Spinnerkatie Posted May 12, 2020 Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 I have been throwing for a bit over a year at a community studio but it has been closed with the quarantine. I have a barn and am thinking of trying to set up my own place to throw. A friend has offered me a free kick wheel ( I think from the 40s haven’t seen it yet) How hard is it to learn to throw on a kick wheel if I’ve been using an electric wheel? Are there any good resources to recommend? Can all kick wheels be electrified? If I decide I don’t like it would this be an option? Thanks for the advice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronfire Posted May 12, 2020 Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 The price is right. A motor can be added to most kick wheels, just a hockey puck on the motor drive shaft works. Check out how the Estrin wheel works, that is what I learned on. Just make sure the wheel head turns flat and is not bent or warped. The thing I did not like on a powered kick wheel was stopping it to check the bottom thickness when throwing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted May 12, 2020 Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 If you are throwing on a powered wheel, ie one driven by belts or gears, you will not be exactly happy with the kick wheel. You have to remember a few things about a kick wheel: 1)you have to kick it to get up to speed, 2) it will slow down quickly once you apply pressure as in centering, 3) you have to kick it some more to get it up to speed, 4) It will slow down when pulling, which is actually quite nice as you normally should go slower as you get higher in the form, 5) The size and weight of the flywheel will determine how long the wheel will free spin, and how much you have to kick it to get going. Guess that sums it up, I learned on a Randall motorized kick, then threw on a motorized Amaco, then in grad school sat on my first powered wheel. . . never went back! best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 12, 2020 Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 Throwing on a kick wheel is very different than working on an electric wheel. The speed is not constant- you kick a bunch to get it up to speed, work the clay, it slows down, you kick some more. It's a slower process, you can't kick and work the clay at the same time. Many kick wheels have an available motor attachment, but on most it's really only good for centering because it's tough to make it go any speed other than fast. So you keep it engaged while centering, which can be done at fast speeds, then go to kicking while pulling and shaping. There's nothing wrong or bad about kick wheels, it's just a different process. Trimming on them is wonderful- very calming, little kicking needed since there's little pressure being put on the clay. I learned to throw on a motorized kick wheel, then switched to electric for the next 5 years. When I got out of grad school the first wheel I bought was a Thomas Stuart kick wheel- $350 brand new. My type of throwing is better suited to electric wheels, but I still miss that kick wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted May 12, 2020 Report Share Posted May 12, 2020 I used a kick wheel for 40 years, my husband put a motor on it for me but I was not crazy about it being motorized and took it off. Mark C found a used electric wheel for sale in my area and suggested I change, he was right. I was having a hard time kicking fast enough to throw. I do miss it, I like throwing in reverse and trimming on it was just heavenly. I wish I would have kept it just to do trimming on but a didn't have the room in my studio. Denice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 So it's me again. I got the wheel. It ends up that it's a Randall wheel with a motor on it but I'm having some issues: First of all, I need to get the bucket head off so I can take off the splash pan and clean it. I read a number of posts about doing that. My husband and I used penetrating oil, WD40 and a rubber mallet but with no success so far. We are trying to get use of a wheel puller so we can try it that way. In the meantime, I of course wanted to give the wheel a try and I'm having trouble. The motor seems to work. When I press on the peddle, I get a surge of speed and then the wheel slows down. Similarly, I kick like mad for 10 - 20 kicks and get the wheel going but can barely get a pull in. When I engage the motor again, it's too fast for me at first and then it's too slow. When I watch videos of people using kick wheels, they seem to kick a lot and then they can almost finish the pot before they kick again. So is this me not being used to the wheel or is there something wrong? I've never used a kick wheel (used Pacifica 1/2 HP before). Thoughts? The friend I got it from bought it years ago and never used it. It's been sitting in her garage here in western New York. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 8 minutes ago, Spinnerkatie said: In the meantime, I of course wanted to give the wheel a try and I'm having trouble. The motor seems to work. When I press on the peddle, I get a surge of speed and then the wheel slows down. Similarly, I kick like mad for 10 - 20 kicks and get the wheel going but can barely get a pull in. When I engage the motor again, it's too fast for me at first and then it's too slow. When I watch videos of people using kick wheels, they seem to kick a lot and then they can almost finish the pot before they kick again. So is this me not being used to the wheel or is there something wrong? I've never used a kick wheel (used Pacifica 1/2 HP before). Thoughts? The friend I got it from bought it years ago and never used it. It's been sitting in her garage here in western New York. Yep, that's what happens. You get it going, then do as much as you can before it slows down. It takes some practice. That said, is the wheel spinning freely? Like when you get it going, will it keep going for a while if you don't touch it, or does it seems to slow down too quickly? I'm just wondering if the bearings are clogged up and not spinning as freely as they should. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Just read a post on another site that said that the motor should only be used for centering. Is this true? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 What does spin freely mean? How long should it keep going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Just now, Spinnerkatie said: Just read a post on another site that said that the motor should only be used for centering. Is this true? That's generally the easiest way to do it, because the motor will probably get it going way too fast for pulling. However, with a Randall wheel you can learn to just burp the motor a little bit to keep a constant slower speed for pulling. With a Thomas Stuart that's nearly impossible because of the way the motor mounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 1 minute ago, Spinnerkatie said: What does spin freely mean? How long should it keep going? It should keep going for a minute or two once it's up to speed. If you slowly rotate the flywheel by hand, does it feel like there's resistance, or does it turn easily? There shouldn't be any resistance beyond the weight of the wheel itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Just went out and did a test-- full speed with the motor to stopped 22 seconds. When I kicked for 20 times then it took under 10 seconds to stop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Just now, Spinnerkatie said: Just went out and did a test-- full speed with the motor to stopped 22 seconds. When I kicked for 20 times then it took under 10 seconds to stop. Without touching it and just letting it spin on its own, right? Sounds like the bearings are clogged up or worn out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 Doesn't seem to be resistance other than the weight of the wheel. Wheel does not seem to wobble or grind or any other trouble signs I have read about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted May 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 What do you do about clogged up or worn out bearings? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 @Spinnerkatie Can you post a video of you getting it going and it slowing down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 Will do. Have been occupied lately with trying to get off the wheel head so i can clean the splash pan and maybe grease the bearings underneath (?) Followed all the advice so far on another thread on the forum. Sprayed with WD 40, sprayed with penetrating oil. Waited overnight. Heated. Got a wheel puller from automotive friend. Neither my husband nor I are experienced with wheel pullers. We are having trouble getting it to grab the bottom of the wheel. Because the side of the wheel slant in, the jaws won't grab the bottom of the wheel to pull. Have tried two sizes with no luck. I know the wheel has had no action for many years and don't know if it's a hopeless situation at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnerkatie Posted June 2, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 2, 2020 Rough drawing of wheel puller problem with the slant-sided wheel head. the jaw hit the top and won't grip the bottom. Argh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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