liambesaw

Missy 
i too am experimenting with this. Try 2 parts oxide and 1 part gertsley borate. Mixed with enough water (5-10 parts?) to make it the consistency of ink.  
( i suspect you will get better advice but if not .... )

I've done my share of both and they have their own ups and downs.  I find gas firing more enjoyable because I like to tinker and feel like I'm more responsible for the outcome.  But when I've got things to do, it's really nice to set it and forget it with my electric kilns.  As far as the outcome of either.. I mean I don't think there's a huge difference personally.  Yes, reduction firing can be used to get some great/different colors, but so can electric, and I can make things look fuel fired in an electric, so it's not a big selling point for me. 
Gas firing was more expensive in both energy and time for me, which is why I eventually got away from it, and by using a spray gun and unique glaze combinations I have been able to achieve the same look and feel, so I'm exclusively electric now.
Electric is far easier for me.

TA Metalworks in Canada manufactures a quality extruder for a good price.  It looks very similar to the Bailey 4" extruder.  I've sent you a PM with additional information and links.
Regarding slab rollers, you may want to search the forums as there are several posts on building tables for the Bailey slab roller.  Bailey will send designs upon request  - you will need to specify DRD or DRDII because they have different builds.   The designs contain enough information to build a table, but they are not full construction drawings so you will need to determine a lot of dimensions yourself.  Please note that the DRDII slab roller requires different table heights on the feed side and the output side of the machine, and there are some pretty tight spacing tolerances between the table tops and the rollers.    In my opinion, this is not a project for a novice wood worker.   I ordered a 24 inch DRDII (machine only) and had 2 tables built for it (one small one for the machine itself, and  a larger work table to receive the slabs).  I chose this approach for added functionality/flexibility, because I wanted to be able to roll the machine into a corner when not needed while having a general work table in the studio. This was more expensive than ordering the table from Bailey.   Factoring in cost and time, I'm not sure you end up saving much by building your own. table (even a simpler one), especially with the recent spike in lumber prices.

I put mine on half inch posts because the bottom element is 1.5 inches up and want it exposed rather than covered.

I have 2 half shelves because there's no full shelves for my kiln.  But in my old octagonal kiln I had a full shelf in the bottom.  Can't count the number of times it saved my butt!

I put mine on half inch posts because the bottom element is 1.5 inches up and want it exposed rather than covered.

I put mine on half inch posts because the bottom element is 1.5 inches up and want it exposed rather than covered.

Oh boy, I just fix things as they break and clean things when I can't move anymore... I'm really bad about that, but this is not my full time job, and it's in a separate building, so it's kind of out of sight out of mind.
Speaking of which, I'm getting a new 3D printer soon so I need to clear off a shelf for that... Hmmm, where to put this giant box of underglazes....
 
I do prebox things I put on my website so I can simply grab them and toss them in an outer box and ship them out as soon as an order comes through, so I'm not completely disorganized...
 
Also, I do keep general maintenance parts around (elements, thermocouples, wheelhead grease, etc) so that when something does finally get bad I can fix it right away.  

Oh boy, I just fix things as they break and clean things when I can't move anymore... I'm really bad about that, but this is not my full time job, and it's in a separate building, so it's kind of out of sight out of mind.
Speaking of which, I'm getting a new 3D printer soon so I need to clear off a shelf for that... Hmmm, where to put this giant box of underglazes....
 
I do prebox things I put on my website so I can simply grab them and toss them in an outer box and ship them out as soon as an order comes through, so I'm not completely disorganized...
 
Also, I do keep general maintenance parts around (elements, thermocouples, wheelhead grease, etc) so that when something does finally get bad I can fix it right away.  

Cool! I've been to Quezon city many times, it's very nice there!  How did you land that gig!?

And here are the finished vases, not on the workbench, but on the hearth.

Depends on my mood.  Pottery... It's a helluva drug 

At my home studio the only people who pilfer pots are neighbors and family, which is 100% OK with me and I've told them all so.  In high school/college the only pots that disappeared after firing were incognito bongs and pipes and I know the teachers accidentally lost them on purpose
 
Right now on my bench I've got several more lamp projects and coffee pourovers.  This lamp has 7 soviet era neon bulbs (nixie lamps) to provide a warm communist orange glow.
 

At my home studio the only people who pilfer pots are neighbors and family, which is 100% OK with me and I've told them all so.  In high school/college the only pots that disappeared after firing were incognito bongs and pipes and I know the teachers accidentally lost them on purpose
 
Right now on my bench I've got several more lamp projects and coffee pourovers.  This lamp has 7 soviet era neon bulbs (nixie lamps) to provide a warm communist orange glow.
 

At my home studio the only people who pilfer pots are neighbors and family, which is 100% OK with me and I've told them all so.  In high school/college the only pots that disappeared after firing were incognito bongs and pipes and I know the teachers accidentally lost them on purpose
 
Right now on my bench I've got several more lamp projects and coffee pourovers.  This lamp has 7 soviet era neon bulbs (nixie lamps) to provide a warm communist orange glow.
 

At my home studio the only people who pilfer pots are neighbors and family, which is 100% OK with me and I've told them all so.  In high school/college the only pots that disappeared after firing were incognito bongs and pipes and I know the teachers accidentally lost them on purpose
 
Right now on my bench I've got several more lamp projects and coffee pourovers.  This lamp has 7 soviet era neon bulbs (nixie lamps) to provide a warm communist orange glow.
 

I had a Summer session, at PSU that resulted in 150 pieces at least. Many of these were raku, but there were a great many that were ^10 stoneware. I did get all of them out of my firings, and took them home to my 3 room apartment. After the first few nights of September weather my wife and I moved them on to the back porch. The pinging kept the baby up! Two seasons later over 50% of the pieces were gone. The following year, none were left. The back porch was on a highly trafficked alley. I am at time embarrassed to see a familiar piece on a mantle or other place of importance when visiting homes, knowing full well they were not gifted or purchased from me. I will sometimes quietly check for the EPR on the bottom as that was my signature back then.
At least I got a chance to analyze my work before it disappeared.
best,
Pres 

Depends on my mood.  Pottery... It's a helluva drug 

Depends on my mood.  Pottery... It's a helluva drug 

Here's one of the finished lamps.  Using low power LEDs.  Not bad for a prototype!

Thanks, this glazeless application was definitely a new process for me, but I still can't sell anything right now so instead of making mugs and bowls every night I've turned to drugs. Wait, no, not that, I've turned to just having fun with stuff and not making things that have a price tag.
Crackle slip, iron wash, and then soaked in a mixture of soda ash, sodium silicate and bone ash.
Came out just how I pictured it in my mind beforehand!

Here's one of the finished lamps.  Using low power LEDs.  Not bad for a prototype!

Here's what I've been up to in my free time.  Been making LED lamps.  Here's a few of the prototype designs. In greenware with crackle slip.
 

Here's what I've been up to in my free time.  Been making LED lamps.  Here's a few of the prototype designs. In greenware with crackle slip.
 

Here's one of the finished lamps.  Using low power LEDs.  Not bad for a prototype!