Chris Schafale on mon 15 jan 01
Hi folks,
I've recently become the excited owner of a middle-aged (18-ish?)
Bluebird 750SV deairing pugmill. In tearing it down to clean, I've
discovered, among other things, that the inside of the Almag barrel
is rough and warty with corrosion. The folks at Bluebird advise that
this may not be a problem with stoneware, but could possibly
cause problems with porcelain. They said I could get it
sandblasted to remove the corrosion and then coat it with
something like clear acrylic. I've already got the thing taken apart,
and I'm waiting for a couple of other parts that I need, so I'm
thinking this would be a good time to go ahead and do this if I'm
going to.
My questions to you: have any of you experienced clay
contamination from a corroding pugmill barrel, and have any of you
tried the sand-blasting solution? Recommendations?
Suggestions? Anything else I should do while it's in pieces?
Thanks for any help!
Chris Schafale
Light One Candle Pottery
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA
(south of Raleigh)
candle@intrex.net
http://www.lightonecandle.com
KLeSueur@AOL.COM on mon 15 jan 01
In a message dated 1/15/01 4:24:39 PM, candle@INTREX.NET writes:
<< My questions to you: have any of you experienced clay
contamination from a corroding pugmill barrel, and have any of you
tried the sand-blasting solution? >>
I used to have a Bluebird studio model that I bought in 1980. I never had a
problem with contamination from the barrel. Usually there will be a film of
clay stuck to the barrel throughout pugging and the clay just glides over it
and out the barrel.
But, I would take Bluebird's advice. They've been making these machines for
many years and stand by the product. If they tell you do sandblast and coat
it, I'd do that.
Kathi LeSueur
vince pitelka on mon 15 jan 01
> My questions to you: have any of you experienced clay
> contamination from a corroding pugmill barrel, and have any of you
> tried the sand-blasting solution? Recommendations?
> Suggestions? Anything else I should do while it's in pieces?
Chris -
Does this mill have a steel barrel or is it cast aluminum? If it is
aluminum then I don't think the corrosion will do any damage to either
stoneware or porcelain, as long as the corrosion is tight, and not flaking
off. I would leave it alone.
If the barrel is steel then it will not do any harm at all to stoneware,
again as long as the corrosion is not loose and flaky. But you may have a
dilemma if you want to pug porcelain. The corrosion will interact with the
porcelain, and produce an insidious blue-gray rock-hard material at the
contact surface, and that stuff WILL come loose and get in your porcelain.
If you sandblast the inner surface and paint it with a good two-part epoxy
paint, it should hold up for quite a while with no problems. Eventually the
paint will wear through, and then you will have the same problem, and you
will need to get it completely sandblasted again. If you do a lot of
porcelain, you are eventually going to want to get a stainless steel
pugmill.
If you decide to sandblast and paint it, make sure that it is very
thoroughly sandblasted, and then be sure to paint it immediately, carefully
following the directions on the epoxy paint regarding ideal application
temperature, application method, curing time, etc.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Steve Mills on tue 16 jan 01
My friend Paul Stubbs Coated the inside of his home-made pug mill with
two part epoxy cement, warmed so that it would flow. Over here we call
it Araldite, I believe JB Weld is the same sort of stuff. It was highly
successful for preventing wear/corrosion.
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Chris Schafale writes
>Hi folks,
>
>I've recently become the excited owner of a middle-aged (18-ish?)
>Bluebird 750SV deairing pugmill. In tearing it down to clean, I've
>discovered, among other things, that the inside of the Almag barrel
>is rough and warty with corrosion. The folks at Bluebird advise that
>this may not be a problem with stoneware, but could possibly
>cause problems with porcelain. They said I could get it
>sandblasted to remove the corrosion and then coat it with
>something like clear acrylic. I've already got the thing taken apart,
>and I'm waiting for a couple of other parts that I need, so I'm
>thinking this would be a good time to go ahead and do this if I'm
>going to.
>
>My questions to you: have any of you experienced clay
>contamination from a corroding pugmill barrel, and have any of you
>tried the sand-blasting solution? Recommendations?
>Suggestions? Anything else I should do while it's in pieces?
>Thanks for any help!
>
>Chris Schafale
>Light One Candle Pottery
>Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, USA
>(south of Raleigh)
>candle@intrex.net
>http://www.lightonecandle.com
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Hank Murrow on tue 16 jan 01
Chris wrote;
>
>I've recently become the excited owner of a middle-aged (18-ish?)
>Bluebird 750SV deairing pugmill. In tearing it down to clean, I've
>discovered, among other things, that the inside of the Almag barrel
>is rough and warty with corrosion. The folks at Bluebird advise that
>this may not be a problem with stoneware, but could possibly
>cause problems with porcelain. They said I could get it
>sandblasted to remove the corrosion and then coat it with
>something like clear acrylic. I've already got the thing taken apart,
>and I'm waiting for a couple of other parts that I need, so I'm
>thinking this would be a good time to go ahead and do this if I'm
>going to.
>
>My questions to you: have any of you experienced clay
>contamination from a corroding pugmill barrel, and have any of you
>tried the sand-blasting solution? Recommendations?
>Suggestions? Anything else I should do while it's in pieces?
>Thanks for any help!
Dear Chris;
Have you looked into powder coating as a finish for your extruder barrel?
Generally one sand blasts the surface to be coated, and then the dry powder
is 'flocked' on the surface, followed by a ten minute tour in an oven at
350+ degrees F. Here in Eugene, one can have this done at one of three
places, for anywhere from $40 to$70(checked yesterday). The powder coating
can be polyurethane or epoxy. Clear or colored. You can hit this finish
with a hammer and the metal may bend, but the coating will not crack. Ask
which finish would be most durable.
Good Luck! Hank in Eugene
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