Bill Kielb

Yes the Model A and T had carburetors but ………. No fuel pump! To go up a steep hill folks would often do it in reverse to keep the gas tank level above the level of the carburetor. Incidentally those were vapor carburetors, run your car on gas vapors only. Miss my 1932 Oakland. Those were the days.

For me I would say form first, from afar it’s the primary attractant. Surface and decoration are supportive … and….. sometimes good from far turns into far from good. Both are equally important though, but my first impression is generally to be attracted by the form which could include display, lighting shadows etc… bad surface can ruin a great form though.

You might want to DM, I think last heard from on January 28th

Venting a gas kiln is a necessity because of the combustion products produced by burning fossil fuels. There is a science to designing the flue / hood (s) that collect the burned gases based on the amount of heat and buoyancy of heated air. Operating takes practice and kiln firing experience to retain as much heat in the kiln as practical while maintaining the desired efficiency of the flame. Usually oxidation or reduction. Maintenance of all that is usually a mechanical thing as in tight leak free joints, no obstructions, birds nest etc… So I am not sure what you are asking but if purchasing a gas kiln from Bailey, their website says, call them they will help you through the requirements of what is needed. https://www.baileypottery.com/venting-a-bailey-gas-kiln If it’s a question of operation then firing gas kilns in general with someone who is experienced with that kiln will provide insight into the process of increasing gas pressure and adjusting optimal damper position throughout the firing.

@Pyewackette Bartlett control schedules below. Most kilns use their control and rebrand it. All the cone fire glaze schedules have segments faster than 275 degrees per hour. Honestly though I have used the knock offs and advancers in the gas kilns and always had segments as high as 550 degrees per hour during mid fire.. Never had a thermal shock issue from simply firing, also never crash cooled the kiln or opened it early though. BTW I used to store the shelves neatly in a vertical rack and no issue. They did rest on wood slats though not directly on the floor

I think if manufactured clay the published data would be easiest for firing, porosity and color. I feel your pain though as it’s often difficult to obtain a firing curve. Stull is really more about glazes though. The traditional way to generate the data would be to fire test tiles of the particular clay in or close to you desired temperature and create your personal data library.

Great image! The good news, the flywheel is open so no need to remove, bad news the entire assembly is loose now. It’s got a plate with welded nuts and the whole assembly slides which likely means - careful - everything will fall through. Remove belt, likely loosen tensioner, reposition Flywheel and with your third hand hold nut plate and install bolts from top. Just kidding about the hand thing, looks a bit awkward, reinstalling may take another set of hands though or creativity to hold / prop stuff till bolts are started in the top. I think I would remove forward tensioner nut and washer completely leaving the stopper nut where it is. That way I could reinstall tensioner to its original tension without counting turns of the nut. That bearing assembly looks very sealed with no provision to lubricate, I am thinking the bearings are permanently lubricated and sealed.

Just to add Min makes a great point; however designated, inclusion or encapsulated the general meaning is the same. Mason for instance marks their encapsulated stains (basically reds and oranges made with cadmium) as such as well as their msds sheets. Just some chemistry, but no mechanical grinding is good advice for sure.

I think the other side has nuts. I believe you will need to remove the cover on the bottom and maybe the flywheel to get to them to reinstall. Good time to see if the belt has a crease in it from storage which might work out after running for a bit. Take pictures along the way, mark anything that will help you reassemble, it should be fairly straightforward.

The reference to inclusion is also know as encapsulated. Generally where the colorant in the STAIN is encapsulated in zircon for stability. It’s just a way to make stain stable and insoluable in water and glass (as in glaze). The terms you may hear about the chemical combination of stains to make the colorant less soluble or more stabile are: Zircon based stuff 1) lattice 2) inclusion (also often referred as encapsulated) Other method you may hear on occasion Spinel stain Just a chemistry way to make stains more stable and safe for use in ceramics. Maybe a thought, always check the color of your stains at various temperatures to know at what temperature they change significantly for you. In other words test, test, test …….

The good news? If you saved your old pedals you probably have enough for life. Depending on spark no spark, Check points first, condenser, then ignition components.

The switch is likely good - still, not a very expensive renewal though and a good idea in case it is not very calibrated after years of use.. Keep the old one as a spare if you do replace. You are confident you measured infinity on element #2 and ALL your elements measured above 10% greater resistance. You definitely need elements.

So can you gently lift each side to pry off the top of the pedal or push the pins in one at a time and pull the top off? Does the pedal operate smoothly? If yes then, is it a low speed motor adjustment? Follow the video at speedball art on you tube to set your lowest speed with about 1/2” pedal travel remaining so that when the pedal is released fully the wheel stops fully.

I think you are right, I would keep the pedal clean after every session with that particular pedal. What brand is it? Can you gently lift off the tabs on the sides and slide the top off one of your old pedals? I am guessing this comes off fairly easily when new for regular maintenance. If this does come off, then some pictures of it should provide more insight. Who knows, might be a great pedal with a little regular maintenance.

You can purchase midfire cone 5/6 porcelain, they are produced. Laguna frost was a favorite for us WC437 I believe, in the states.

Double check your measurements, there is a break somewhere so you should spot it. If not be sure of your measuring and realize as elements get older and more brittle they also burn open because they are thinner so ………double check your measurement to be sure then replace them all so no more burn open suddenly. They are all thin and ready.

Most everything works until it breaks. Visually Find the break in element 2 to be sure.

If you are measuring resistance and element 2 is open (infinite resistance) then none of the elements on SW1 will work and the switch won’t cycle because of that Christmas light series thing and it has no load on it. If You look carefully along the length of element 2 you should be able to confirm and see a burned spot, opening or gap. The switch is probably fine, but you will need a good set of elements to test it. Replace them all would be good practice, @cusher since they are all 0.5 ohms higher they are at least 10% worn for the five ohm elements and more like 18% for the three ohm. Replace them all.

The elements are in series so starting at the very top (SW2) element #1=5 ohms, element #3 =3 ohms, element #5 = 3 ohms, element #7 = 5 ohms. 5+3+3+5 = 16 ohms for the element Group on SW2 Interesting notę, for the timer switch to work, the top knob has to be turned on. If it’s off, the timer should not function, it is connected to the pilot output of the top switch.

There is no top set actually, so look at the drawing below. Turn the timer on (and sitter) wait for it to warm and the top element will glow, then skip one, and the third element will glow, skip one, the fifth element will glow and so on, with SW #2. Same for SW #1, every other element starting with the second from the top. If any element is broken in the string, then like old Christmas lights that string of elements will not work.

Easy enough to check. Test fire and see if they glow or not. Try just test firing with the top switch. Try just test firing with the bottom timer. Your diagram here if you do not have it already https://paragonweb.com/wp-content/uploads/wsnf82.pdf Logical steps, I think you can have the answer to that question in fairly short order, else a little meter work can confirm as well. Notice, the elements are staggered in their wiring so every other element is on the top switch and every element in between is on the timer. Check the schematic for clear labeling of sw #1 and sw #2 with respect to the elements. Each element group is 16 ohms (series wired) so if you measure the group and it’s 10% or greater than new or 16+1.6=17.6 ohms, it’s time to replace them all. They wear together, replace them all is typical good practice.

If you have a pyrometer then measuring the rate during the end of firing can give you a heads up along with the ever growing firing time. So, 60 degrees per hour is probably the slowest you want to go which happens to be 1 degree every minute. So as the time grows and the final rate slows it will be obvious it is time for new elements. Elements don’t improve, they just wear and ……. They wear together. Replace them all.

The dishwasher is harsh on all. Alkalinity, the insidious repeated process of removing a brick from the structure and replacing it with a smaller brick so to speak weakens and wears away ALL wares over time. Even those bought from the store. All accelerated by the dynamic action of the velocity of the water. Hey, water in motion, seems I remember something about it carving out the Grand Canyon. I like to believe it’s reasonable to try your best to make durable wares and glazes ……… it seems to be a seasoned and reasoned approach for experienced potters IMO.

@Linchimb Really sounds like belt noise because of the speed difference. Did you inspect the belt? New bearings generally come pre lubricated and shielded so not something someone can lubricate easily. one member solved this by running her wheel for hours until the belt wore in “[UPDATE] I ran my wheel for 7 hours at high speed and the knocking sound stopped. It started to dissipate around 4-5 hours in. Now it's operating without the annoying sound and just regular wheel hum. The belt just had to "warm up" and become more flexible again after having sat in a box for a while in one position—it had to loosen a stiff "kink" from being stored before purchasing. Edited yesterday at 05:14 AM by nattergab “

Just to add, it’s a way to achieve more repeatability / dependable applications for each particular glaze.