Melissa on thu 4 nov 04
Hello everyone! I need some expert advice... My situation: I run a high school
ceramics program in a New Jersey school. Currently I mix approximately 4-5000
lbs. of DRY MIX clay during the school year for our program in an old but reliable
Soldner mixer. I reclaim in big buckets, then mix dry mix back into the reclaim in the
mixer, sometimes adding grog and/or vinegar to get it back up to par. Under review
right now is an issue of ventilation in the room where I mix. Maintenance is looking
into installing wall vents or a hood/hose system to help remove the unhealthy dust
due to mixing. This has been a health concern for me for years, even with approved
respirators!
However, I had never explored the possibility of switching to wet clay (because of
cost) and possibly investing in a pug mill to aid in the reclaim (and getting rid of dry
mix altogether). I have so many questions and thoughts on this ...I'm hoping those of
you who teach and reclaim with a pug mill are able to give me some much desired
insight on this subject.
Would this be an economical investment?
Would I be able to reclaim the amount of clay I use for this program in a pug mill?
Can this way of reclaiming be done quickly throughout the day as clay is needed?
What are the difference between different types of pugmills? Are there ones that are
NOT meant for reclaiming clay?
Are pugmills easy to maintain, clean, and fix?
The thought of finding a way to reclaim without the back-breaking work of hauling
around huge bags of dry mix, and without the health hazard of the dust it creates,
seems like a dream to me. Can it really be as good as it sounds?
Melissa Michael
North Hunterdon High School
Annandale, NJ
Dennis Tobin on thu 4 nov 04
Melissa,
Bailey makes hoods that bolt onto the lids of Soldner mixers that do a
great job capturing the dust from mixing. A, I think a 19 inch hose is
attached to the Bailey device and to your dust collection system. I
have one on both my Soldner Pro mixers.
Dennis Tobin
On Nov 4, 2004, at 9:17 AM, Melissa wrote:
> Hello everyone! I need some expert advice... My situation: I run a
> high school
> ceramics program in a New Jersey school. Currently I mix
> approximately 4-5000
> lbs. of DRY MIX clay during the school year for our program in an old
> but reliable
> Soldner mixer. I reclaim in big buckets, then mix dry mix back into
> the reclaim in the
> mixer, sometimes adding grog and/or vinegar to get it back up to par.
> Under review
> right now is an issue of ventilation in the room where I mix.
> Maintenance is looking
> into installing wall vents or a hood/hose system to help remove the
> unhealthy dust
> due to mixing. This has been a health concern for me for years, even
> with approved
> respirators!
> However, I had never explored the possibility of switching to wet clay
> (because of
> cost) and possibly investing in a pug mill to aid in the reclaim (and
> getting rid of dry
> mix altogether). I have so many questions and thoughts on this ...I'm
> hoping those of
> you who teach and reclaim with a pug mill are able to give me some
> much desired
> insight on this subject.
> Would this be an economical investment?
> Would I be able to reclaim the amount of clay I use for this program
> in a pug mill?
> Can this way of reclaiming be done quickly throughout the day as clay
> is needed?
> What are the difference between different types of pugmills? Are
> there ones that are
> NOT meant for reclaiming clay?
> Are pugmills easy to maintain, clean, and fix?
>
> The thought of finding a way to reclaim without the back-breaking work
> of hauling
> around huge bags of dry mix, and without the health hazard of the dust
> it creates,
> seems like a dream to me. Can it really be as good as it sounds?
>
> Melissa Michael
> North Hunterdon High School
> Annandale, NJ
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
> _______
> 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.
>
Associate Professor of Art
Admissions Coordinator
Art Department
Miami University
Oxford, Ohio 45056
(513) 529-1505
tobinde@muohio.edu
wjskw@BELLSOUTH.NET on thu 4 nov 04
Melissa has a very valid point. IS dry clay the same cost as wet
clay? Has anyone on-list done a comparison? I know (from my own
experience) that shipping costs for wet clay are significantly
greater than for dry clay materials. I'm assuming though I have not
spoken to manufacturers, that part of that reason is the extra
weight. To be considered too is the cost of the compounding; the
manufacturer's time and effort in blending the wet materials, and
(gulp) even the cost of the water have a role to play here, versus
the cost of an instructor setting aside the time to mix dry with
reclaim and put it through a pug mill, and mix clay body from dry
materials.
Personally, I love my pug mill. (I've said it before and my opinion
is of course worth what you pay for it .) Given that I do not
commercially produce work to sell (yet), there might be differing
opinions from those people on this list that either: make their own
clay, sell their own work and buy commercial bodies, or mix their
own clay AND sell their work (maybe sell the clay body too, such as
Mr. Wendt) =20
My pug mill saves me time and energy, and physical damage from
wedging and is worth (to me) at least double what I paid for it for
that last reason alone. I have examined it closely, found it very
easy to maintain, a pain to clean (but not difficult) and rather
straight-forward in terms of being able to repair should the need
ever arise. I know it was easy to take apart and put back together
anyhow...
I also know that because of the high costs for shipping in my area,
the community college here orders their materials once or twice per
year, and the students in the ceramics classes are taught to mix the
dry materials (in a Bluebird mixer) according to a set recipe, as
part of their education. Wedging is done by hand, as the clay is
used. Everyone wedges, there is no pugmill.
Anyone else have any experience/ opinion/ insight? Seems to me that
a cost comparison for different parts of the planet would be a good
thing right about now...but perhaps that's just my curiousity.
Best,
Wayne Seidl
Key West FL
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Melissa
Sent: Thursday, November 04, 2004 9:18 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Pugmills and recycling
Hello everyone! I need some expert advice... My situation: I run
a high school
ceramics program in a New Jersey school. Currently I mix
approximately 4-5000
lbs. of DRY MIX clay during the school year for our program in an
old but reliable
Soldner mixer. I reclaim in big buckets, then mix dry mix back into
the reclaim in the
mixer, sometimes adding grog and/or vinegar to get it back up to
par. Under review
right now is an issue of ventilation in the room where I mix.
Maintenance is looking
into installing wall vents or a hood/hose system to help remove the
unhealthy dust
due to mixing. This has been a health concern for me for years,
even with approved
respirators!
However, I had never explored the possibility of switching to wet
clay (because of
cost) and possibly investing in a pug mill to aid in the reclaim
(and getting rid of dry
mix altogether). I have so many questions and thoughts on this
...I'm hoping those of
you who teach and reclaim with a pug mill are able to give me some
much desired
insight on this subject.
Would this be an economical investment?
Would I be able to reclaim the amount of clay I use for this program
in a pug mill?
Can this way of reclaiming be done quickly throughout the day as
clay is needed?
What are the difference between different types of pugmills? Are
there ones that are
NOT meant for reclaiming clay?
Are pugmills easy to maintain, clean, and fix?
The thought of finding a way to reclaim without the back-breaking
work of hauling
around huge bags of dry mix, and without the health hazard of the
dust it creates,
seems like a dream to me. Can it really be as good as it sounds?
Melissa Michael
North Hunterdon High School
Annandale, NJ
| |
|
