Cindy in SD on thu 21 apr 05
Dear Cindy,
I have the Peter Pugger VPM 30, and I love it. I throw the clay straight
from the pug mill. I have a stick I've marked at increments of 100 grams
so I can easily cut uniform pugs. (I know, I should do it by eye, and I
can, actually, but I want them perfect--my husband says this is
obsessive/compulsive.)
Anyway, you can't beat the machine, the customer service, or the
usefulness. Mine sat in the unheated garage for three years while I
built my new studio, and the clay inside was still moist enough to pug
(though a little hard for throwing). The seals were good, and it powered
right back up and worked great when I plugged it back in. I have never
had any trouble from this machine.
Your clay will be plastic or short depending on what it was like when
you put it in the pug mill. I don't know if the 20 mixes, but in the 30,
you can add any amendments to the clay you might wish to in order to
improve the throwing/sculpting/drying/etc. qualities. If your clay is
short, you might want to add some Epsom salts--just a little bit. If the
20 doesn't have a mix function, you might want to put the clay through a
number of times to get your amendments mixed in well.
Hope this helps,
Cindy in SD
Cindy Eve on thu 21 apr 05
Hi,
It is time to get a pugmill to reclaim my scrap clay. I have decided that
the Peter Pugger VPM 20 is my dream machine.
I have been searching the archives looking for information on them. I see
that many of you bought them when they first came out. I have a couple of
questions:
How are they holding up and would you buy one again?
Is the clay plastic and good for throwing when it is extruded? (I used to
use a Blue Bird-the clay was always short)
Thanks for your help!
Cindy
Eve Pottery
Great Falls, MT where it is raining but the daffodils and tulips are
smiling and the robins seem happy.
ian on thu 21 apr 05
I am very pleased with mine. Does a good job reclaiming scraps and allows me
to adjust the moisture content of the clay easily (too wet - the vacuum
dries the clay; too dry - add a bit of water). I usually pug the clay before
I use it out of the box.
I have noticed that the pugger adds a bit of twist to the clay. That is,
there is a bit of directional "memory" in the clay. I have wondered if the
double auger puggers do the same. If someone out there has a double auger
pug mill, let me know.
Ian
----- Original Message -----
From: "Cindy Eve"
To:
Sent: Thursday, April 21, 2005 1:19 PM
Subject: Peter Pugger VPM 20
> Hi,
>
> It is time to get a pugmill to reclaim my scrap clay. I have decided that
> the Peter Pugger VPM 20 is my dream machine.
> I have been searching the archives looking for information on them. I see
> that many of you bought them when they first came out. I have a couple of
> questions:
> How are they holding up and would you buy one again?
> Is the clay plastic and good for throwing when it is extruded? (I used to
> use a Blue Bird-the clay was always short)
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> Cindy
> Eve Pottery
> Great Falls, MT where it is raining but the daffodils and tulips are
> smiling and the robins seem happy.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
Reg Wearley on fri 22 apr 05
Cindy,
We have had our Pugger for about five years now
and have nothing but good to say about it. We go
through about 2+ tons of clay a year so it does
sit unused a lot of the time but it has always
done what we wanted it to do. The folks at the
factory are terrific to work with (they had an
initial problem with a thick plastic window that
warped and they replaced it with an aluminum one)
and absolutly no problem since. It is also a
space saver. I'd recommend the Peter Pugger VPM
20 to anyone with a small to medium studio. If
you get one let me know and I'll pass on a few
hints about its use.
--Reg Wearley
Val Knight Studio
Big Arm, Montana
--- Cindy Eve wrote:
> Hi,
>
> It is time to get a pugmill to reclaim my scrap
> clay. I have decided that
> the Peter Pugger VPM 20 is my dream machine.
> I have been searching the archives looking for
> information on them. I see
> that many of you bought them when they first
> came out. I have a couple of
> questions:
> How are they holding up and would you buy one
> again?
> Is the clay plastic and good for throwing when
> it is extruded? (I used to
> use a Blue Bird-the clay was always short)
>
> Thanks for your help!
>
> Cindy
> Eve Pottery
> Great Falls, MT where it is raining but the
> daffodils and tulips are
> smiling and the robins seem happy.
>
>
______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
>
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william schran on fri 22 apr 05
Ian wrote:>I have noticed that the pugger adds a bit of twist to the
clay. That is,
there is a bit of directional "memory" in the clay. I have wondered if the
double auger puggers do the same. If someone out there has a double auger
pug mill, let me know.<
We have a small Shimpo pug mill at school. Can't remember model
number, but it's their smallest one, no vacuum. Has 2 augers. When
reclaiming clay from slurry of multiple clays/colors, there is a
twist/swirl that can be seen, like marbled clay. I run the clay
through a couple of times, feeding the lugs in different orientation.
For us, we still need to wedge the clay.
But, we are getting the VPM 20 in a few weeks! Looking forward to
expanded capabilities in clay preparation for my students.
Then I go home to my low tech studio, gather the reclaimed clay from
my plaster wedging bat and begin hand mixing - my meditation time.
Bill
Allyson May on tue 26 apr 05
Hey Cindy,
I just bought a VPM 20 about two months ago. I did a lot of research =
prior to buying. I also got some recommendations from folks on clayart =
(thanks Joyce!). So far, I LOVE my new pugger! They clay is a =
wonderful consistency and completely de-aired. I just cut off what I =
need from the pug and throw. The reclaim of scrap is easy and =
efficient. My elbows and wrists are thanking me daily. As for customer =
service, I have nothing but applause for the folks at Peter Pugger. =
They answered all of my questions prior to the sale and didn't try to =
sell me a machine I didn't need (which happened at another supplier that =
will remain nameless!). When the delivery company in my area didn't =
have a liftgate truck for delivery, Peter Pugger immediately got busy =
finding a solution and refunded the extra delivery charges within a =
week! The setup of the machine was very simple. I was very surprised =
at how quietly the machine is while mixing and pugging. I expected much =
more noise. I don't mind it running while I'm working in the studio. =
Hope this helps!
Peace,
Allyson May
Stoney Creek Pottery
Bloomington, IN
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