vince pitelka on wed 22 nov 00
> I used the Bluebird two ways. Sometimes, between uses, I stuffed it
> with soft clay (as it was running) then covered both openings with heavy
> plastic until I needed to use it again. The clay would stay soft for at
> least a month and the machine could be used again without cleaning. A
> friend of mine had one too, and did the same thing.
> If I was not planning to use the pug mill for quite a while, I emptied
> it, opened it up and cleaned it. Like you, I was not worried about a
> little rust. It never caused any problems.
My mild-steel deairing mill is now 20 years old, and I never empty and clean
the whole machine unless I need to move it, or when it needs major
maintenance, which has only happened once or twice in twenty years. A mild
steel pugmill is no good for porcelain or whiteware, because the iron
interacts with the clay, creating rock-hard iron oxide deposits which come
loose and create horriblelumps in the clay. But they work great for
stoneware or terracotts bodies.
I leave my pugmill full all the time, sealed up at both ends with plastic.
If I have not used it for a month or so, I turn it on, and dip the extruded
pugs in recycle slurry and drop them back into the hopper. When I leave for
the summer, I just dump a quart or so of water in the hopper, and then
thoroughly seal up both ends with plastic tied in place.
The rust is neglible. I can see it if I strip down the mill, but I never
get any trace of it in my clay. Eventually the barrel or auger will rust
all the way through, and then I will face the possibility of replacing all
the working surfaces with stainless. Of course, at this rate, that will
probably not happen for another twenty or thirty years, and by then I'll be
able to just give the steel some kind of atomic laser sub-molecular
transmutation treatment which will restore the corroded surfaces and render
them indestructible.
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/
Pancioli on wed 22 nov 00
Hi Leslie:
I was the owner of the old Bluebird Tony mentioned.
I used the Bluebird two ways. Sometimes, between uses, I stuffed it
with soft clay (as it was running) then covered both openings with heavy
plastic until I needed to use it again. The clay would stay soft for at
least a month and the machine could be used again without cleaning. A
friend of mine had one too, and did the same thing.
If I was not planning to use the pug mill for quite a while, I emptied
it, opened it up and cleaned it. Like you, I was not worried about a
little rust. It never caused any problems.
Diana
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