mel jacobson on tue 27 feb 01
i think without doubt, i speak for many professionals on this
list when i say:
god almighty, don't mess with making a wheel using an a c motor
and rheostats. it is a waste of time. the power necessary and the
speed control are lost. you would be better served to work at
mc donalds for a month, make some money and buy a brent
model c, or a bailey. (i love that willey wheel from lockerbie`)
the modern wheel with its d c motor and good foot control are
a thing of wonder. they last forever, have infinite control and
make great pots.
the days of home made wheels from a washing machine or a
sewing machine are over. only a few gadget freaks ever got them
to work anyway.
the advice i gave students for 30 years was:
buy your wheel and kiln as a set. never one without the other.
have a good place to put it, and make sure you are dedicated
to that effort.
i would always tell that to parents too. `never get your kid a wheel
for christmas`. it has to be a total commitment.
i had many parents call me 10 years after the kid graduated from
high school and say `you were totally right mel, the kid never used
the wheel once. can you help me sell it, or can you find it a home?`
the modern wheel is a great tool, it is hard to duplicate in a `cheap`
way at home. the wheel you spend six months building, and always
at a cost much higher than you think it is going to be, will always
bite you in the butt. it will not work as intended.
walk the mile, get good equipment, and spend that time making
pots to sell.
mel
i have built 5 wheels using the hydraulic transmission from a
world war II B-29. it was the idea of j.t. abernathy from michigan.
then perfected by nils lou. we got the transmissions from an aircraft
scavenger in california. still have one brand new one. saving for
posterity. (still have the catalog.) the transmission was hooked to
a washing machine motor with a rubber drive. the bottom of the
transmission had splined shaft for a sheave. a drive belt went
to a large sheave that drove the wheel head. you can throw 500
lbs of clay on that wheel and it will not grunt. (just set one of my old
ones up for a former student that is moving into dock six. he is thrilled
with it.) one of those transmission new would cost several thousand dollars
today. (they drove the gun turrets.)
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
| |
|
