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CactusPots

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Everything posted by CactusPots

  1. Even if you live in a frost free area, you still can't buy wax products in the winter. The dealers simply won't ship then. Make sure you have a supply by fall.
  2. Got to thank Mark for the recommendation for the crystal wax. Might even be better for my application than his. I'm applying wax with a brush super heavy over high variation texture. Think of tree bark. The crystal wax has a really high surface tension, so first off, it stays on a really loaded brush very well and lays a complicated line nicely. Second, it pulls into the deep texture and leaves the high points with a thin coating. When I dip a glaze, the heavy load in the valleys keeps the glaze from loading up. Didn't know if I would like it, but based on Mark's recommendation I bought a 5 year supply (Seattle Pottery). Good call.
  3. Off the website: Variable Speed Control: Optional Mine never sounds like it down shifts. Same old granny gear all the time.
  4. Pretty sure mine doesn't. Just start, stop, pug and vacuum on the control. I can see where it would be useful. Maybe the doc you're looking at is a new upgrade model.
  5. I don't think my PP VPM 30 has a speed control.
  6. What kind of pugmill has speed adjustment?
  7. Or taking a fresh bag of clay and running it through the pugmill. I've not tried this, but I suspect if it was hand building firm and not throwing soft, it would come out short(er). The process SBSOSO is talking about dries the clay significantly by the time it gets back into the pugmill. It's an interesting question why they were able to get away with immediate use after pugging scrap and now they can't. Lots of ins, lots of outs and lots of what have yous.
  8. I noticed the exact same problem with my reclaim clay. I called Laguna and asked their clay "expert" about it. Their reply was that the commercial pug mill they use has so much more powerful vacuum that my Peter Pugger. I don't know if I fully buy their explanation, but I don't have a better one. The working solution I'm using is to pug wet and age. Very nice clay that way. I think Sorce may be on to it. By the time I get around to a session with the pug mill, the scrap has been sitting in bags wet for quite a while. Sometimes even a touch of green. It's definitely not short coming out of the pugmill now, but it's really soft and needs to age to be ready to use.
  9. I've had this problem a lot, as it's just part of my work. I think what's happening is that the outside clay layers dry and trap moisture in the slip layer. A good solid connection is the first part as everyone notes. An extended time in plastic bags equalizes the moisture between the layers. A slow dry to basic dry and and then extended dry to get the internal moisture. Easy for me in the summer time, not so much now. The bisque cycle should be slow to 200 with a soak before moving on. Even if the bisque is perfect the attachment can peel up on the edge sometimes. I think it's just part of the process to have some failures. My stuff has gotten much better in this regard with time and practice. This problem is the number one contributor to my shard pile. Also, I never liked Rod's Bod. Much prefer Soldate or S 60
  10. Neoprene like wet suit material? How would that work say on a pot 3" wide and 10" tall? Seems like the leverage and pressure would make the pot want to move. It's like the KeyMaker in the movie Matix says, "Always another way".
  11. I have a big table on the wheel. It's actually a counter top with a back splash cut to fit right under the back pan. That catches most of the trimmings. As I trim, I'll stop the wheel and corral the trimmings. It makes a big difference how wet the pot is. Too dry and they shatter and come off in little uncontrollable pieces. Too wet and they reattach themselves and are a pain to pull off. Just right, and I can keep 95% off the floor. Always escapees, though.
  12. I'm a sloppy enough thrower that occasionally I'll have a pot in a trimming session like this. I use a couple of little pieces of the rubber grippy shelf liner stuff to get the foot part centered and never mind the rim. I know it works fine for everybody else (again), but griping the pot by the rim with wads of clay does not appeal to me like the riser arms on the GG. It just stands to reason that securing the pot closer to the force applied by the trimming tool makes more sense. Plus the fact that the rim will be much more fragile that the foot at this point. There are 5 working heights of the arms, plus reversing the sliders to give the best position on the pot. I just can't get over the idea that anyone would argue against the GG. Unless you just make so few pots that it doesn't matter or you like the tradition of doing things the old way. I guess that's why the kick wheel doesn't go away.
  13. Sounds like the 2 pieces of the grip don't have the necessary friction. If I hold the top of the grip and power the wheel, it takes some torque to tighten the arms on the pot. It doesn't just slide. I have never lubricated the 2 main pieces, I don't think anything more than cleaning is required. There is an O ring and spacer on the bottom holding the 2 pieces together. Are they there on yours?
  14. See, that's the difference between a shared environment and a personal one. As a teacher/instructor, you're in the position to require procedures that might or might not not have a direct translation to a personal environment. When I began setting up my studio 25+ years ago, the GG was probably the first purchase after the wheel. It's just a skill that I don't care to invest the time in. I didn't learn basics in a structured environment with a director that required anything. They didn't have GG either. He probably demoed it. I have tools that have earned their keep and ones that haven't. GG is definitely a keeper.
  15. Use a piece of rubber shelf liner material to reinforce the ability to hold center. Also protects the possibly over dried rim.
  16. This thread has brought up another interesting comparison that I don't doubt has been covered before. The teaching/shared workspace environment and the solo studio. Whether the solo studio is a production potter or someone like me who is something else, the focus and requirements just are not the same. I can confidently say I've never needed to tap center and others can cry heresy. I guess both are true. The GG is the simplest, most durable, effective tool for the job. IMO (as always)
  17. Respectfully Couldn't disagree more. In our age, probably hundreds of skills are discarded every year in technology. I don't know how many people drive a stick shift (as an example) or learned this year, but fewer all the time. I guess all firing in your studio is not some kind of wood fire kiln, cause that's a skill probably none of have from start to finish. Skills are only retained as long as they are useful, and then forgotten. It takes me a lot longer to tap on center, because it's not a useful skill for me. Otherwise it can only become an object of affection for anachronistic purposes.
  18. I agree, the grip should be directly on the wheel head and tight. It should run true. If you put your finger on the rim and rotate the wheel, it should run true all the way around. With the pot centered and tightened up, it should run true. There should be no play between the 2 main pieces of the grip. The choice of grabbers should be close to the top of the pot. This is a bitchen tool, something is wrong that can be corrected.
  19. In any kiln design, we always start with the shelves. Make a commitment, there and use lots of pencil and paper.
  20. I use a diamond disk on my wheel also, but I tapped the catch basins and ran tubing to a bucket so I could use a hose to get a steady stream of water on the grinding disk. I know a potter who has a regular rock grinding setup for polishing off glaze drips. If I found one used for cheap, I'd certainly do that.
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