mel jacobson on sun 11 oct 09
just as an aside.
almost all western wheels go one way.
it is an effort to switch to clockwise.
i teach all to throw the same way.
i am left handed, and throw pots right.
when in japan, the wheels went clock.
it made me crazy.
i had the hiccups, and got migraines and
threw up all the time. my pee turned blue.
so.
i reversed my wheel.
it was belt driven, so just reversed the belt.
the boys were all stunned i could figure that out.
`just like a thrashing machine` i told them. they
did not know what that meant. (neither do most of you..but,
wayne knows.)
throwing on a platform wheel, in lotus position was
not for me...it would have taken a long crow bar to
get my legs un-done after 10 hours of throwing.
i just sawed holes in the platform. added a small platform
below for my feet, and bingo...comfy.
smart american boy with a farmers mentality...make do.
a favorite story:
i drove uchida's car. we were in a hurry to get to the
bullet train..late late. i went over a curb and the car
went off, black, no power. dead engine..no lights.
he was jumping up and down...`melsan, melsan, we will
miss the train.`
HOOOZAH. i slipped under the car....and yelled at uchida.
`get me a rock, or a brick.` he had no idea what i was doing.
i slipped out, ran to an empty lot near, found a rock...slipped back
under the car...grabbed the negative strap for the battery, and
smacked it between two pieces of metal. the car started
and we got to the train.
he was just shaking his head, `melsan, how you know that?`
smart american boy.
i was going to tell him it was our secret weapon during WW2.
farm boys from america could make any machine run and keep
running. we could make planes fly, tanks run, jeeps scamper.
we could fix anything, and think on the fly. every private
was a captain...we made do.
you learn to have extreme pride in `make do`.
i found a short wave radio in uchida's store room. man, is that
cool, about a 1930's radio. i took it into a closet and plugged it
in. (dark place) one tube was black i put my finger on it...opened the door=
.
marked it...took it out and brought it to a radio shop...the guy
searched all over, came back with one.
i plugged it in...the radio came on.
`good morning vietnam, with conhour was on the air.`
i ran a long copper wire across the roof of the house/antenna...and
had my own english speaking radio...even got a vikings game one time.
armed forces radio. it you know stuff, and love to make things, your
life is really rich.
mel
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
A Buck on sun 11 oct 09
Mel, it is my thinking that American education, by leaning towards removing=
=3D
art, shop, and music from schools, is killing this kind of inventive think=
=3D
ing. If people are only given information without stretching their minds i=
=3D
n creative ways then America will suffer the loss greatly. I see this happ=
=3D
ening right now. Especially in the more urban areas where kids are not exp=
=3D
osed to the necessity of making due with the materials at hand that a "Farm=
=3D
Boy" runs into. Schools need to do something to combat the "Video Game" c=
=3D
ulture that dominates our youth today.
This observation is from my purely American view point. I'd be interested =
=3D
to hear what our Clayart members in other countries have to say on this mat=
=3D
ter. Ivor, you reading this?
Andy
Raincreek Pottery
Port Orchard, WA
--- On Sun, 10/11/09, mel jacobson wrote:
> From: mel jacobson
> Subject: left hand throwing/story
> To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Date: Sunday, October 11, 2009, 9:12 AM
> just as an aside.
> a favorite story:
> i drove uchida's car.=3DA0 we were in a hurry to get to
> the
> bullet train..late late.=3DA0 i went over a curb and the
> car
> went off, black, no power.=3DA0 dead engine..no lights.
> he was jumping up and down...`melsan, melsan, we will
> miss the train.`
> HOOOZAH. i slipped under the car....and yelled at uchida.
> `get me a rock, or a brick.`=3DA0 he had no idea what i
> was doing.
> i slipped out, ran to an empty lot near, found a
> rock...slipped back
> under the car...grabbed the negative strap for the battery,
> and
> smacked it between two pieces of metal.=3DA0 the car
> started
> and we got to the train.
> he was just shaking his head, `melsan, how you know that?`
> smart american boy.
>=3D20
> i was going to tell him it was our secret weapon during
> WW2.
> farm boys from america could make any machine run and keep
> running.=3DA0 we could make planes fly, tanks run, jeeps
> scamper.
> we could fix anything, and think on the fly.=3DA0 every
> private
> was a captain...we made do.
> you learn to have extreme pride in `make do`.
>=3D20
> i found a short wave radio in uchida's store room.=3DA0
> man, is that
> cool, about a 1930's radio.=3DA0 i took it into a closet
> and plugged it
> in. (dark place) one tube was black i put my finger on
> it...opened the door.
> marked it...took it out and brought it to a radio
> shop...the guy
> searched all over, came back with one.
> i plugged it in...the radio came on.
> `good morning vietnam, with conhour was on the air.`
> i ran a long copper wire across the roof of the
> house/antenna...and
> had my own english speaking radio...even got a vikings game
> one time.
> armed forces radio.=3DA0 it you know stuff, and love to
> make things, your
> life is really rich.
> mel
> =3D0A=3D0A=3D0A
Arnold Howard on mon 12 oct 09
From: "A Buck"
Mel, it is my thinking that American education, by leaning
towards removing art, shop, and music from schools, is
killing this kind of inventive thinking. If people are only
given information without stretching their minds in creative
ways then America will suffer the loss greatly.
-----------
I agree with Andy. But kids can learn on their own, too, as
I did. When I was 19 years old, I rebuilt several VW engines
to satisfy my curiosity about mechanical things. I taught
myself from a book. Before I rebuilt the first engine, I
couldn't tell a cam follower from a valve. I had parts all
over my parents' garage, and at one point I wondered how the
pieces would ever go back together again. I had to rebuild
the first engine twice, because I made a mistake the first
time!
My son, Patrick, is in the Coast Guard and helps to maintain
the boats. He has become an excellent mechanic.
Sincerely,
Arnold Howard
Paragon Industries, L.P., Mesquite, Texas USA
ahoward@paragonweb.com / www.paragonweb.com
Maurice Weitman on mon 12 oct 09
At 8:46 -0500 on 10/12/09, Arnold Howard wrote:
>When I was 19 years old, I rebuilt several VW engines
>to satisfy my curiosity about mechanical things. I taught
>myself from a book.
Hey, Arnold,
Was that the John Muir "How to keep your VW alive... for the complete
idiot" book?
I used that to rebuild the engine on my girlfriend's beetle. I'd
been quite mechanically inclined before that, but still... it did
give me the courage to do something that extensive. It was a great
experience and earned me gobs of points with my gf.
Shortly after that, I built a wheel (the Alpine kit), put it in my
dining room, taught myself how to center and throw. Boy, was that
fun, and boy, was I terrible! But I liked it enough to give me the
idea to take classes when I quit the computer game nearly 30 years
later.
Did you know that the author was allegedly related to THE John Muir?
Regards,
Maurice, who got the pug mill wired, working on installing the kiln,
vent, other outlets and lights, then to install a sink... getting
there!
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