Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on fri 16 feb 01
Dear Lesley,
short clay from a pugmill is usually caused by the pitch of the auger =
not being correct for that type of clay. I use two main bodies. the =
terracotta goes through the pugmill like a dream - beautiful clay. The =
buff clay I use, when pugged on its own is real crap, so I blend it ( as =
I don't want to change the blades on the auger each time I change clay) =
to suit what I do. I now have developed my terracotta so that it has a =
bit of buff clay so I can use the waste buff clay that I build up, or if =
I am using a lot of buff then I would mix it 3 :1 with 3 being the fresh =
clay.=20
If on the other hand you only use one sort of clay change the blades, =
the pitch of the blades or the number or both. I am not technically =
minded in that direction so I would not know what you need to do for a =
particular clay, but I would guess that for my buff clay, as it is a =
larger particle size, then reducing the number of blades could be an =
answer, also I would guess a less acute angle would also help. Both of =
these solutions would minimise the amount of energy expended at the =
auger contact point, and so reduce the amount of heat produced.
The other alternative is do what I did for over twenty years (before I =
got into Architectural Ceramics and upped the amount of clay I had to =
reclaim), and that is do it by hand, knead and wedge, and you are away =
with the fairies. Clay will be as good as gold.
happy potting Marek http://www.moley.uk.com=20
vince pitelka on fri 8 jun 01
> In the morning, I run 50 lbs through and throw that...then another 50 and
so
> on.
Steve -
When I was going through large amounts of clay as a studio potter in
Northern California, I purchased clay once a year, and always ran it through
a deairing pugmill the day before using it. It brings the clay back to
life.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Reg Wearley on fri 8 jun 01
Steve,
My wife and I will be going through
your fair city in a couple of weeks-
would you be up to having visitors
to your studio? We would return the
favor if you were ever over Montana
way. --Reg Wearley in Big Arm
--- steve dalton wrote:
> I know this debate has been brought up before,
> but I want to throw in my
> two-bits worth. Recently, I picked up a pug
> mill mainly to reclaim clay but
> I've found a new use for it. Repugging
> commerial clay. I picked up a ton
> of clay made back in November of 2000 and found
> the core was hard and the
> outer was sloppy. Wedging, sure I did that for
> the first 25 lbs until I
> decided to run it through the pugger. After
> trying it, I now use freshly
> pugged clay.
>
> In the morning, I run 50 lbs through and throw
> that...then another 50 and so
> on.
> Steve Dalton
> sdpotter@gte.net
> Clear Creek Pottery
> Snohomish, WA. USA
>
>
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steve dalton on fri 8 jun 01
I know this debate has been brought up before, but I want to throw in my
two-bits worth. Recently, I picked up a pug mill mainly to reclaim clay but
I've found a new use for it. Repugging commerial clay. I picked up a ton
of clay made back in November of 2000 and found the core was hard and the
outer was sloppy. Wedging, sure I did that for the first 25 lbs until I
decided to run it through the pugger. After trying it, I now use freshly
pugged clay.
In the morning, I run 50 lbs through and throw that...then another 50 and so
on.
Steve Dalton
sdpotter@gte.net
Clear Creek Pottery
Snohomish, WA. USA
Martin Howard on sun 10 jun 01
Vince posted that:-
the day before using it.
It brings the clay back to life.>
Did you not find that leaving it in the pugged state for a week gave it a
bit more life?
Or was there something special about using it right out of the pug?
Or was you use of it straight away because of other limitations?
I have two containers for pugged clay. One for that just pugged which will
rest for a week and the other for clay pugged about a week ago. So I try to
use one container per week and pug just once a week. Use of course depends
on circumstances; how many children's parties during the week and how much
time I have had on the wheel.
The whole procedure changes when someone (me?) leaves the lid off a
container of pugged clay:-( and I don't notice it until the next day.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
vince pitelka on sun 10 jun 01
> Did you not find that leaving it in the pugged state for a week gave it a
> bit more life?
> Or was there something special about using it right out of the pug?
> Or was you use of it straight away because of other limitations?
Martin -
I never found that letting it sit after pugging offered any advantage. But
every clay is different, and yours apparently responds well to this period
of rest. At the time I was doing production table ware and bake ware, and
with the amount of clay I was throwing each day it would have been difficult
to stockpile a week's worth of pre-pugged clay. I had a shed out back of
the studio where I kept all the boxed clay on pallets, and each afternoon or
evening after all the other work was done I brought in clay and pugged
enough for the following day. I cut and weigh the lumps according to the
list of things I planned to throw and covered it in plastic on a workbench
next to my wheel. I always liked arriving at the studio early in the
morning with that big pile of clay lumps under plastic, and the production
list tacked up on the wall. Just turn on NPR, sit down and throw, no
decisions to make first thing in the morning.
So the clay did sit overnight, but I frequently needed to pug more clay
during the day, and I could not detect any difference in performance when
used immediately after pugging.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
David Hendley on sun 10 jun 01
Martin, I'm not Vince, but I also run my clay through a pug mill
directly before using.
Once a year or so, I make my clay using my big 5 HP pug mill,
and store it in 30 pound pieces in plastic bags.
When I'm ready to use the clay, I run it through my small de-airing
pug mill. I consider this a substitute for hand wedging, so I use the
clay immediately, and pug only enough for a half day's work.
If I don't use all of it that day, I re-pug it along with some new clay
the next day.
The rational for using clay immediately out of the pug mill is that
it is perfectly consistent - no chance that the outside skin has
become slightly drier. The clay seems to be more responsive
immediately after a good wedging or pugging.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Howard"
To:
Sent: Sunday, June 10, 2001 2:41 AM
Subject: Pugged clay
> Vince posted that:-
> pugmill
> the day before using it.
> It brings the clay back to life.>
>
> Did you not find that leaving it in the pugged state for a week gave it a
> bit more life?
> Or was there something special about using it right out of the pug?
> Or was you use of it straight away because of other limitations?
>
> I have two containers for pugged clay. One for that just pugged which will
> rest for a week and the other for clay pugged about a week ago. So I try
to
> use one container per week and pug just once a week. Use of course depends
> on circumstances; how many children's parties during the week and how much
> time I have had on the wheel.
>
> The whole procedure changes when someone (me?) leaves the lid off a
> container of pugged clay:-( and I don't notice it until the next day.
>
> Martin Howard
> Webb's Cottage Pottery
> Woolpits Road, Great Saling
> BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
> England
>
> martin@webbscottage.co.uk
> http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
>
Martin Howard on mon 11 jun 01
Thanks David Hendley.
But then Vince finds no difference between clay pugged the night before and
that pugged same day.
It seems that all methods, week sitting, night sitting or just before
working on it are OK. Possibly depends on that magic material, the clay
itself:-)
I might try all three methods and test trial them, but it will be very
difficult to do that with any scientific accuracy.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Lee Love on thu 14 jun 01
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Howard"
> Thanks David Hendley.
> But then Vince finds no difference between clay pugged the night before and
> that pugged same day.
Tomorrow, Shimaoka Sensei is going to throw large tsubo (jars) for the
Noborigama firing in a little over a month. The clay was a little soft, so
yesterday, we let it sit out in the air, half outside and half inside the
shogotoba (workshop.) It was all made from recycled dry clay that we wetted
in large green plastic boxes. It was then put in a mound and pugged twice
and then bagged.
Today, I ran it all through the deairng pugmill, mixing what was left
outside with what was left inside. I dipped each slice of the outside clay in
water because it got a little too stiff. Tomorrow, right before it is used,
it will be pugged one more time.
Sensei's grandson Kay is going to start the cylinders for the tsubo
for Sensei for the first time tomorrow. He will center and pull up the first
cylinder for Sensei to shape. Sensei was in Utsunomiya all day today, so Kay
spent the day just throwing tsubo cylinders. Probably another Sempai (elder
brother apprentice) will wedge the clay after it is pugged before it is thrown.
--
Lee Love
Mashiko JAPAN Ikiru@kami.com
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