Nidec Pugmill not releasing pugs.

[ARTeacher]

Hello everyone,

I'm a teacher at a high school. We just purchased a Nidec PM-071 last year to replace our old walker pug mill that is no longer safe to use.  It was working great last year, albeit slower than the walker.  The walker was so nice.  Now this year, I cannot get it to pug. I've cleaned out as much of the clay as I can without dismantling the entire machine.  I let some water soak in it over the weekend because I think the clay inside dried out completely over the summer, and now it has been running for two periods straight and still won't pug.  I have so much clay in the hopper that the plunger is not going down completely.  Not sure if I should take the whole thing apart and clean it out completely, or if I should just let it sit for longer.  Hopefully you all have advice.  Thanks in advance. 

-AR

[neilestrick]

Sounds like it's probably clogged up inside. Time to take it apart.

[oldlady]

take it apart.   you might not have left it with protection from drying out in the hopper and the final nozzle.  that end can just dry up and prevent anything from exiting.  your clay in the center of the machine might just be spinning around, unable to move foreward.

[Pres]

@ARTeacher,  Welcome to the forum, hope we can help you along your path in ceramics and your classroom.

Yeah, had to love the Walkers, we had one in my HS that I had purchased in the 80's, it is still running today with all of the safety equipment in working order.

As to you problems with the Nidec, as I am not really that familiar with them, do I assume you have checked to make certain the blades are turning?  Sometimes a gear or other works loose, and will not drive the screw mechanism. If that is not the case, I would recommend the housing apart and make certain all is cleared out.

best,

Pres