Another pug mill question(s)

[yedrow]

How often do you clean out a pug mill, in pounds of clay probably. And...

 

How hard do you pull down on the handle? I put quite a bit of force on it, but I'm not absolutely certain that is necessary.

 

Thanks,

 

Joel.

[Biglou13]

Shimpo....@commuity studio...,,.,.

Me ....,.very substantial.

Lots o pressure, Even with cheater bar. .....

Less when reckaimed clay is moist.....,

[Pres]

I used a Walker for years. Only applied enough pressure to push the clay into the blades. Of course if you load too much at one time you get a bridge over the blades that you have to collapse to keep going, otherwise not much work at all. I would often run it all day, moving around the classroom watching students working, putting just enough clay to keep it running. Usually got two barrels a day working that way.

[Tom]

Like any tool keep it clean and it will last longer. I tend to Clean mine after each use but I Pug 800 to a 1000 lbs at a time. I like my clay to age a bit, usually about a year or 2. For pressure on the handle, not too much. I fill it the best I can run it a few turns then refill. after about 3 or 4 times at most I let it work a short while them let it pug out the clay. why work that hard you got the pugger to make your life easier. I use a Peter Pugger that mixes and deairs the clay always good results. Works great with extruder dies too. Have fun with your toys and don't fight with them.

[atanzey]

I've had mine for about three years, and only broken it down once, probably a year and a half after I started using it. Then it was mostly because early on I hadn't developed a good strategy for keeping the clay moist between pugging (2-3 month intervals) and it had developed some dryish spots inside the chamber that would end up on the outsides of the pugged clay. So now, I place a very moist cloth in the vacuum chamber and the hopper and a dripping 3" sponge in the end and rubber-band plastic, and I probably won't clean it out again until I mess up and let something dry out when it shouldn't, or I drastically change clay.

 

Alice

[Min]

I have cleaned my pugmill out 3 times, only because I changed claybodies. After about a year for each clay as I have only had the machine for a few years. I have a stainless lined Bailey, one of the deairing ones. When I don't expect to use it for more than a couple weeks I make sure the hopper part is mostly empty and the sponge that is in the end cap of the auger part is very damp. Never any problems with it. I don't have to pull very hard on the handle.

[yedrow]

Great advice everyone. The one I use at work has hundreds of pounds of clay a day run through it. But the one I get for home will not be used for weeks at a time. I really appreciate the advice about putting a damp sponge on the end and keeping the chamber as empty as possible. That will prevent me from likely having had to learn that the hard way.

 

Joel.

[clay lover]

Great advice everyone. The one I use at work has hundreds of pounds of clay a day run through it. But the one I get for home will not be used for weeks at a time. I really appreciate the advice about putting a damp sponge on the end and keeping the chamber as empty as possible. That will prevent me from likely having had to learn that the hard way.

 

Joel.

 

 

 

I don't need to worry about drying out, I go for 2-3 weeks, if traveling and not potting, it is sealed, clay stays just as I left it. I toss the days scraps and trimmings, throwing sludge, all in every day, mix a bit ocationally and pug when it's full.

[Benzine]

I used a Walker for years. Only applied enough pressure to push the clay into the blades. Of course if you load too much at one time you get a bridge over the blades that you have to collapse to keep going, otherwise not much work at all. I would often run it all day, moving around the classroom watching students working, putting just enough clay to keep it running. Usually got two barrels a day working that way.

 

 

I love those Walkers! I used mine, the same way you did Pres. Failed pots, scraps from slabs, and small coil bits, that no one wanted, and some slip, would all go in the Walker. I'd turn it on and let it mix a bit. Then stop it, put it on reverse, and let it run for a while that way. I'd go back and forth a couple times, then pug it out into buckets.

[Pres]

I used a Walker for years. Only applied enough pressure to push the clay into the blades. Of course if you load too much at one time you get a bridge over the blades that you have to collapse to keep going, otherwise not much work at all. I would often run it all day, moving around the classroom watching students working, putting just enough clay to keep it running. Usually got two barrels a day working that way.

 

 

I love those Walkers! I used mine, the same way you did Pres. Failed pots, scraps from slabs, and small coil bits, that no one wanted, and some slip, would all go in the Walker. I'd turn it on and let it mix a bit. Then stop it, put it on reverse, and let it run for a while that way. I'd go back and forth a couple times, then pug it out into buckets.

 

 

Yes, that was one thing that a lot of the others did not have at the time was the reverse function. Like you I used it often to keep running and rerunning the clay if it had some stiffer stuff in it. I found that it compressed the clay pretty much, often being like deaired. You had to watch the clay consistence though, dog ears would tell you when clay was not quite right-add a little more water, and if you had bubbles, put it in reverse. Big space hog, but you had to love it.

[Benzine]

I used a Walker for years. Only applied enough pressure to push the clay into the blades. Of course if you load too much at one time you get a bridge over the blades that you have to collapse to keep going, otherwise not much work at all. I would often run it all day, moving around the classroom watching students working, putting just enough clay to keep it running. Usually got two barrels a day working that way.

 

 

I love those Walkers! I used mine, the same way you did Pres. Failed pots, scraps from slabs, and small coil bits, that no one wanted, and some slip, would all go in the Walker. I'd turn it on and let it mix a bit. Then stop it, put it on reverse, and let it run for a while that way. I'd go back and forth a couple times, then pug it out into buckets.

 

 

Yes, that was one thing that a lot of the others did not have at the time was the reverse function. Like you I used it often to keep running and rerunning the clay if it had some stiffer stuff in it. I found that it compressed the clay pretty much, often being like deaired. You had to watch the clay consistence though, dog ears would tell you when clay was not quite right-add a little more water, and if you had bubbles, put it in reverse. Big space hog, but you had to love it.

 

 

Yes indeed. I had space for it in that classroom, I definitely don't now.

[Karen B]

Great advice everyone. The one I use at work has hundreds of pounds of clay a day run through it. But the one I get for home will not be used for weeks at a time. I really appreciate the advice about putting a damp sponge on the end and keeping the chamber as empty as possible. That will prevent me from likely having had to learn that the hard way.

 

Joel.

 

 

Hi Joel,

I'm like "clay lover" and leave it full (Shimpo) with the rubber covers that come with.

Just wanted to add one tip. I do scrape down the square hopper at end of use for the day and found that a 4" plastic paint scraper fits perfectly.

(In case you use Porcelain, you can't leave it in an aluminum pug mill for any length of time.)

Karen

[yedrow]

Thanks Karen