nikom chimnok on sat 20 jun 98
Louis says that what we need most here is a wheel. Most of the pots
are big, and made on hand-powered wheels, coil-formed and then thrown. This
works pretty good for big pots. For small pots, on the other hand, there is
now available locally a one speed wheel that costs about $75. It is used
exclusively for making mortars, which are indispensable to Thai cooking for
grinding chili peppers and garlic and the like. But Louis can't make a cup
or a bowl on it--it's got an erratic wobble that makes any fine work
impossible. Even on a brand new machine, it's as if the bearings are shot.
So the point of this is to invite anyone who might be interested and
able to come here and solve the wheel problem. Seriously, someone who's a
potter and a technologist should just move here for a few months and solve
this problem. If we could made coffee cups it'd be a whole new market--never
been done here before. In the whole of Thailand there's only one place that
makes coffee cups of red clay--a jigger operation. He sells expensive. He
learned how in the States.
This is a nice place for foreigners to stay and play. Housing is
cheap or free, food is cheap, clothing is shorts and Tee-shirt. There are
welders and machine shops right up the road, and even places which cast
bronze, aluminum, and steel. What we are missing is a DC motor and a
controller. And someone who knows how to throw off the hump.
I hope to hear from someone who's looking for a bit of adventure.
Nikom
koratpot@loxinfo.co.th
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