Larry Kruzan on tue 15 sep 09
There has been a lot of discussion about pug-mills the last few days so her=
e
are some random thoughts and experiences I have had with these often
misunderstood machines.
I have used five pug-mills/mixers in my 9 years of working with clay and I
have owned two. As you read what is below please keep that in mind - others
here have used them for longer than I have been alive and I fully respect
their views and experiences.
Not all studios are created equally. I need a machine that will sometimes
produce 1000 lbs of clay but will also make 100 lbs when a student needs 20
lbs for a class. I know artists that only use 50 lbs of clay a week - at
times I will use twice that much an hour. My needs may not be your needs, s=
o
the machine I need may not be right for you.
Here is the list - at school we used two OLD Peter Pugger pug-mills and a
Soldner Mixer. Just before I graduated I decided that I needed a Pug-mill
and ordered a small Bailey Pug-Mill without having ever seen one. Along the
way I bought a OLD pizza dough mixer since I quickly discovered that you
cannot mix in a pug-mill. I now own a Peter Pugger VPM-60 and at last have =
a
machine that will outlast me and does everything I ask of it.
Lessons I learned when I bought the wrong machine.
!. Pug-mills are not mixers - but there are mixers that work as pug-mills.
Most pug-mills require you to do lots of the work - think manual extruder.
Throw in a ball of premixed clay and force the handle down to aid the
extrusion of your little pug. Each ball gives a little more pug.
Dedicated mixers such as the Soldner are great for mixing but that is just
half the work - you still need to de-air and condition the clay - read lots
of wedging. If you have a de-airing pug-mill you remove the clay from the
mixer and feed the clay though the machine for properly conditioned clay.
That's what a Pug-Mill really is - a wedging machine.
BUT if you own a real mixing pug-mill you load the material and water, star=
t
the mixers and wait for it to mix. After the mass is thoroughly mixed you
start the de-airing function, and depending on your model you wait a few
moments and start the pug function. In a moment or two, perfectly mixed,
de-aired and conditioned clay comes out ready to be used.
Warning - even with the right machine if you throw in real big chunks of dr=
y
clay and mix for too short of a period of time the clay will not be
completely mixed - DUH!!!! Give the machine a chance to do its job.
Likewise, turning on the De-Air function while the chamber is full of dry
clay is also not going to lead to a good outcome. Understanding how your
machine works is the most important thing for success.
2. I spent $2000 on a machine that was waaay too small for my needs but
$6000 on a machine that might be a little bigger than I need. I limped alon=
g
for three years with the wrong equipment, working hard to overcome its
limitations.
After I bought the machine that I really needed my production went way up
since I was no longer working twice as hard just to make clay. I cannot
quantify how much more productive I would have been over those three years
but I am sure that the VPM-60 would have made up for its extra cost in
increased production - read income.
3. Pulling that darn handle on the Pug-mill caused elbow, shoulder and back
pain - (no, I am not going to sue) now I just have back pain .
Conclusion:
Am I advocating that everyone pick up the phone and order a VPM-60? NO
WAY!!!! I DO say that you need to research just what type and size machine
you need. For many the little Bailey will be the right choice - but it
wasn't the right one for me.
Go look at the machine before you buy - do not trust advertising glitz or
what anyone else says (including me), go find out for yourself - its your
money, time and back.
All of the brands make good equipment if the machine fits how you work. The
stainless Venco Super Twin looks like a nice machine but like the little
Bailey, it appears to require premixed clay. If you want to spend your time
premixing clay instead of making ware it might be a good choice for you. I
choose not to work that way. Baily does make bigger machines that mix well
and condition clay very nicely.
Peter Pugger has smaller mixer/pug-mill machines down to a very small table
top unit that offer a lot of value for a good price. I have owned my unit
for two years now and it has always performed perfectly.
Larry Kruzan
Lost Creek Pottery
www.lostcreekpottery.com
ivor & olive lewis on thu 17 sep 09
Dear Vince,
Thanks for your support with this one. The Potter's Alternative was
published some years after I had need of that information.
The Screw Flight Augers I was dealing with back in the 1960's were badly
designed. There were major problems with the bearings. As these wore down
the shaft of the auger settled and made contact with the casing. This
aggravated the grinding action of the mineral load.
In the high school clay studio I found the pug mill was a great tool for
behaviour modification. Would not be allowed to have one there these days.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis,
Redhill,
South Australia
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