June on tue 21 dec 10
ll
If it were me, I'd take it apart and clean it. It's not fun, but in my expe=
rience it would take more time and be less fun to clean it out if the clay =
hardens.
Regards,
June
http://wwww.shambhalapottery.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sodasaltfiring/
http://www.shambhalapottery.com
----- Original Message -----
From: eleanorarkowitz
To: Clayart@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Tue, 21 Dec 2010 21:23:20 -0000 (UTC)
Subject: leaving for two -three months. what to do with bluebird pugmill
my husband has a sabbatical so i will be away from my studio for a semester=
. how should i deal with my bluebird pugmill. in the past i stuffed wet sp=
onges in both the intake area and outlet. all the sponges rotted and i sti=
ll had to deal with hard clay. i would appreciate any suggestion how to dea=
l with the pugmill's vacation
thanks
William & Susan Schran User on tue 21 dec 10
ll
On 12/21/10 4:23 PM, "eleanorarkowitz" wrote:
> my husband has a sabbatical so i will be away from my studio for a semest=
er.
> how should i deal with my bluebird pugmill. in the past i stuffed wet spo=
nges
> in both the intake area and outlet. all the sponges rotted and i still h=
ad to
> deal with hard clay. i would appreciate any suggestion how to deal with t=
he
> pugmill's vacation
Take it apart (barrel parts) to the extent possible, clean out all clay, if
steel, perhaps give a light spray of WD40, if it has grease fittings, greas=
e
them all and leave uncovered so moisture doesn't build up and rust forms.
Bill
--
William "Bill" Schran
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu
http://www.creativecreekartisans.com
Vince Pitelka on tue 21 dec 10
ll
Eleanor Arkowitz wrote:
"My husband has a sabbatical so I will be away from my studio for a =3D
semester. How should I deal with my bluebird pugmill. In the past I =3D
stuffed wet sponges in both the intake area and outlet. All the sponges =
=3D
rotted and I still had to deal with hard clay. I would appreciate any =3D
suggestion how to deal with the pugmill's vacation."
Hi Eleanor. The only reasonable thing to do is to dismantle and clean =3D
it. Of course that just requires splitting the barrel, and it's not =3D
that complicated. That way you can come back to it with no worries and =3D
charge it with fresh clay. You probably want to give it such a cleaning =
=3D
occasionally anyway. =3D20
Of course before you take anything apart, make sure that you =3D
double-disconnect it if it is hard-wired, or unplug it from the wall if =3D
it is soft-wired. Once you have disconnected it and removed the barrel, =
=3D
you could hire the neighbor kids to clean it out. Also, if it is in a =3D
place where you can wrestle it outside, after splitting the barrel you =3D
can remove most of the clay, and then clean off the rest with a hose and =
=3D
a stiff "parts cleaning" brush available from any auto parts store. =3D
That goes quick. =3D20
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu=3D20
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
Carl Finch on tue 21 dec 10
ll
At 01:23 PM 12/21/2010, eleanorarkowitz wrote:
>my husband has a sabbatical so i will be away from my studio for a
>semester. how should i deal with my bluebird pugmill. in the past i
>stuffed wet sponges in both the intake area and outlet. all the
>sponges rotted and i still had to deal with hard clay. i would
>appreciate any suggestion how to deal with the pugmill's vacation
>thanks
Apparently Bluebird makes more than one model of pugmill (well of
course they do!). Which is yours? Bill and Vince respond as though
the innards might rust and that the barrel may be split.
My old (but I believe rather popular) Bluebird is a model 440. Its
barrel is some sort of aluminum alloy and can only be split once--and
with great difficulty. Splitting it would require rewelding, if you
get my point! I did clean the barrel when I first bought this mill
(3rd owner, at least), or attempted to. Since the barrel is
one-piece it was no fun.
I've left my pugmill for as long as 6 months, full of clay, with no
problem. I cover the outlet, intake area, and de-airing chamber with
plastic, as snugly as possible (I tie the plastic tight with string,
but one could use tape for a better seal). The intake area is a
little awkward to seal because of the long compression handle sticking out.
But before covering, I pour copious water into the intake area and
de-airing chamber. Some of the water leaks out of the outlet, so I
place a bucket under that point to catch it.
If, on your return, the clay seems to have hardened (press thumb into
clay pug at the outlet exit to test), simply repeat the soaking
procedure and let it sit for a few days until the outlet clay is
soft. Keep your hand on the OFF switch when you attempt to start
it--if it doesn't turn, shut off the power immediately and soak some
more (I've not had to do this, but just in case...)
--Carl
in Medford, Oregon
Vince Pitelka on wed 22 dec 10
ll
Carl Finch wrote:
"Apparently Bluebird makes more than one model of pugmill (well of course
they do!). Which is yours? Bill and Vince respond as though the innards
might rust and that the barrel may be split. My old (but I believe rather
popular) Bluebird is a model 440. Its barrel is some sort of aluminum allo=
y
and can only be split once--and
with great difficulty. Splitting it would require rewelding, if you get my
point! I did clean the barrel when I first bought this mill (3rd owner, at
least), or attempted to. Since the barrel is one-piece it was no fun."
Carl makes a very good point. I had forgotten that some of the Bluebirds
have a one-piece aluminum barrel. The ones I have used have a steel barrel
that is bolted together along horizontal flanges, and the upper half can be
easily removed. So Eleanor, if you have the type with the one-piece
aluminum barrel, I would do as Carl suggests. But you said that sponges yo=
u
placed in the openings had rotted, and that makes me think you are using
cellulose sponges, which I find problematic in most studio use. If you get
some poly sponges at Home Depot or Lowe's, they will not deteriorate. Put =
a
soaking wet sponge in the inlet hopper, and carve out some clay from the
extrusion end and put another soaking wet sponge in there, and then wrap an=
d
seal both openings. Make sure that the vacuum chamber is well-sealed as
well.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
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