amy parker on wed 6 sep 00
>so, my report is:
>don't buy a dremel, get an angle grinder. and for sure as a potter,
>have a bench grinder. vince knows tools, my tool hero. (sometimes at home
>depot you can pick one
>up for about 30 bucks. just got one for my boy (40 year old man).
>mel
Mel - Do you have any tips on grinding without destroying? Some magic
angle? I have all of those tools available, and I seem to have problems
with the glaze drips "popping" off (WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!!!!) rather than
grinding away. The main glazes I need to grind are the cone "10" Coleman
Reds from our community studio, where either they get fired to 11 or they
are really formulated for cone 9...I always get a "skirt" on porcelain -
stoneware seems to "hold" the glaze better!
Question #2 - I saw a heat tool like a woodburning iron with a big mushroom
tip used on TV to transfer copied images onto fabric and wood. Has anyone
tried this on clay? Did it work? I know it's not permanent.
Question #3 - I have had some Black & Decker cordless tools for about three
years. I use the drill to stir small batches of glaze with a paint stirrer
attachment, and I use the drill bits to make holes in leatherhard clay. The
batteries and/or the chargers have stopped working. I did not want to spend
big $$$ for "better" tools since these are not used that often. Am I
fooling myself if I just replace the battery packs & chargers? Would I be
better off with the "professional" brands?
Amy
Amy Parker
Lithonia, GA
vince pitelka on wed 6 sep 00
> Am I
> fooling myself if I just replace the battery packs & chargers? Would I be
> better off with the "professional" brands?
Amy -
You already know the answer to this. Of COURSE you would be better off with
the professional brand. Crappy, cheap tools are rarely ever worthwhile, an
exception being low-budget East Asian hand-tools being adapted or modified
for some appropriate use. Never buy the cheapo wrenches, sockets,
pliers, wire cutters. You cannot depend on the steel. If you buy any power
tools from Chicago Electric (the use of that name is a travesty) or some of
the other cheapo brands offered in Harbor Freight and other such catalogs,
you are really taking your chances, because often they are not worth their
weight in spit.
Don't bother with any cheapo electric power tools (Skill, Black and Decker,
Craftsman, etc.), no matter who the manufacturer. It does not cost that
much more for a Makita, Ryobi, Dewalt, or Hitachi, and the tool will likely
last you the rest of your life. It WILL cost quite a bit more for a
Milwaukee, Bosch, Porter Cable, Skill Industrial, or Black and Decker
Industrial, but they are mechanical marvels, a pleasure to handle and to
use.
One exception to the above - bench grinders. When you see one in Walmart or
Lowe's or Home Depot, ask to plug it in and turn it on. Before plugging it
in, give the wheels a spin, and see that there is some weight in the
armature (the internal, spinning portion of the motor). When you plug it in
and turn it on, it should come up to speed QUICKLY. If not, it is
underpowered and will likely overheat in normal use. But there are some
great low-budget bench grinders out there. In fact, there are so many that
some of the known manufacturers, such as Dayton, Baldor, Wilton, and others,
have come out with very reasonably priced bench grinders which are
excellent.
Jeese I didn't mean to write a treatise. But you will never regret buying
the best hand and power tools available. You will be proud to own them,
they will save you money in the long run, and you will smile every time you
use them.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
David Hendley on wed 6 sep 00
question #1, grinding
When grinding glaze with a bench grinder, the glaze (and
part of the pot) pops off when it is overheated. Don't
grind for more than a few seconds in one spot without
letting it cool down first.
Better than a grinding wheel is an expanding rubber
wheel that holds sanding belts. Fits on the bench grinder.
Smoother, finer, won't break off pieces.
Creative Industries sells this set-up for smoothing the
bottoms of pots. They don't advertise it any more, but
it is still available.
I got mine at a jewelry supply place (Swest Inc.). They
sell belts as fine as 600 (very, very fine), which would
just smooth, not grind. The coarse grades, 50-80, will
grind, but are still fine compared to a fine aluminum oxide
grinding wheel.
question #3, cordless tools
All cordless tools are battery powered, and all batteries
wear out. Period. It doesn't matter what brand or what
quality tool. The 'professional' tools just have higher
voltage and more power.
Cordless drills are very popular because they are convenient,
but regular plug-in tools are cheaper, more powerful, and
last longer.
For a situation where you are working in one place, such
as at your worktable, drilling holes or stirring glaze, I
see no reason to use cordless tools. Just have a convenient
plug accessible for a plug-in drill.
If the convenience is worth it to you, then just plan on buying
new batteries every couple of years.
--
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com/
----- Original Message -----
From: amy parker
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2000 8:13 AM
Subject: tool questions
| >so, my report is:
| >don't buy a dremel, get an angle grinder. and for sure as a potter,
| >have a bench grinder. vince knows tools, my tool hero. (sometimes at
home
| >depot you can pick one
| >up for about 30 bucks. just got one for my boy (40 year old man).
| >mel
|
| Mel - Do you have any tips on grinding without destroying? Some magic
| angle? I have all of those tools available, and I seem to have problems
| with the glaze drips "popping" off (WEAR SAFETY GLASSES!!!!) rather than
| grinding away. The main glazes I need to grind are the cone "10" Coleman
| Reds from our community studio, where either they get fired to 11 or they
| are really formulated for cone 9...I always get a "skirt" on porcelain -
| stoneware seems to "hold" the glaze better!
|
| Question #2 - I saw a heat tool like a woodburning iron with a big
mushroom
| tip used on TV to transfer copied images onto fabric and wood. Has anyone
| tried this on clay? Did it work? I know it's not permanent.
|
| Question #3 - I have had some Black & Decker cordless tools for about
three
| years. I use the drill to stir small batches of glaze with a paint stirrer
| attachment, and I use the drill bits to make holes in leatherhard clay.
The
| batteries and/or the chargers have stopped working. I did not want to
spend
| big $$$ for "better" tools since these are not used that often. Am I
| fooling myself if I just replace the battery packs & chargers? Would I be
| better off with the "professional" brands?
|
| Amy
| Amy Parker
| Lithonia, GA
Ann Brink on thu 7 sep 00
Oh Elca, you're wonderful! Nothing wrong with your synapses! I read
Martin's post earlier and didn't recognize what he was describing.
I just shared this thread with my husband, and he said the tool we need is
called a "floor-puller". It is a suction device, activated by a lever, that
is used to pick up sections of "raised flooring"--(floor with space
underneath for cables, etc. Squares of floor can be picked up individually).
He has used them, but doesn't know who would sell them.
Ann Brink in CA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Elca Branman"
To:
Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2000 7:56 PM
Subject: Re: tool questions
> The tool that you described is called a toilet plunger..
>
> Has anyone tried it yet as a glazing adjunct? (Do buy a new one.)
>
> Elca Branman
> elca@home.com
>
> On Thu, 7 Sep 2000 19:03:37 +0100 Martin Howard
> writes:
> > A tool I am sure many potters need is a suction type pad that we can
> > attach
> > to the bottom of a pot while dipping it in the glaze bucket.
> >
> > If a domeshaped pad, attached to a handle, had a simple way of
> > extracting
> > the air, the pot would stay suspended while we dip it to the right
> > level.
> > There
> ________________________________________________________________
> YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
> Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
> Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
ferenc jakab on thu 7 sep 00
> Question #3 - I have had some Black & Decker cordless tools for about
three
> years. I use the drill to stir small batches of glaze with a paint stirrer
> attachment, and I use the drill bits to make holes in leatherhard clay.
The
> batteries and/or the chargers have stopped working. I did not want to
spend
> big $$$ for "better" tools since these are not used that often. Am I
> fooling myself if I just replace the battery packs & chargers? Would I be
> better off with the "professional" brands?
>
Amy,
If you can afford them, professional quality tools are always better. As for
your batteries, if the U.S. is the same as here in Oz, then you might find
that the price of the replacement battery is almost the price of a complete
new tool.
Feri.
ferenc jakab on thu 7 sep 00
> If the convenience is worth it to you, then just plan on buying
> new batteries every couple of years.
A follow-up to my previous post.
I bought a 12v professional quality cordless Ryobi drill 9 years ago and
have just replaced it because replacing the (original) battery would have
cost me $250.00 and a new 14v Makita was $320 dollars. The Ryobi was used
for all sorts of drilling and mixing jobs. I used it to re-roof a twenty
eight square house and built benches and sheds driving 4'' Tek screws. I
could have used a cord drill but I'm glad I didn't, especially on the roof
job. The secret is to totally discharge those Ni-Cad batteries before
recharge. To do this I rigged up a clamp with thin Ni-Chrome wire as a
resistor and I would sit this on the battery over night before re-charging.
The 12v battery would give me 2 hours of normal drilling and screwing. and
1/2 hour of large Tek screws. The new drill gives me 1hour of large Tek and
4 hours (continuous) normal drilling and screwing, including mixing clay
slurries etc. I would have bought an 18v drill but it was too heavy for my
nerve damaged hands.
My cousin bought a hobby level Ryobi 12v drill 18 months ago and has had to
replace the drill already. (6months out of warranty). the battery was still
fine.
Feri.
P.S.
A friend of mine, an electrician, drilled through a live wire with his
Makita and suffered no damage to his drill or him just some burn marks on
his drill bit.
Tena Payne on thu 7 sep 00
- If you can afford them, professional quality tools
> are always better. As for
> your batteries, if the U.S. is the same as here in
> Oz, then you might find
> that the price of the replacement battery is almost
> the price of a complete
> new tool.
>
> Feri.
>
>
Feri -- have you thot about asking a fellow clayarter
to purchase and mail you batteries? Don't know where
you are, but surely even that would be cheaper than
buying a new tool .... ?
Tena
in B'ham Alabama
______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change
> your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be
> reached at melpots@pclink.com.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail - Free email you can access from anywhere!
http://mail.yahoo.com/
Les Crimp on thu 7 sep 00
Vince -
I could not agree more with your statement about buying the best rather than
the "something that will do" type.
I bought a Canadian Tire " " band saw with a 9 inch throat "ON
SALE" at a very good price. NOT !!
I was dumb enough not to do some real comparison shopping, check for
quality, but went with a Canadian Tire "BRAND NAME" thinking that they would
probably stand behing their own product (made in Taiwan). This did not
happen and they are putting me through the wringer. At this point I am ready
to through the saw into the dumper and go out and get a good band saw and
happily pay what I must to get the quality.. Good old cliche' - BUYER
BEWARE !!!
Les Crimp in Nanoose Bay, B.C. (it is starting to feel like fall - the rain
is coming)
lcrimp@home.com
Martin Howard on thu 7 sep 00
A tool I am sure many potters need is a suction type pad that we can attach
to the bottom of a pot while dipping it in the glaze bucket.
If a domeshaped pad, attached to a handle, had a simple way of extracting
the air, the pot would stay suspended while we dip it to the right level.
There would then be no need to wax resist the base or dab extra glaze where
fingers had been.
Has anyone made such a thing? If not, why not?
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
vince pitelka on thu 7 sep 00
> I could not agree more with your statement about buying the best rather
than
> the "something that will do" type.
> I bought a Canadian Tire " " band saw with a 9 inch throat "ON
> SALE" at a very good price. NOT !!
Les and others -
If you want good high quality stationary power tools (plus lots of hand
tools and other supplies) for excellent prices, check out Grizzly Industrial
at http://www.grizzlyindustrial.com/ and request a catalog. They have been
importing tools from East Asia for several decades, and they carefully
control the quality. It has been my experience that you can depend on their
products, and they stand behind their guarantees. They have excellent
prices on bench grinders, vises, disk/belt sanders, air tools, air
compressors, plus all the normal power tools for woodworking.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Elca Branman on thu 7 sep 00
The tool that you described is called a toilet plunger..
Has anyone tried it yet as a glazing adjunct? (Do buy a new one.)
Elca Branman
elca@home.com
On Thu, 7 Sep 2000 19:03:37 +0100 Martin Howard
writes:
> A tool I am sure many potters need is a suction type pad that we can
> attach
> to the bottom of a pot while dipping it in the glaze bucket.
>
> If a domeshaped pad, attached to a handle, had a simple way of
> extracting
> the air, the pot would stay suspended while we dip it to the right
> level.
> There
________________________________________________________________
YOU'RE PAYING TOO MUCH FOR THE INTERNET!
Juno now offers FREE Internet Access!
Try it today - there's no risk! For your FREE software, visit:
http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
ferenc jakab on fri 8 sep 00
> Feri -- have you thot about asking a fellow clayarter
> to purchase and mail you batteries? Don't know where
> you are, but surely even that would be cheaper than
> buying a new tool .... ?
Tena,
Thank you for the suggestion. Oz means Australia. I suspect that U.S. Prices
when adjusted to Aus Dollars would be similar. Additionally the purchase of
a new battery may have enabled me to use the drill for a little longer but
at Nine years old it might not be mechanically reliable for much longer. But
not all is lost. I have a 12v battery from a solar power system which is
losing its oomph but I have managed to attach it to the drill by dismantling
the old battery and attaching wires to the contacts. This drill is still
useful for mixing jobs in the studio though no longer portable.
Feri.
Martin Howard on fri 8 sep 00
Thanks for that. It was while looking at toilet plungers (and using them)
that caused me to think about this need in the glaze bucket.
However the ones in the bathroom are too big. They also need a thingy to
extract the air, other than by sheer pressure down on the ware, which would
be sure to break some. I'm after something more delicate and made for the
job in hand. It could even be designed to cope with greenware for us once
firers.
Mel's ring feet are a solution, which I do use at times, but they do not
suit all ware.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
amy parker on fri 8 sep 00
OK - so I know better how to grind drips (lubricate with water, keep it
from getting too hot), and I know that I should break down & buy the GOOD
power tools, but since I'm only using these occasionally, I think I will
buy $10 of new batteries every 3 years instead of a $250 battery every 9
years. I had no idea the "good" cordless stuff was that expensive!!!
I still have not gotten an answer about the heat transfer tool for copied
images. I'd like to transfer the same patterns to several plates or
platters, then fill it in with underglazes. Anybody tried this yet?
>Question #2 - I saw a heat tool like a woodburning iron with a big
mushroom tip used on TV to transfer copied images onto fabric and wood. Has
anyone tried this on clay? Did it work? I know it's not permanent.
>
Amy, who just had Webvan deliver my groceries into my kitchen & unpack them
for me, even bringing a new cartridge for the printer! And I can't even get
a cooked pizza delivered!!! (Got a frozen one now ;-))) !!)
Amy Parker
Lithonia, GA
| |
|
