[Pottery Wheel Advice/suggestion]

I did the rookie mistake of buying a used kickwheel with a cuphead without noticing it. The head doesn't seem to be changeable so I have to deal with this, for now. Since there is a smaller part under the hydro-bat, I thought that maybe they could fit. But I'd love to know if it's possible before buying some. I could buy the mold to make the bats but I find them to be very expensive and I haven't found any used ones.

[Pottery Wheel Advice/suggestion]

On 5/5/2022 at 6:20 PM, Pyewackette said:

Skutt is what used to be Thomas Stuart, right?  Those are the ones I lust after.  But $2000 - $2500 is a bit much for me.  If I outgrow the studio Whispers, maybe then I could justify going that high.  But until then I'll just throw small stuff at home on my VL-Lite and bigger stuff at the studio on a Whisper.

Btw Skutt/Stuart does make a Prodigy model which is NOT REVERSIBLE which makes that absolutely out in my book just for that reason alone.  I throw backwards.  All attempts to rejoin the herd on this issue have been utter failures.  I just throw backwards.  Besides which I can't see spending almost $1400 on a wheel that lacks a simple reversal switch anyway.  Plus they state the "throwing" limit is 75 lbs.  They do say throwing instead of centering but I'm not sure you can really throw 75 lbs on that wheel, the motor's not that big (1/4? 1/3 HP?).

But that model aside, I do lust after one or another of the wheels formerly known as Thomas Stuart.  I like the SSX drive. I like the EW Cuphead system (HYDROBATS FOREVER!).  I like the big splash pans and the removable wheel head (I think you can do that on a Soldner as well, one of the better Soldners would be a good wheel too, I'm pretty sure it's Tim See who has one and loves it to death)

But if I were going to buy a new wheel, now, today, it would be a Shimpo Whisper.  Honestly, at my age, recent health improvements notwithstanding, I doubt I'm likely to outgrow that wheel or even push its upper limits.  I guess only time will tell.

EDIT:  Actually, now I may be lusting after a Soldner.  Smoooooth sounds good too.  And you can still make custom hydrobats with that plaster bat making system, the name of which of course escapes me right at the moment.  And Tim See's Soldner video seems to demonstrate quietness, which is a  big plus for me ... plus no proprietary parts ... maybe I would get a Soldner S100 if I were buying today ... SO FICKLE, me!

hi! I've been wondering if I could use the hydro-bats with my cuphead wheel. What size do you use? The cuphead is about 10" wide but the hydro-bats are 10" inside pins so I'm not sure it would fit.

 

Thanks!