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banding wheel

updated wed 23 jul 08

 

Robert Speirs, M.D. 12 4450 on wed 18 feb 98

Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
want to spin worth a darn.

Any suggestions? Should I send it back? TIA.

Laura in Oregon
speirsro@adams.mts.kpnw.org

Robert Katz on thu 19 feb 98

Sorry the WD40 did not work & you could try to send it back - think about
using a $6.00 'lazy susan' ball bearing set from your local hardward store.
They come in different sizes, you can mount them onto a board if you wish,
you can add cork to the bottom, or you could even place the piece upon a
board & place that on the lazy susan,change the board as you work on
different pieces, that way you have the convenience of a banding wheel with
the cost savings of using it on multiple pieces.
Let me know how you like it & what you are using it for, if you try it.
Every one I've suggested it too is pleased with the idea & cost savings &
uses it for different things with different adaptations.
Vicki Katz
Katz Creek Pottery
Sugar Creek, TX
At 09:24 AM 2/18/98 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> want to spin worth a darn.
>
> Any suggestions? Should I send it back? TIA.
>
> Laura in Oregon
> speirsro@adams.mts.kpnw.org
>

Vince Pitelka on thu 19 feb 98

> Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> want to spin worth a darn.

The Lockerbie banding wheels are wonderful pieces of equipment. I don't
know what kind of banding wheel you had at the school, but you should NEVER
get water on any kind of steel bearing surface which is not protected by a
rubber seal. Banding wheels do not have such a seal, because it would
restrict the free spinning of the wheel. My Lockerbie has a base with a
vertical shaft, and the wheel has a collar which extends down over that
vertical shaft. At the top of the vertical shaft there is a depression, and
a single steel bearing-ball sits in that depression. The weight of the
wheel sits atop that bearing, and the lubrication between the collar and
shaft makes the wheel turn very smoothly. At the top of this collar, just
under the "wheelhead," there is a retaining screw. If yous is of the same
design, loosen this screw, and you can then work the wheel-collar off the
base-shaft - it may be a bit tight if it has corroded at all. As you remove
the wheelhead from the base watch out for that steel bearing-ball - don't
let it drop on the floor and roll away. Yours may not have one, but most of
the high-quality ones do. Once you have the wheel and base apart, use some
fine emery paper to sand off any corrosion, wipe down the bearing surfaces
with an oily cloth, oil the surfaces well, make sure that the bearing ball
is in place, and slide the collar back over the shaft, and tighten up the
retaining screw. To lubricate the wheel periodically, set it on a table
upside down, and spin the base while feeding drops of oil into the contact
point between shaft and collar.

I suggest you clean off your banding wheel with a sponge. Don't immerse it
in water, and if you must run water over it, never turn it upside-down or
sideways while rinsing it.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166

Clay on thu 19 feb 98

Return it & buy a new Shimpo Blue one. I sit on it one time & it still
turning great.(178lbs).

Yeah , they are made in Taiwan , who cares ....they are really good. & Cheap ...

Ian Ian

At 09:24 AM 2/18/98 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> want to spin worth a darn.
>
> Any suggestions? Should I send it back? TIA.
>
> Laura in Oregon
> speirsro@adams.mts.kpnw.org
>

Lili Krakowski on fri 20 feb 98

Never have understood why banding wheels. Vicky is 100% right. And for
those of you who want strength-- as in trying to turn a 50lb sculpture
look in a WOODWORKERS CATALOG. Woodworkers supply houses sell very very
strong bearings for things like office chairs and turning table tops. If
they can hold a 300 lbs CEO (who can afford a custom built office
chair)....And those barings while a lot costlier than a Lazy Susan from
the supermarket, can be built into really interesting sculpture stands.

Lili Krakowski

John H. Rodgers on fri 20 feb 98

-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

Suggest using a few drops of 20W oil. Will give a very smooth action for a
very long time.

John Rodgers
In sunny Alabama

-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

Date: Thursday, 19-Feb-98 07:50 AM

From: Vince Pitelka \ Internet: (vpitelka@dekalb.net)
To: Multiple recipients of list CLAYART \ Internet: (clayart@lsv.uky.
edu)

Subject: Re: Banding wheel

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> want to spin worth a darn.

The Lockerbie banding wheels are wonderful pieces of equipment. I don't
know what kind of banding wheel you had at the school, but you should NEVER
get water on any kind of steel bearing surface which is not protected by a
rubber seal. Banding wheels do not have such a seal, because it would
restrict the free spinning of the wheel. My Lockerbie has a base with a
vertical shaft, and the wheel has a collar which extends down over that
vertical shaft. At the top of the vertical shaft there is a depression, and
a single steel bearing-ball sits in that depression. The weight of the
wheel sits atop that bearing, and the lubrication between the collar and
shaft makes the wheel turn very smoothly. At the top of this collar, just
under the "wheelhead," there is a retaining screw. If yous is of the same
design, loosen this screw, and you can then work the wheel-collar off the
base-shaft - it may be a bit tight if it has corroded at all. As you remove
the wheelhead from the base watch out for that steel bearing-ball - don't
let it drop on the floor and roll away. Yours may not have one, but most of
the high-quality ones do. Once you have the wheel and base apart, use some
fine emery paper to sand off any corrosion, wipe down the bearing surfaces
with an oily cloth, oil the surfaces well, make sure that the bearing ball
is in place, and slide the collar back over the shaft, and tighten up the
retaining screw. To lubricate the wheel periodically, set it on a table
upside down, and spin the base while feeding drops of oil into the contact
point between shaft and collar.

I suggest you clean off your banding wheel with a sponge. Don't immerse it
in water, and if you must run water over it, never turn it upside-down or
sideways while rinsing it. - Vince

Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166


-------- REPLY, End of original message --------

Grace Liu on sat 21 feb 98

Laura,
If you're thinking of using a lazy susan from a hardwqare store, make
sure it doesn't wobble. Otherwise you'll get some very nice looking
wavey bands.
Grace

Robert Katz wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Sorry the WD40 did not work & you could try to send it back - think about
> using a $6.00 'lazy susan' ball bearing set from your local hardward store.
> They come in different sizes, you can mount them onto a board if you wish,
> you can add cork to the bottom, or you could even place the piece upon a
> board & place that on the lazy susan,change the board as you work on
> different pieces, that way you have the convenience of a banding wheel with
> the cost savings of using it on multiple pieces.
> Let me know how you like it & what you are using it for, if you try it.
> Every one I've suggested it too is pleased with the idea & cost savings &
> uses it for different things with different adaptations.
> Vicki Katz
> Katz Creek Pottery
> Sugar Creek, TX
> At 09:24 AM 2/18/98 EST, you wrote:
> >----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> > Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> > washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> > but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> > me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> > want to spin worth a darn.
> >
> > Any suggestions? Should I send it back? TIA.
> >
> > Laura in Oregon
> > speirsro@adams.mts.kpnw.org
> >

Yvonne M. Pund on sun 22 feb 98

Just thought I'd share something I tried. I have one of those wind up
microwave turners. wind it up and use it to turn slowly. It works.
Yvonne

RTSM on mon 2 mar 98

Hi, all. Last summer I bought a Lockerbie l0" banding wheel. When I
> washed it I put it under running water like we always did at the school,
> but it would hardly spin afterwards. I called Lockerbie and they told
> me to spray WD40 on it, which I did liberally. The sucker still doesn't
> want to spin worth a darn.

I have used a Lockerbie banding wheel for years to the point that the shaft is
worn to a nice patina from my hand spinning it. I found the best way to keep
it spinning is not
WD-40 or 3M machine oil but 30 weight (or whatever you have available)
automobile oil that you use for your car. It protects and also fills any wear
from long time use and above all it turns and turns easily. Just follow
Vince's clear directions for removing the head from the shaft and oil.

Best of luck with one of my favorite and indispensable tools,

Richard McColl
Manhattan Beach, CA
rtsm@aol.com

Gail Phillips on fri 17 sep 99

A bit ago, there was a post from someone who wanted a banding wheel
at a reasonable price. Please contact me off-list to discuss.

- Gail
mantispots@earthlink.net

Greg Macdonald on mon 21 jul 08


I've made several excellent and cheap banding wheels using lazy susan =
bearings and particle board.
The bearings are cheap and come in a great array of sizes. Cut two =
circles of particleboard a little larger than your bearing and fasten =
the bearing to the underside of the bottom circle with sheet metal =
screws. You'll have to drill a 3/4" hole in the bottom circle to allow =
your screwdriver access to the bottom of the top circle for that =
fastenings. You'll see what I mean when you try it. Works fabulously.
Greg Macdonald.

Vince Pitelka on mon 21 jul 08


Greg MacDonald wrote:
"I've made several excellent and cheap banding wheels using lazy susan
bearings and particle board.
The bearings are cheap and come in a great array of sizes. Cut two circles
of particleboard a little larger than your bearing and fasten the bearing to
the underside of the bottom circle with sheet metal screws. You'll have to
drill a 3/4" hole in the bottom circle to allow your screwdriver access to
the bottom of the top circle for that fastenings. You'll see what I mean
when you try it. Works fabulously.

It is important to point out that the device made from lazy susan bearings
and particle board is not a banding wheel. It is a turntable, and there is a
big difference. For waxing bottoms, coiling pots, and other slow-moving
chores, the turntable works pretty well, but it will not function well as a
banding wheel. In order to really do banding (painting bands of slip,
underglaze, patina, or glaze) onto a piece, you need a heavy, very
smooth-turning wheel like a Shimpo that develops some momentum and will keep
turning while you do your banding, without you having to be manually turning
it at the moment of application of pigment. If you are turning it at the
same time that you are painting or trailing pigment, you cannot have a
steady hand.

I used to use the "lazy susan"-type turntables for making coil pots and
other turntable applications in my own studio, but finally replaced all of
them with Shimpo banding wheels, because the latter are so vastly superior.
It's one of those cases where you really do get exactly what you pay for.
Your great grandchildren will still be using the Shimpo with no maintenance.
That is not to say that you cannot make a functional banding wheel, and
others on this list have been talking about how they did that, but my point
is that you have to anticipate the need, and get or build the right kind of
turntable or banding wheel for your need. A "lazy susan"-type wheel will
not work adequately for banding.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka

L TURNER on mon 21 jul 08


Vince
You are absolutely right about the Shimpo wheels. They are wonderful, go
round and round forever; and I have even used them to throw small pots with
really plastic clay. I do find them a bit too easy to turn when I am
building bottles and just need to lift the bottle above the table so I can
get to it easier. A big sponge set to drag will keep that in check.

If you have a wheel, you have a banding wheel. An electric wheel even has
speed control. If you are banding, you ain't throwing, so the wheel is
available.

I use a kickwheel at school whenever I need to really keep a steady hand and
have lots of banding to do. It's outside where I can concentrate on what
I'm doing. In the winter I use the electric inside to avoid frostbite.

L. Turner

Taylor Hendrix on mon 21 jul 08


I hope Nick is reading this more specific thread about banding wheels.
After I replied to his other DIY tool thread I went outside to my
(unused) garagio and took a digital of my three step kids. I've
blogged it, duh.

Like Vince, I would not use my homemade spinnything (on the right of
the pic) to do any serious, accurate banding--check out Vince's older
work which I love love love--but that blue shimpo and my
kick-wheel-turned-spinnything would be just fine for that type of
work.

What little banding type stuff I do, I have no problem using the
lightweight brent spinnything that has a collar below the surface of
the spinny part so you can keep it in motion. Very steady but almost
no momentum unless you add some heavy bats atop it.

Now my home made spinnything is great for some handbuilding chores and
especially for beating out Ru inspired bowls between runs of throwing
on my kickwheel. That way I don't fill up my Lockerbie with my
handbuilding experiments. I'm still not happy with the results of my
experimenting, but I will not be dissuaded. Ever upwards.

Never be afraid to put something together for yourself even if you
have a sneaking suspicion that it might not work. Your sneaking
suspicion just might be wrong.

On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 6:34 PM, L TURNER wrote:
> Vince
> You are absolutely right about the Shimpo wheels. They are wonderful, go
> round and round forever; and I have even used them to throw small pots with
> really plastic clay.

...

Lee Love on tue 22 jul 08


On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 11:53 AM, Vince Pitelka wrote:

> smooth-turning wheel like a Shimpo that develops some momentum and will keep
> turning while you do your banding, without you having to be manually turning
> it at the moment of application of pigment. If you are turning it at the
> same time that you are painting or trailing pigment, you cannot have a
> steady hand.

I have the second biggest Shimpo. I have not seen the two biggest
ones in the States. It has holes on the top for a twirling stick and
you can throw teabowls on it. I think I will bring it back with me
as checked luggage when I go to Japan for the month of August.

--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi