Shimpo Aspire, brand new — Wheel wobbles and the belt makes a clunking sound (video included)

[nbpottery]

Hi all,

I just purchased a Shimpo Aspire for my wife. Now that we are settled down, we are slowly building a pottery workshop. We are very excited.

The wheel arrived this morning, and we started testing it out. Upon starting up the wheel, I immediately noticed some things that didn't seem right.

1. The wheel clunked unlike any wheel I have ever used. I figured this couldn't be normal.
2. I noticed a slight but significant wobble in the wheel. The wobble can be seen from across the room. I did not notice this degree of wobbling on any of the wheels I have used before.
3. I am not sure if this is simply a design feature, but the hand lever does not engage the wheel until it is about halfway turned. This seems odd to me, but it is conceivable that this is some sort of safety feature.

I contacted Clay-King, and the rep told me that the clunking was not abnormal and should resolve within a few hours of use. I guess the wheels sit for a long time and the belt needs to be "broken in." I am not sure if the wobbling would also resolve. We have been running it for about three hours on full speed—no changes observed.

I was hoping to hear perspectives from some more experienced artists. Any ideas are appreciated.

Also, see attached for a video documenting these issues (forgive my calling the bats pans, the brain does crazy things).

Thanks in advance.

 

Edited August 16, 2021 by nbpottery

[neilestrick]

The late start is not uncommon on wheels. Brent pedals often do that, too. Is there any sort of adjustments that can be made on the controller or the knob itself?

The thumping is most likely from the belt. It may be from sitting for a long time, or it may be the joint on the belt if they're using a cheap belt in which case it won't resolve itself.

The wobble is very minor. To me it looks like it's easier to see with the bat because the bat isn't sitting totally flat. That type of bat with the grid on the back almost never sits flat in my experience. My students refuse to use that type of bat for throwing on- they are only used as ware boards in my studio. If you look carefully you can see that the bat is wobbling worse than the bottom of the wheelhead. A tiny wobble may be within their specs and probably won't affect the throwing, but if you can, loosen up the wheelhead and make sure it's seated all the way on the shaft. It's possible that it got jostled during shipping or never got seated properly at the factory. If the tiny wobble remains, send your video to Shimpo and see what they say. Also try throwing on it and see if it actually affects anything.

[nbpottery]

Thanks, Neil. I am glad to hear that the wobble looks normal to you.

I have a feeling that the belt sound won't resolve itself, though I will hold out hope. We have been running it for hours with no change. I suppose I should contact Shimpo and ask what they think. I would normally open things up and take a look, but I don't want to do that with a brand new $500 item that is under warranty.

[Mark C.]

Hopefully some aspire users will chime in and give advice. 

I'm not a fan of those wheels and your issues seem to be the norm

since its uder warranty I would as Neil says send the video to Them and see what they say. The thumping sound s like a flat spot on belt from sitting to long The wobble  is just poor craftsmanship -the speed knob may be adjustable -see what they say

[nattergab]

Hi @nbpottery—I just pulled my new Aspire out of the box and am in the wait-and-see run scenario you were in as well. That knocking is so, so annoying! What did you end up doing with yours? Did it resolve, was the belt the issue? Thank you. 

[UPDATE] I ran my wheel for 7 hours at high speed and the knocking sound stopped. It started to dissipate around 4-5 hours in. Now it's operating without the annoying sound and just regular wheel hum. The belt just had to "warm up" and become more flexible again after having sat in a box for a while in one position—it had to loosen a stiff "kink" from being stored before purchasing. 

Edited May 21, 2022 by nattergab
update to problem