Autumn Downey on sat 9 feb 08
Hello,
Just wondered if anyone had used the "Shimpo Aspire" table top wheel and what they thought of it? Is it useful in the studio or mostly used for demos because it's portable?
Thanks,
Autumn Downey
Yellowknife
Tiffany Stern on tue 26 feb 08
I have had the chance to use the Aspire and I don=92t like it at all. A good=
friend of mine from my ceramics class got it off the internet. I was
excited about it at first but when we got to play with it I was
disappointed. The design of this wheel backs the potter into a corner. Its
not friendly to the potter for serious usage nor will other companies
accessories work on it. It does run smooth but we were having problems
with the bats. I think they were warped or something because you could
hear a =93click click click=94 noise when ever you put pressure on the bat a=
nd
the bat was wobbly- so centering was next to impossible on it. But because
I can=92t use other bats on it I don=92t know for sure what=92s wrong. My fr=
iend
called the customer service a few days ago and hasn=92t heard anything yet.
Here are my thoughts
Wheel head- it=92s a tiny 7 inch wheel head. This means that you have to use=
their bats. No other bats on the market will fit it. I don=92t want to be
trapped into using only one companies bats. The funny thing is they don=92t
seem to be selling them at the moment. Because of the wobblyness I don=92t
know if they are really warped because the design also seems like they
just don=92t fit onto the bat pins, as if there isn=92t enough clearance and=
the bat is lifted just slightly off the wheel head.
Bat pins- there is no clearance under the wheel head so the pins screw
into the wheel head itself, there is no wing nut. Because they are not
standard I may have a hard time finding replacements (though home depo is
usually good- but finding help there is horrible). What if the hole for
the pins rust out or gets all clogged up? If the rivets are destroyed then
I can=92t get the pins to screw in anymore.
Splash pan- not my favorite. It is absolutely useless if there is not a
bat on the wheel head. There is a =BD inch (or so) gap between where the
splash pan starts to where the wheel head stops. The only thing that will
bridge this gap and get the excess water into the reservoir is by using
the bat. If you don=92t the water misses the pan altogether and floods out
the bottom. The pan itself is a thin plastic that looks like it will break
and it is almost unusable to brace myself on while throwing. Also because
of the gap issues=92 trimming is a mess. Might as well not use the pan at
all.
Expansion =96 there is no plug for a foot pedal. I don=92t mind the hand
control but most people do. In fact when I was going through the box there
was a part in a little plastic bag that my friend and I stared at for 5
minutes to figure out what it is. Apparently Shimpo thought it would be a
good idea to make their had lever not only screw in (which I wouldn=92t
leave that wheel alone in a class room because you know some little kid
would unscrew it and steal it) but to make it look like a pull lever from
a slot machine. Looking at it closer I wonder what will happen when water
gets inside where the lever meets the frame- hopefully its water proof.
Also there is no way to put legs on this thing. It is a table top model
only.
Now I have an Artista at home that CI makes so I can compare the two
pretty well. I got it because I am a starving college student whose studio
ranges from my front lawn on a nice day to a tiny corner draped with
plastic on not so nice days. I also have friends I can give =91lessons=92 to=
make a little money and I go to my old high school and junior high to
demo. The Artista fits my needs. On the Artista I can put a foot pedal on
it, I can buy legs for it so that I am sitting at normal height for a
pottery wheel, I have the travel case and have taken it to TEXAS as a
check in item on an air plane and had no issues with weight or damage. Its
compact form is wonderful for storage. Even with out the case I have
shoved the thing under my bed! Ive put the legs on it and taken it out on
my friends apartment balcony and gave throwing lessons. Its has space for
two buckets that they provide for you for your tools, water, clay- how
ever you get yourself set up. While it=92s a smaller wheel head than average=
it still has standard pins and will use standard bats. I do have to take
the pan off if I want to throw a large piece, but I don=92t have to use a
bat at all if I don=92t want to. CI took a professional potters wheel and
made it compact and friendly to =91urban=92 potters. The Aspire doesn=92t al=
low
for any of this. If you are looking for a compact portable wheel the
Artista is my choice- especially since they cost about the same.
On Sat, 9 Feb 2008 21:26:00 -0700, Autumn Downey wrote:
>Hello,
>
>Just wondered if anyone had used the "Shimpo Aspire" table top wheel and
what they thought of it? Is it useful in the studio or mostly used for
demos because it's portable?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Autumn Downey
>Yellowknife
>
>__________________________________________________________________________
____
>Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
>subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here:
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
Pottery by John on wed 27 feb 08
One thing you can do to counter the click-clack and wobbles is to put 4-6
little balls of clay under the bat and whack it down well to stick the bat
to the wheelhead. That's my cure for the wallowed out holes on the bats at
the arts center where I take a class. Until you learn how little is enough
clay, the bat can challenge you getting it off the wheelhead. Good luck to
your friend and you!
John Lowes
Sandy Springs GA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Tiffany Stern"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 7:09 PM
Subject: Re: Shimpo Aspire
I have had the chance to use the Aspire and I don't like it at all. A good
friend of mine from my ceramics class got it off the internet. I was
excited about it at first but when we got to play with it I was
disappointed. The design of this wheel backs the potter into a corner. Its
not friendly to the potter for serious usage nor will other companies
accessories work on it. It does run smooth but we were having problems
with the bats. I think they were warped or something because you could
hear a "click click click" noise when ever you put pressure on the bat and
the bat was wobbly- so centering was next to impossible on it. But because
I can't use other bats on it I don't know for sure what's wrong. My friend
called the customer service a few days ago and hasn't heard anything yet.
Here are my thoughts
Wheel head- it's a tiny 7 inch wheel head. This means that you have to use
their bats. No other bats on the market will fit it. I don't want to be
trapped into using only one companies bats. The funny thing is they don't
seem to be selling them at the moment. Because of the wobblyness I don't
know if they are really warped because the design also seems like they
just don't fit onto the bat pins, as if there isn't enough clearance and
the bat is lifted just slightly off the wheel head.
Bat pins- there is no clearance under the wheel head so the pins screw
into the wheel head itself, there is no wing nut. Because they are not
standard I may have a hard time finding replacements (though home depo is
usually good- but finding help there is horrible). What if the hole for
the pins rust out or gets all clogged up? If the rivets are destroyed then
I can't get the pins to screw in anymore.
Splash pan- not my favorite. It is absolutely useless if there is not a
bat on the wheel head. There is a ½ inch (or so) gap between where the
splash pan starts to where the wheel head stops. The only thing that will
bridge this gap and get the excess water into the reservoir is by using
the bat. If you don't the water misses the pan altogether and floods out
the bottom. The pan itself is a thin plastic that looks like it will break
and it is almost unusable to brace myself on while throwing. Also because
of the gap issues' trimming is a mess. Might as well not use the pan at
all.
Expansion - there is no plug for a foot pedal. I don't mind the hand
control but most people do. In fact when I was going through the box there
was a part in a little plastic bag that my friend and I stared at for 5
minutes to figure out what it is. Apparently Shimpo thought it would be a
good idea to make their had lever not only screw in (which I wouldn't
leave that wheel alone in a class room because you know some little kid
would unscrew it and steal it) but to make it look like a pull lever from
a slot machine. Looking at it closer I wonder what will happen when water
gets inside where the lever meets the frame- hopefully its water proof.
Also there is no way to put legs on this thing. It is a table top model
only.
Now I have an Artista at home that CI makes so I can compare the two
pretty well. I got it because I am a starving college student whose studio
ranges from my front lawn on a nice day to a tiny corner draped with
plastic on not so nice days. I also have friends I can give 'lessons' to
make a little money and I go to my old high school and junior high to
demo. The Artista fits my needs. On the Artista I can put a foot pedal on
it, I can buy legs for it so that I am sitting at normal height for a
pottery wheel, I have the travel case and have taken it to TEXAS as a
check in item on an air plane and had no issues with weight or damage. Its
compact form is wonderful for storage. Even with out the case I have
shoved the thing under my bed! Ive put the legs on it and taken it out on
my friends apartment balcony and gave throwing lessons. Its has space for
two buckets that they provide for you for your tools, water, clay- how
ever you get yourself set up. While it's a smaller wheel head than average
it still has standard pins and will use standard bats. I do have to take
the pan off if I want to throw a large piece, but I don't have to use a
bat at all if I don't want to. CI took a professional potters wheel and
made it compact and friendly to 'urban' potters. The Aspire doesn't allow
for any of this. If you are looking for a compact portable wheel the
Artista is my choice- especially since they cost about the same.
On Sat, 9 Feb 2008 21:26:00 -0700, Autumn Downey wrote:
>Hello,
>
>Just wondered if anyone had used the "Shimpo Aspire" table top wheel and
what they thought of it? Is it useful in the studio or mostly used for
demos because it's portable?
>
>Thanks,
>
>Autumn Downey
>Yellowknife
>
>__________________________________________________________________________
____
>Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
>subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here:
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
______________________________________________________________________________
Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, change your
subscription settings or unsubscribe/leave the list here:
http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
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