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Retxy

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Posts posted by Retxy

  2. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    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

     

  3. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    On 3/4/2024 at 11:23 AM, neilestrick said:

    I'm afraid I kind of agree with BlueBird. If it has half dollar size holes in it due to corrosion, the rest of it is probably not structurally sound.

    The non-pugmill option is to simply not wedge and not recycle. Most clay bodies are good to go for throwing right out of the bag.

    I switched to slab building about a year ago after 30 years of throwing, due to bad arthritis in my hands. Gotta say I don't really miss throwing. I'm happy to still be working with clay, and the challenges and possibilities of working with new techniques have me more excited about ceramics than I have been in a long time.

    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. 

  8. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    12 hours ago, neilestrick said:

    Just a thought, but depending on how much space there is around the auger and how this is constructed, you may be able to weld in sheet of steel as a liner.

    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. 

  11. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    5 hours ago, Mark C. said:

    Take it to a shop that can sandblast it then a fab welding shop to get that part done

    Nunca must have a few shops like that

    @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!!

  14. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    1 minute ago, Mark C. said:

    I would sand blast it for sure to get down to clean metal. You can weld (have a shop do this) a  patch on any hole spot from the outside or inside and grind smooth  all the inner welds(take the auger out,fully taking the unit apart). You cannot have holes in any opart of the barrel 

    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!!

  16. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    @Mark C.

     

    Thanks Mark!! I hope it turns out to be useful to me but we will see. There are parts of the metal that make me nervous to sand blast as I fear opening more holes. I wonder if welding might do that too but dnt know enough about welding to say if this is a rational fear.  I guess we will see but thanks for your adviceon the external parts. Im so excited about this.  Its going to suck if its a fail but at least i tried

     

  17. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted

    On 2/27/2024 at 10:28 AM, neilestrick said:

    @Retxy How much of what we're seeing is rusted metal vs old clay? If it's all metal, then the metal is in really bad condition and I wouldn't touch it. If we're looking at a bunch of clay on the surface and the metal underneath is still decent then I think sandblasting is probably the best way to go. Do not put any sort of coatings on the auger or in the hopper. They won't survive. Just leave the interior raw. Paint the exterior if you want to.

     

    On 2/28/2024 at 3:42 PM, Babs said:

    Are those whits spots holes in the drum? 

     

    Looks too far gone for me to touch. The metal us really pitted. Have you seen it with the auger turning? Can't see this pugmill lasting or even working for long.

    Oh its definitely rugh in there and there are some holes in the drum. There are some reports that the pinholes therein can be loctite sealed which wont last forever but will be sufficient for me for  now. The larger holes are going to be an issue. Cant sand blast it for fear of opening more holes honestly. But the auger works a dream and so im going to patch and even if tbis old beauty can last me a few years i will consider it worth it. Looking into barrel replacement but bluebird says they dont make either barrel or auger anymore... does anyone know alternate options if motor is still good?

     

    Thanks again to you all!!

  22. Rusty Pug

    in Equipment Use and Repair

    Posted · Edited by Retxy
    Added pics

    Hello smart pottery peeps.

    I found a really old bluebird pugmill for sale. It looks like an a400 but much older version. He issue is its badly corroded with he seller stating there are three pinholes in the barrel and recommending the auger be sand   lasted (which of course i dont know how to do.) 

    My rheumatic joints really need this pugmill to work out. Seller assures me little holes are weldable, and this i believe. My cncern is the rust inside the barrel and on the auger blades.... how do i deal with that and can these be relia ly sealed so my immunocompromised handsies dont get the tetanus from rust ending up in my clay?

    I have seen others paint their pugs but no mention of what paint wont flake with all the moisture involved. Have also looked into rust stopping sprays available at the big boxes but wanted to see if anyone has tried this with successs.

    Thanks in advamce!

    Retxy

    Screenshot_20240226_231105_Photos~2.jpg

  23. Body color question: om4 and talc containing body

    in Clay and Glaze Chemistry

    Posted

    On 9/13/2023 at 12:25 PM, Min said:

    Yes, I would. Chem is different between the two, OM4 has about double the KNaO and since you have a vitrified body and the ball clay makes up a significant part of the recipe it probably does make a difference. Other thing is how the clay actually feels, if it gets too sticky sub part of it with a white firing kaolin. It will help the pots dry faster too.

    Min I will and thank you for this awesome advice. I'm super pumped, feel like knowing you can play with clay body chemistry in glazy is going to make a difference. Can't wait to see what kind of explosions I cause bwahahaha

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