Pat B.

@shawnhar
I am admittedly a hypochondriac but reading through a lot of hobbyist ceramic forums talking about silicosis made it sound like a dramatically bigger issue than it actually is. 
 
I ended up reading a ton of published studies on silicosis prevalence in various populations and it seems like the occurrence rate is so exceptionally low in general, and that these cases mostly occur in much higher exposure situations (miners, stone cutters, construction) where workers are exposed to free floating dust for hours at a time, every day, for years.  Many introductory studies stated ceramicists were at risk, but these are people who spend years doing this for a living. 
 
While it freaked me out at the idea that having this in my home made my exposure constant, 24/7 for three years now I don’t work with nearly enough volume or leave enough out for it to have been a serious issue I don’t think. A lot of the comments made it sound like leaving a few crumbs on the floor that you step on was going to give you acute silicosis. 
 
I’m still going to take it seriously and keep a tidier space, cleaning up as I go and wet mopping everything down - but I think I can relax a little and keep pursuing my passion in my apartment until I can afford a studio space. 
 
Thanks for bringing me back to reality haha

I use newspaper. It's thinner than printer paper but still keeps the shape, is cheap, and is flexible when wet so is very easy to peel off.  Do it while the pot is still wet and the rim can stick to the newspaper.
Clear off any extra slip on the rim and then gently lay the paper on top. Make sure to get contact all the way around the rim by very gently running your finger along the rim (you'll see where it is sticking) .  Move the pot off the wheel onto your ware board and then gently peel off the paper. You may have to smooth the rim a bit if it looks rough, but it will be perfectly round!

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.

have you tried the trick where you lay a piece of paper on the rim of the pot then cut and lift it off the bat? the paper creates a seal that helps it not warp