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do you use a pacifica wheel?

updated fri 27 sep 02

 

L. P. Skeen on wed 25 sep 02


> Taking off and putting the pan back on. There is a trick to it.
> Craig

Um...no, there is NOT a trick to it. Ya pull it forward (ie: toward your
tummy), lift the part closest to you up a little and remove, then push the
other half away from you and remove. Voila! No tricks needed.

The Pacifica is an EXCELLENT wheel; I have had my GT400 since 1996. It is
quiet, has large wheelhead and removable splash pan at no extra charge, easy
to access the belts for lubrication, table is wider than the Brent and best
of all, it's not that ugly mustard color. :)

L

Lou Roess on wed 25 sep 02


If you do I'd love to hear about any pros and cons, pluses and minuses, and
anything you like or dislike about it. I'm considering buying one and have
never used one so I'm asking those of you who have.
TIA Lou

Dave Finkelnburg on wed 25 sep 02


Lou,
I have had a GT 400 for 4 years and am very happy with it. I keep
thinking I need a wheel with more horsepower, but never get around to doing
anything about it because this does everything I need to do.
Pros -- I can and do regularly throw 20 to 35 pounds of clay with no
problems on this wheel. Speed control is really smooth and sweet. I like
the two-piece splash pan, easy to take apart and remove to dump the contents
or when using a large bat. So far the splash pan is quite durable. Leg
extensions are available if you want to change the height.
Cons -- Has anyone got a better way to catch trimmings?
By the way, a number of new wheels have come on the market since I
bought mine. You may want to check out Pacifica's competitors. There's a
lot in the archives.
Regards,
Dave Finkelnburg
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Roess"
> If you do I'd love to hear about any pros and cons, pluses and minuses,
and
> anything you like or dislike about it. I'm considering buying one and
have
> never used one so I'm asking those of you who have.

Les Crimp on wed 25 sep 02


Lou -

DO IT! They are a great machine...powerful...smooth...silent! I've had one
now for 7 years and it has never been a problem.

Les Crimp on that Island in the Pacific.
lcrimp@shaw.ca
www.arrowsmithpottersguild.bc.ca

Ann Brink on wed 25 sep 02


YES, I bought a used 400 model, and I really like it. It is quiet! I like
it's table surface; I never use a splash pan, so can't comment on that. I
hear the newer ones have a better foot pedal, and a reverse, which I would
like.

Ann Brink in LOmpoc CA, town of foggy summer mornings, and warm winters.


----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Roess"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 9:34 AM
Subject: Do you use a Pacifica wheel?


> If you do I'd love to hear about any pros and cons, pluses and minuses,
and
> anything you like or dislike about it. I'm considering buying one and
have
> never used one so I'm asking those of you who have.
> TIA Lou
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.
>

Melissa Bridgman on wed 25 sep 02


love mine except that sometimes it is hard to get the splash tray back on, and if I'm throwing a big platter (say that would cover the whole bat) I have to take the tray/pan off to get at the base of the platter. And it was cheap. I liked that alot


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gillian evison on wed 25 sep 02


Fantastic wheel. I have had mine for over 25 years and have had no trouble.
You couldn't do better than invest in a Pacifica
Jill




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Craig Clark on wed 25 sep 02


Lou, I own a Pacifica 800 and have been satisfied with it's performance
for the past 8 yrs. For the money it was a great deal, almost $300 cheaper
than the Brent CXC. It runs smoothly and quietly and I'm never at a loss for
power.
The only down side is that I ended up having to replace the wheel
bearings a little over a year ago. This happened because of the design of
the splash pan and how the lip fits up under the wheel. If the level of slop
in the pan gets above the midway point (I know it shouldn't which is why I
never complained to the manufacturer) the slurry will flow down the shaft of
the wheel and eventually find it's way into the bearing housing.
The other potential problem is in the foot pedal. When I bought mine
they were plastic. I believe that they are now a cast aluminum which,
structurally speaking, is far superior.
Additionally, I don't know if they have changed the material, but the
table of my wheel was made of fiber board. This started to swell after a
coupla years, probably do to the high humidty levels around here and water
getting up underneath the wheel (don't ask me how because I don't know.) I
ended up using the old fiber board as a pattern and replacing it with a
piece of 3/4 inch MDF.
After looking at David Hendley's wheel, which is from the 70's I
believe, I noticed that he has completely sealed the underside of the table
surface with water sealant. I suggest that anyone with a Pacifica do the
same if the table is made of fiber board.
The only other mishap with the wheel came shortly after I bought it. The
small pulley on the motor shaft had a tendency to want to slip down the
shaft and scrape across the top of the motor housing. I replaced the pulley
and have not had a problem since.
This may sound like a bit of a negative report but it really isn't. I've
really put the wheel through the paces and it's performed quited well. A
real bang for the buck.
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 st
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org

Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 st
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
----- Original Message -----
From: "Lou Roess"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 11:34 AM
Subject: Do you use a Pacifica wheel?


> If you do I'd love to hear about any pros and cons, pluses and minuses,
and
> anything you like or dislike about it. I'm considering buying one and
have
> never used one so I'm asking those of you who have.
> TIA Lou
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.

Craig Clark on wed 25 sep 02


Melissa reminded me of the other hassle that folks have with the wheel.
Taking off and putting the pan back on. There is a trick to it.
Craig
----- Original Message -----
From: "Melissa Bridgman"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 4:10 PM
Subject: Re: Do you use a Pacifica wheel?


> love mine except that sometimes it is hard to get the splash tray back on,
and if I'm throwing a big platter (say that would cover the whole bat) I
have to take the tray/pan off to get at the base of the platter. And it was
cheap. I liked that alot
>
>
> ---------------------------------
> Do you Yahoo!?
> New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.

Mary White on wed 25 sep 02


I have a borrowed Pacifica that's over 20 years old and is almost
perfect. Quiet, and the pedal works very smoothly. But--I too have a
terrible time getting the splashpan on. After a lot of grunting and
swearing I eventually get it on or my husband hears my sounds of
distress and does it--not the first time, but eventually he can do
it. If anybody has tips on this I'd be grateful. It's a two-piece
pan, a matter of fitting a wide lip over a narrower one, you get one
side on properly and the other won't go, drives me nuts.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mary
on the wet west coast of British Columbia
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>love mine except that sometimes it is hard to get the splash tray
>back on, and if I'm throwing a big platter (say that would cover the
>whole bat) I have to take the tray/pan off to get at the base of the
>platter. And it was cheap. I liked that alot
>
>
>---------------------------------
>Do you Yahoo!?
>New DSL Internet Access from SBC & Yahoo!
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>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.


--

deb on wed 25 sep 02


I teach high school ceramics in Southern California. We have 20 electric
wheels..12 Brent and 8 Pacifica. I have had problems with 6 of the Pacifica
wheels....the problems have been mostly pedal related. I would NEVER buy
another....never a problem with the Brent wheels.


Debra Ulland
Chino High School

Penni Stoddart on wed 25 sep 02


Lou,

I've seen the posts but have to chime in with my own version. =o)

Last fall my granny was generous enough to share some of our inheritance
with us grand kids early. I turned my 500 pounds sterling into a brand new
Pacifica 400.
I love it.
What do I like?
It's quiet, has a great foot pedal, smooth, powerful, and that table space
infront of the actual wheel is good too. Not to mention an easily removable
splash pan and the reverse feature which I only use when I forget to turn
the switch on the "right" way (heh heh heh oops!).
I have used Brents and Shimpos at our guild studio and liked them. BUT, when
I went shopping I asked some potter friends who had been into the clay a lot
longer then I and was told to go for a Pacifica.

Hope you enjoy your new wheel......what am I saying? I know you will!!!!!

Penni
in cool, fall is in the air, London Ontario (that's in the Great White
North)

Greg Lamont on thu 26 sep 02


Lou,
I've used my Pacifica GT 400 as my "daily driver" since 1983, and I don't
think you'll find a more powerful, reliable, or quiet wheel at its price.
So far I haven't had to replace so much as a bearing or a belt and it's
still as smooth and silent as the day I bought it.

Mine was built before Pacifica was purchased by Laguna, but I don't see
that as having made any difference in build quality or support. I did
upgrade the foot pedal and control box to the latest model for better low
speed control, but the old pedal and control box are in fine shape and are
in storage in case I ever need them. I'd say "go for it"!

Greg

-----Original Message-----
From: Lou Roess
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 11:49 AM
Subject: Do you use a Pacifica wheel?


>If you do I'd love to hear about any pros and cons, pluses and minuses, and
>anything you like or dislike about it. I'm considering buying one and
have
>never used one so I'm asking those of you who have.
>TIA Lou
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
___
>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.
>