Retxy

@HulkHahahaha the reward part made me laugh, thank yoh for that

Srry i hadmissedso many lovely replies, been sick as a dog and kind of on the mend. @Kelly in AK @Min i too thoight it was being overfired. This is a vitreous clay but even when i fore it a cone below maturity its bloating. My conclusion is my piss poor ability to wedge is leaving suoer concentrated pockets of frit in areas of the clay that are then causing the blaoting when fired due to the off gassing/inconsistencies to surrounding body... or at least thats what ive been able to glean frm the interwebs. If the better wedge/mix doesnt fix then more testing until fault is fixed will be pursued, if and when i can move again. Silly body. @neilestrick buying bags of clay, too science bound to touch anything without a reliable analysis at this stage. Also cant dig due to health so bags are serving all my needs... you know except the one where my stoneware recipe doesnt bloat hahaha. On a separate note, has anyone else had difficulty getting responses from bluebird? I asked them about warranty information on the machine as i have the original documents amd they were mum. Pug updates: before becoming ill i began my little restoration efforts. I was pleasantly surprised that the rust is coming up eith reltive ease over the majority of the machine. There is a cam associated with deairing chamber that is worn all the way through and if bluebird does not respond to replacement oarts request, i guess im going to have to get that heifer welded somewhere because im not sure the part for the 440 listed on their site will fit. In other news i have sourced a material which i believe will seal the metal and prevemt future corrosion. Its called Rust Grip. Its an expensive venture but all research indicates this will remediate and prevent this problem in the future. Or perhaps its wishful thinking. And it beats the 11k i woukd have to spend for a new machine. Will post update pics asap

Yes i can only hand build but for once or twice a year with a wheel ive used 20x since college 20 years ago. But since i have to mix my own clay and my dumb hands dont work, my clay is bloating super bad wven with extended blunging. Ive concluded its a mixing fault, and lack the power to mix/wedge properly. Hence the Rusty Pug. I cant wait to see what happens.

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-water-batteries-are-cheaper-recyclable-and-wont-explode Check out this nifty article on water batteries and join me in prayer that lithium becomes super cheap (well cheaper). And that maybe gerstley will rain like manna from heaven. Flux me. A girl can dream.

Im definitely in the boonies and getti g clY out here is impossible so i mix my own. If i bought bags i wouldn't need the pug. Im going to give it a whirl, if it doesnt work, well at least i tried!

But spelled right!

I too use cat litter buckets but hadnt noticed any discoloration. Have you experimented with other buckets tonsee if this happens there too? Ghanks for putting this on my radar

My father thought this too but inwas worried tracts would remain where xlay would wedge between origical metal and sheet. Clearly not a welder...hardly a potter either thanks to my body hence the need for the pug. There are a couple of half dollar sized holes in the barrel other than the holenin the deair chamber whixh may benefit from a sheet. Just unsure how big the slit which remains would have to be. I will post better pics when it makes it all thr way down to me as i had to leave it at a way station on the path to where i live. I will find a way to make it work. @Mark C. think you were right about the sand blasting upon further inspection. Will post back asap. If anyone has any recommendations on the size that little slit in de air chamber ought be, would greatly appreciate. Bluebird has basically said its unsafe, dont use it, so im notnsure they are going to give me this info. They want to sell me a new one and i cant afford it. Thanks again for all of the help yall.

@MinOh man thanks so much for this!! My arthritic wrists really hope i can rehab this thing!! Thanks truly

@neilestrick Would you happen to know how big the hole/slit inside a deairing chamber need to be where the lever setup swipes away at the incoming clay to prevent clogging? thanks so much again for all the help

@Mark C. Mark, do you think wire brushing would be more gentle vs sandblast? I know you say any adfitonal holes made can be welded, but just trying to get all options. Thanks again so much!!

Hi there! Can someone with a blubird pugmill please send me a picture of the insde of the deairing pirtio of your pugger? I bought an older model but not sure what that area should look like as the opening on mine is corroded. Thanks so much D

@Mark C. Ignore the holes part of the last question i see you answered!! Thank you!

Would these intervention potentially make these holes weaker? I will definitely not leave anything open in the barrel. I wonder about replacing the barrel altogether but unsure how i could repliate or who i might get to do this. Again thaks so much for your help!!

Does anyone have a picture of what the inner chamber of the deairing portion of a pugmill should look like? Google is failing me here. Thanks!