James Freeman on fri 22 jan 10
I spent the afternoon throwing bowls at the local college for an "empty
bowls" project (I must learn how to start saying "no"!), and got to use one
of their new Shimpo RK Whispers. I thought I might share my impressions. =
I
must say right off that the RK Whisper is one fine machine. It was an
absolute joy to use.
I learned to throw on some RK 2 and RK 10 wheels, some of which came over
here on the Mayflower. They were all squeaky at best, downright rumbly at
worst. I spent many, many hours dismantling them, replacing drive wheels
and other parts, fabricating parts that were no longer available. I got
them all working well, but they were still noisy and inelegant machines. I
soon switched to Brent.
When I saw the new RK Whispers in the studio, I did not have high
expectations. They look just like the old RK 2's and 10's, and I thought I
was in for more of the same. A few minutes into throwing, however, and I
was a convert. These wheels are solid as a rock, operate with smooth
precision, and are absolutely dead silent. The pedal action is smooth, and
the speed control is extremely precise. They are basically flawless in
operation. It is like stepping out of a Dodge Ram and into a Lexus.
There are two minor drawbacks to the design which would not affect most
people, but might keep me from considering purchasing one. I like to throw
very large platters, and use 26" diameter batts. The RK Whisper still has
the tiny 12" wheel head of it's predecessors, which provides much less
support for large batts. Also, the pedal is mechanically a part of the gut=
s
of the machine, so cannot be moved away from under the large batts, making
access a bit difficult. As I said, for most users these two minor drawback=
s
would be moot. All in all, I found the RK Whisper to be a truly wonderful
machine.
For what it's worth. (Standard disclaimers apply: I do not work for Shimpo=
,
have no axe to grind, and receive nothing for saying these things. I still
like my Brents a LOT, but man, that silence was nice! Your mileage may
vary.)
...James
James Freeman
"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should
not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."
-Michel de Montaigne
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/clayart/
Steve Mills on sun 24 jan 10
James,
I have the VL Whisper and that has a remote pedal, and a 14 inch wheelhead
which is much much better.
My previous wheel had a smaller wheelhead and the pedal mounted on the
casing, and that can be a problem as you pointed out.
Go for the VL, I think it's worth the extra money!
Steve M
On 23 January 2010 02:56, James Freeman wrote=
:
> I spent the afternoon throwing bowls at the local college for an "empty
> bowls" project (I must learn how to start saying "no"!), and got to use o=
ne
> of their new Shimpo RK Whispers. I thought I might share my impressions.
> I
> must say right off that the RK Whisper is one fine machine. It was an
> absolute joy to use.
>
> --
Steve
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Vince Pitelka on sun 24 jan 10
James Freeman wrote:
"I spent the afternoon throwing bowls at the local college for an "empty
bowls" project (I must learn how to start saying "no"!), and got to use one
of their new Shimpo RK Whispers. I thought I might share my impressions. I
must say right off that the RK Whisper is one fine machine. It was an
absolute joy to use."
I love that Shimpo is still making a wheel on the RK pattern, with the
attached foot pedal, but the ankle issues I will be dealing with for the
rest of my life because of that whole broken leg incident mean that I will
never be able to operate that kind of wheel again. There's no chance of me
regaining enough ankle movement to operate that attached pedal that pivots
in the center. I don't know what I am going to do with the oversized Shimp=
o
RK-1 clone that I built in 1976, because I love it and it still works
perfectly. But I can't operate it anymore. As Steve Mills mentioned, the
VL Whisper is the same drive system but with a more conventional frame with
legs, a 14" wheelhead and a detached foot pedal. It's interesting that the=
y
chose to have the pedal attached on the RK Whisper, because there is no
reason for it. There's no mechanical connection between the wheel and the
drive system, as there was on the RK-1, RK-2, and others in that series. I
hope that they will offer an RK-style Whisper with a detached wheel, becaus=
e
I like the idea of a state-of-the-art wheel in that compact little housing.
-Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Vince Pitelka on sun 24 jan 10
I wrote:
"There's no mechanical connection between the wheel and the
drive system, as there was on the RK-1, RK-2, and others in that series."
But of course what I meant was "There's no mechanical connection between th=
e
pedal and the
drive system, as there was on the RK-1, RK-2, and others in that series."
You guys just have to learn to listen to what I mean, not what I write.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Taylor Hendrix on sun 24 jan 10
I have had my VL Whisper long enough to know that it was the best
choice I could have made. It is a fantastic wheel and I use the free
wheeling aspect of the wheel often. My nice heavy Shimpo banding wheel
now sits lonely in the corner.
Those of you potters who are bemoaning the lack of wheel noise need
only solve that problem by speaking louder while talking to yourselves
-- problem solved!
Vince, I've never really liked a pedal for controlling wheel speed and
often put the pedal up on the deck when I threw on a Brent. Now that I
have my Whisper, I've taken a page out of Old Man Garner's book and
added a piece of wood to the pedal so I can operate it with a hand.
I'm going to teach myself to tap and cut threads so I can add a nice
shift lever to make things look wicked cool.
Silence is golden,
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 10:30 AM, Vince Pitelka wrote=
=3D
:
...
I don't know what I am going to do with the oversized Shimpo
> RK-1 clone that I built in 1976, because I love it and it still works
> perfectly. =3DC2=3DA0But I can't operate it anymore.
...
Lee Love on sun 24 jan 10
On Sun, Jan 24, 2010 at 2:50 PM, Taylor Hendrix wro=
=3D
te:
> Those of you potters who are bemoaning the lack of wheel noise need
> only solve that problem by speaking louder while talking to yourselves
> -- problem solved!
Or, they could put a radio near the motor and tune in the interference
they pick up. :^) AM is usually better.
--
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D97tha=
t is, "T=3D
he
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
Mike on mon 25 jan 10
I used Brent and Shimpo previously in a borrowed environment, and never
really minded the noise too much, mostly I think because in those
environments there are other people bustling around doing their own
thing, so there's a lot of background noise to begin with.
My first 'bought' wheel was a Shimpo Whisper, of the standard Shimpo
shape. The tripod version hadn't been released yet, I think. Now that I
have my own studio and there's no one else making noise, I really love
the quite wheel. The toughest thing about it was running it too fast
without thinking, kind of like when you drive a really smooth running
car, thinking you're cruising at around 45, then happen to look down and
realize it's more like 80.
Once your ears are attuned to the Whisper, it's really not that quiet
(compared to silence). It has a muted swish/hum that tells you when
you're speeding up/slowing down. If you've got music playing, it's hard
to hear, but paying attention to the clay will keep you from going too
fast (or at least it does me). I like it because it reminds me to slow
down and pay attention when I start to drift or rush things.
Lee's right about the kickwheel and the unique feeling it has, the
direct connection between the body's movement and the wheel's movement.
And that's completely quiet, really wonderful. Then you can really hear
the rhythm of the paddle and the drum-like musical echo accompanying it
when the clay is just right, and you know it's going to be a good one.
In danger of going off subject, so I'll hit send before it's too late.
Mike
Mike
in Taku, Japan
http://karatsupots.com
http://karatsupots.blogspot.com
Kiln Building Workshop, Oct. 15 - 22
http://karatsupots.com/workshop2010/workshop2010.html
http://karatsupots-workshop.blogspot.com/
Taylor Hendrix =E3=81*=E3'"=E3=81=AF=E6>=B8=E3=81=8D=E3=81=BE=E3=81-=E3=81Y=
:
> I have had my VL Whisper long enough to know that it was the best
> choice I could have made. It is a fantastic wheel and I use the free
> wheeling aspect of the wheel often. My nice heavy Shimpo banding wheel
> now sits lonely in the corner.
>
> Those of you potters who are bemoaning the lack of wheel noise need
> only solve that problem by speaking louder while talking to yourselves
> -- problem solved!
>
> Vince, I've never really liked a pedal for controlling wheel speed and
> often put the pedal up on the deck when I threw on a Brent. Now that I
> have my Whisper, I've taken a page out of Old Man Garner's book and
> added a piece of wood to the pedal so I can operate it with a hand.
> I'm going to teach myself to tap and cut threads so I can add a nice
> shift lever to make things look wicked cool.
>
> Silence is golden,
>
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
>
>
>
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