Pres Posted March 31, 2021 Report Share Posted March 31, 2021 Hi folks, no new questions in the pool, but even though a little late. . . . QotW: Do you schedule maintenance activities in the studio or have a non structured format for maintenance? Maybe I should have asked first what you considered maintenance. My definition is any activity that helps to keep the studio moving efficiently. These activities include: inventories of both materials and finished work, monthly and yearly studio clean ups, kiln maintenance including vacuuming and shelf maintenance, ordering clay materials and packing/shipping materials, repairs of tools and equipment. These things usually happen for me in the late winter. I will have running lists of things that need done, inventories, and other things. When these lists look to be getting unmanageable, will order or do the work. Cleanups usually happen once a month, but not during the winter months as it is too cold in the brick garage/studio. Once again, I would ask QotW: Do you schedule maintenance activities in the studio or have a non structured format for maintenance? best, Pres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 Maintenance for me putters along with the work/activity - there's some clean up and put away associated with every session, tools are touched up when they begin to show dull, inventory edited/updated when container requires filling, reclaim when there's sufficient amount in that clay's bin, order/wish list updated when supply is low, orders placed when supply/item will be needed soon, and so. I'm not quite able to remember everything; lists help. Roberta12 and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 Oh boy, I just fix things as they break and clean things when I can't move anymore... I'm really bad about that, but this is not my full time job, and it's in a separate building, so it's kind of out of sight out of mind. Speaking of which, I'm getting a new 3D printer soon so I need to clear off a shelf for that... Hmmm, where to put this giant box of underglazes.... I do prebox things I put on my website so I can simply grab them and toss them in an outer box and ship them out as soon as an order comes through, so I'm not completely disorganized... Also, I do keep general maintenance parts around (elements, thermocouples, wheelhead grease, etc) so that when something does finally get bad I can fix it right away. Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 1, 2021 Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 I have a certain amount of cleaning incorporated into my work cycle. Mopping happens after reclaim, glaze or trimming days, because those things generate the most dust. I find if I don’t work tidy, I can’t concentrate. I have a hard time filtering out visual clutter. Or at least the wrong kind of visual clutter. I’m not a minimalist by any means. l don’t have a schedule for equipment maintenance, but I do keep an eye on how things are working. I’ve got a set of elements and some other kiln parts handy, because I don’t want to be caught out if and when something goes wrong. The last thing I need is to have to wait 3 weeks for replacement parts to be shipped. Note to self: your next kiln will be a model that’s actually serviced in your own country. This time of year, I’d normally be pulling my booth setup out to see what needs spiffing up, or if the sign need to be repainted. Spring shows were cancelled again this year, however, so that part of maintenance won’t happen likely until July. The farmer’s market ought to be a go. Hulk and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted April 1, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2021 Before I retired in 2009 the HS studio was on a schedule. Once a year the Walker pug mill had the gear oil replaced and the rubber drive grommet checked. The Bailey air filtrations system had its filters replaced and the entire studio was cleaned by cleaning staff. This included dusting pipes and other over head areas like the ceiling lights and ducts. Sink traps were cleaned out on schedule once a month, and all of the tools were hand cleaned by students and myself once a month. As to sharpening and upkeep of tools, if i noticed a dull tool, or handle loose etc, I put it in a small bin to get to on an inservice day. All of my classes would wash table tops, replace tools after cleaning, and wash out the sink after the cleanup was done. best, Pres Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 2, 2021 Report Share Posted April 2, 2021 (edited) I clean the studio and ware boards with water once a year-after Christmas -usually during my break .I tend to wash kiln shelves in spring when its getting sunny and warm out to dry them outside.Summer is gas kiln repair usually-bag walss etc . every 10 years or so in summer I grind flat any wonky palster bats outside on a wheel with a mask on.60-80 grit stuck to a bat does nthat fast-really dusty job. I vacuum the shop on Sunday afternoon weekly with central vac system that also our trash out and recycling day so I deal with cardboard in recycle tub and trimmings collected in buckets If its warm and sunny I empty my two tub clay waste system early in week to dry out in clay boxes for Sundays trash as well. I have been on this schedule a long time now but its noit fixed in stone. same is true with glazing and firing certain days. Edited April 2, 2021 by Mark C. Hulk and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 2, 2021 Report Share Posted April 2, 2021 I clean up and reorganize between projects, I started cleaning my studio before I hand my hand surgery. I go out their and move a few things around but my hand doctor wants me to take it easy. He even cut back on my physical therapy to once a day. I will see him again in a couple of weeks I hope I am ready to get back to work. Denice Hulk, Mark C., Pres and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 2, 2021 Report Share Posted April 2, 2021 35 minutes ago, Denice said: I clean up and reorganize between projects, I started cleaning my studio before I hand my hand surgery. I go out their and move a few things around but my hand doctor wants me to take it easy. He even cut back on my physical therapy to once a day. I will see him again in a couple of weeks I hope I am ready to get back to work. Denice I'm still doing Pt daliy at home on hand myself-I found throwing small sponge holders helped seed up PT recovery for me and I then worked up size wize to 2# forms and then tried to center using other parts of left hand on 6# bowls. My Pt pl;ace cut me loose last Tuesday and now my only restrictions is not to pug on thumb palm and I cannot pinch for 12 more days with thumb.Turns out I can make pots without pinching at all.Clay work really brought my hand back around fast.The hand will not be 100% until late July than zero restrictions Roberta12, Hulk and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted April 2, 2021 Report Share Posted April 2, 2021 Upon reflection, I am a little more structured with regular cleaning and maintenance than I would have given myself credit for. I clean the glazing/firing area after a glaze cycle and I clean my little studio top to bottom once a year (pulling everything out and purging things I have not used and really getting in the corners) and then of course I clean after throwing/trimming cycle. As far as kiln maintenance, that is a once a year task and I do try to time it so it is not happening in the middle of show season. Unless of course I get glaze on an element and it burns through or a relay burns out or some such. @Mark C. Good job with the hand recovery!!! I get a new hip on Monday. Hoping it doesn't slow me down for too long. Callie Beller Diesel and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted April 3, 2021 Report Share Posted April 3, 2021 Oh hip surgery! Let me know how it goes, I will need to have it done sometime in the future. My hand doctor is finding out how slow of a healer I am, he wants to do surgery on my other hand that I had worked on over 2 years ago. I want this surgery to heal up before I agree to more surgery. I had a friend that had both hips replaced at the same time, he had polio as a child. I think hip replacements were new at the time, I don't think they would do both hips together now, to hard to do PT. Denice Roberta12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted April 3, 2021 Report Share Posted April 3, 2021 My wife had a new hip two years ago at UCSF in San Francisco. Had her walking within day. Had a walker a few days than a cane for a week or so-real speedy recovery. All good very soon. 1st few days are thw worst then all good. Roberta12 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moh Posted April 6, 2021 Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 Two full studio cleanings (vac, mop, clean water restock..etc) a week. Got a studio janitor a few years ago, best money spent. Every Friday is glaze stock check day where all the glazes get made and tests fired over the weekend to start using them the week after. Kiln shelves cleaned and kiln maintained on need basis (always have backups of everything, extra full sets of elements..etc) Studio tools cleaned after each issue. A bit of a cleaning fanatic as you can tell.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted April 6, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 6, 2021 Seems like there is a lot more in the way of Potter Maintenance going on here than one might assume! best, Pres Chilly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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