill advised on her part. I know it doesn’t stop some people if they don’t see anything going wrong immediately, but that doesn’t make it a good idea. The coe of bottle glass or other commonly available glasses including stains and frits used in a hot shop are too distant from that of most pottery clays. I’ve gone on clay/glass rants before. I don’t know that the internet needs another one.
If you want a similar effect, you could try mixing a clear blue glaze as a paste, crumble it and fire the bits just enough so they sinter. This will keep them from dissolving when you add them to another clear or translucent glaze bucket. They should melt together for a similar effect. The Jungle Jems line does something similar I believe. 
 
 

Sbsoso- welcome to the forum.
You did not State clay body type: but I will go with porcelain. When doing production: not a bad idea to keep 25lbs from the previous lot to compare to the new lot if problems arise. No problems before, and now problems means the first stop is to check with supplier if others have reported issues. Like potters, clay manufacturers shop for low prices: which sometimes creates issues. You have a plasticity issue which you can only resolve by adding water. Adding water does not increase plasticity; just moves the body closer to its liquid limits. Adding water will also increase drying issues such as warping. Your plasticity issue is caused by one of two things: the % of plasticizer has been lowered, or the plasticizer (ball clay) has lower plasticity properties. The second is Nep Sy being used as a body flux. Nep Sy has 14% soluble salts that can migrate: which can cause rapid dehydration of water. Sodium is hydrophobic- fancy word for- not fond of water. Again adding water compounds the problem by allowing further migration of soluble salts. 
As others stated: de-airing pugmill has zero influence. All a de-airing pluggers does is remove the air between clay particles which speeds up the transfer of negative particle charges. De-airing has zero influence of the actual chemistry of the material.
Tom
 

I think it has more to do with saturation than bacteria or fungi.  As you say, the clay is fine if it's "wet", or aged, both allow time for even wetting.   I don't have a pugmill, but when I recycle clay I don't have to age it to use it.  I just slake it (complete hydration) and then dry it on a slab until it's nearly the moisture level I want.  
I think it may make some sense about the stronger vacuum, placing the freshly mixed clay under a STRONG vacuum will not just remove the air, but it will cause any dry spots to hydrate as well.  That said, I think they probably use a filter press, and in that case they are wet mixing anyway so that point may just be moot, or redundant steps to maintain plasticity.
I have a box of porcelain manufactured a month ago when I bought it, and one that is a year old, I cannot tell the difference when throwing.  I always heard of aging my clay but noticed that when I buy clay it's usually manufactured within the last 30 days, and a lot of times in that same week.  But I know my clay is filter pressed, I have seen the giant filter press machine, and apparently that is not standard procedure anymore?

There's at least one young full timer here in the neighborhood - standalone dedicated shop/studio in their back yard; her friend, also young, is a serious part timer. Met several young folk at the local JC Ceramic lab (a few years ago) on the road to full time potter (wouldn't expect them to all make it there, however), and a few building their portfolio for graduate applications... 

A wiring diagram might help - am not finding one with any specifics other than "Petal Pot .7M" not sure if that's helpful.
For future reference:
Brent part number 22143G for "Replacement speed control and cord for foot pedals that connect to silver face plate control boxes made before 2000..." ($123);
Brent part number 22858R depicted above right, "A replacement sub assembly for Brent Potters Wheels. This part replaces the speed control sub assembly in Brent foot pedals." ($81). 
Bill wrote (in an earlier thread): "Probably best just to measure them. The schematic above may not apply to your version and the trim pots are unlabeled in the diagram.  The pedal pot says .7 meg but I would measure to be sure. Measure across the two non wiper leads. Often they will be stamped with a value on them as well. The problem with measuring is you might have to disconnect them from the circuit else risk getting a false reading."

I measured it at 0 - 0.75M ohms from top to bottom. Its definitely linear.
For anyone who is checking the resistance, ohm meter must be set to M (I have a blue point meter and is says 2M). There are three prongs, on the pot, two next to each other and one at the other end. measure from one of the two that are next to each other, to the prong at the other end (that isn't connected to anything). It should give you a pretty accurate reading.

I decided to commit to revamping my head space to produce reasonably refined retail-friendly smalls for the local gift shop market. It is so "not me" it has put me into a tizzy, but I'm coming down from getting dizzy, and am beginning to enjoy the fizzy of checks coming in from tourists buying my stuff, even on a very modest scale. So for 2021, while still low volume,  I will be doing  sets of  herb/plant markers and soap dishes & other serviceable items as well as targeting decor for seasons/holidays. To the extent that I can curb my rough & tumble free-form style & harness the will power to make things pretty & clean edged, I think I have a shot at sustaining a process that is now doing better than breaking even, which is awesome. 

Mark: built my last house in 2018: sold off ski steers, trucks, backhoe, trailers, etc in .2018/2019. Since then, I only do high end finish work. Custom cabinets, wainscot, crown work, custom only wood/Ceramic. Already put the word out; cutting back to 7-8 months next year. Time for the young people to step in. 

That's what it feel like to be retired,  I had my husband retired as soon as we could afford it.   The company he worked for was going to kill him.  His boss retired so he had to cover his work,  the hazmat personnel was fired another job for Stu.  Millions of questions to answer from amusement ride owners and government officials  and when he had some time he could do his actual job of technical publication,  writing the huge manuals that went out with each ride.  He has been retired for two years  finished restoring a rusty 74 Challenger last spring .    January he started working on a man cave in our unfinished basement.   He hired a few jobs out but did everything else framing, plumbing, wiring, painting, trim work and tiling.  Most of the theater and bar is finished  he still has to tile the bathroom.  It sounds like a lot of work but he loves doing it and he starts and stops whenever he feels like it,  even sleep late in the morning now and then.   You can keep doing what you really enjoy  with out any pressure of a schedule    Denice

Mark:
One of the drawbacks of any trade: downsizing when the time comes. Took off before Thanksgiving, and not going back until Jan1-12. Never took that much time off in 45 years. I like it!

2021 will bring in a fury of potting in 1st two weeks to get stock to cover my hand surgery recovery time in my outlets.
I plan on time away from clay for several months after the 19th.
winter is slow sales and thats what I need now. I will not do my usual may spring fair. Maybe an August show buts it still upo in the air. I'm not going to do a 4th of July show that I have done since 1973 staright thru iuntil covid cancelled it-I'm now done with the one day show forever myself.
I will put in another mini split in kitchen (14 foot ceilings) late spring.for the ac part mostly in summer.Its the only project this coming year after way to many last year.
As to potting I plan on stocking better for xmas since this crazy season that just passed . I was prepared I thought but never had a rush Like I just went thru.Just paid my gas bill $1450,00
I need to get back slowy into clay after the recovery.
I plan on diving /underwater phots in Bali in the fall if covid gets kicked down by then-it will be at least 3 weeks abroad this time.I missed this years trip . I'm also going to do a few less shows and try hard to work less -as I do not yet know how thats done well.
 

The car kiln and the updraft are maybe only a few of the reasons I cannot move.I'm thinking about pouring a large slab in kiln area for an 18 cubic Geil kiln I have access to add to my kiln quiver as well now. All my stuff is heavy-the many tons of Bronze in the yards from shipwrecks is also a deterrent . I did sell about 2k worth last year in salvage and have at least that again to sell. Heck I have one blade of a bronze ships propeller that weights over 750 #s in driveway.Now its a 40 foot x 14 solar array that I put in that also a chain around our ankles now. The two dive compressors I can still move -The  house is only 1250 square feet so thats not an issue all same level as well. Its the near 1 acre yard work that will be an issue-I have a rider mower now but the day will come we hire a Gardner-its just in the plan.
The zillion tons of glaze materials also slows down the move process as well as just about everything I do is so heavy.
In my next life I think car salesman so all my hand s have to do is point towards cars-that a good one over there see where I'm pointing .Its also a high milage unit-yes Desoto is an older brand name but just look at that styling.

I need to look into making french presses,  my son will only make his coffee with a french press.   He is somewhat a fanatic when it comes to coffee,  he orders green coffee beans and roast them himself.   If he asks you if want a cup of coffee just say no,  it will be a couple of hours before he is finished making it.   He had me make him two part shaving mugs that held hot water in the bottom and the shaving cream was made in the next layer.   The hot water kept the shaving cream warm and  this made it easier to shave a heavy beard.   I made him musical pots when we was in high school and a urn for his dog a few years ago,  the things we do for our children.

I think you have the answer If you are able to clean it then you should be able to measure it. Pots are rated end to end. To check linear or audio taper set the slide to midpoint and measure wiper to any side. If approximately half, then linear taper. If significantly different than half then audio taper. Very likely linear though. Post and tag the value here for folks in the future.

Look like it's Malatchi CTS Slider Pot 10k Ohm on https://www.surplussales.com//Potentiometers/Slider/Slider-1.html