Koch, George on mon 29 aug 05
Hi Holli,
I own one of these too, and it centers fine (although mine hesitates a
little on really low speeds).=20
This may be REALLY obvious and I apologize in advance, but is the FWD /
REV switch in the right position? Most Japanese potters (where the
wheel is designed) throw in the FWD position. Most Americans throw in
the REV position. =20
George+
_________________________________________ .=20
Rev Dr George Byron Koch, Pastor (and Potter) .=20
Church of the Resurrection .=20
West Chicago IL 60185 .=20
www.resurrection.org .=20
Isaiah 64:8b We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed
by your hand.
-----Original Message-----
From: Holli [mailto:brandtjh@COX.NET]=20
Sent: Monday, August 29, 2005 8:45 AM
Subject: Can't center on my new SHRIMPO wheel
Good Morning -
I have been throwing for over three years and recently decided to
purchase my own wheel for use at home. I purchased the Shrimpo VL
Whisper. I am happy with my purchase, however, I can not seem to center
on this wheel!
Since we live in an older house with not so straight floors, using a
level I made sure the wheel is level with cardboard risers. I also
lowered my seat and tried several different types of clay. Everytime I
can not get the clay centered. Various bats don't seem to fit well on
the wheel head either and make clicking noises as I throw. So I even
attempted to throw on the wheel head itself, still with no luck. It has
been suggested that my position on this wheel is somehow off and
different than all the other wheels I have been throwing on (typically
Brent C's).
Any suggestions would be greatly, greatly appreciated.
Thanks - Holli
Holli on mon 29 aug 05
Good Morning -
I have been throwing for over three years and recently decided to purchase
my own wheel for use at home. I purchased the Shrimpo VL Whisper. I am
happy with my purchase, however, I can not seem to center on this wheel!
Since we live in an older house with not so straight floors, using a level
I made sure the wheel is level with cardboard risers. I also lowered my
seat and tried several different types of clay. Everytime I can not get
the clay centered. Various bats don't seem to fit well on the wheel head
either and make clicking noises as I throw. So I even attempted to throw
on the wheel head itself, still with no luck. It has been suggested that my
position on this wheel is somehow off and different than all the other
wheels I have been throwing on (typically Brent C's).
Any suggestions would be greatly, greatly appreciated.
Thanks - Holli
marianne kuiper milks on mon 29 aug 05
Hello Holli,
That's disappointing, isn't it? It sounmds like you
did the logical things. I have 3 more suggestions.
Does your wheel have a screw-mount adjujstment at the
bottom? There's usually one. That may work better and
more permanent (no compression) than shims.
The other is: try to turn the wheel nort-south, if it
is East-West now. (for example) Then adjust. May help.
I hate those clicking bats, too, which is why I use
Plastibats, the only ones that seem to work for me.
Last advise (and my most serious one): get someone who
is an experienced thrower to throw on your wheel and
see what he/she says. You may get your answers there
in the eastiest way.
Good luck!
Marianne
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Kathi LeSueur on mon 29 aug 05
Holli wrote:
>Good Morning -
>I have been throwing for over three years and recently decided to purchase
>my own wheel for use at home. I purchased the Shrimpo VL Whisper. I am
>happy with my purchase, however, I can not seem to center on this wheel!>>>>>>
>
I had a Shimpo once that would not center. I kept insisting to my
supplier that it was the wheel. He said, "not possible". I finally took
it to a machinist.
The shaft for the wheel head was just slightly off. Nothing you would be
able to see. But it did affect the throwing. He fixed it. Take it back
and demand that you be allowed to throw on the wheel you buy before they
ring it up.
Kathi
Jennifer Boyer on mon 29 aug 05
My experience with nonlevel wheels(I know because the leg extensions on
my old Pacifica used to slip....) is that your body sort of adjusts to
it. You throw using a subtle reference of how your hands rest on the
bat or wheelhead. Then YOU are level..
I think it may have more to do with the Whisper part of it all. This
wheel is SILENT. I have one and love it. But you may have been using
the sound of your old wheel to tell you how fast it's going. Now you
can't hear the speed. You may want to slow down or speed up the wheel
and see if you do any better.
Just a thought
Jennifer
On Aug 29, 2005, at 4:12 PM, marianne kuiper milks wrote:
> Hello Holli,
>
> That's disappointing, isn't it? It sounmds like you
> did the logical things. I have 3 more suggestions.
>
> Does your wheel have a screw-mount adjujstment at the
> bottom? There's usually one. That may work better and
> more permanent (no compression) than shims.
>
> The other is: try to turn the wheel nort-south, if it
> is East-West now. (for example) Then adjust. May help.
> I hate those clicking bats, too, which is why I use
> Plastibats, the only ones that seem to work for me.
>
> Last advise (and my most serious one): get someone who
> is an experienced thrower to throw on your wheel and
> see what he/she says. You may get your answers there
> in the eastiest way.
> Good luck!
>
> Marianne
>
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
> _______
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>> You may look at the archives for the list or change
>> your subscription
>> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>>
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>> reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>>
>
>
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> _______
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>
>
************************
Jennifer Boyer
Thistle Hill Pottery
Montpelier, VT
http://thistlehillpottery.com
William & Susan Schran User on tue 30 aug 05
On 8/29/05 8:25 PM, "Jennifer Boyer" wrote:
> But you may have been using
> the sound of your old wheel to tell you how fast it's going. Now you
> can't hear the speed. You may want to slow down or speed up the wheel
> and see if you do any better.
> Just a thought
Just another thought - You may also be used to a specific pedal
setting/speed for centering. Does the new wheel seem likes it goes faster
when you press down on the pedal than the old wheel?
Could be you're actually going faster during the centering process, and with
a softer type clay, this could be an issue.
A quick check for the wheel head - with the wheel head rotating, slowly
bring a felt tip marker towards the edge/side of the wheel, much like one
might do checking the centering of a pot when trimming. You want to be very
steady and bring the marker to a point where it just begins to touch the
side of the wheel head. It should mark the wheel head equally all the way
around. If not, it may be off. The same test can be done for the top
surface.
--
William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
L. P. Skeen on tue 30 aug 05
I think yer biggest problem may be that the wheel is offended by being
called a shrimpo. ;)
L
----- Original Message -----
From: Holli [mailto:brandtjh@COX.NET]
I purchased the Shrimpo VL Whisper. I am happy with my purchase, however,
I can not seem to center
on this wheel!
Bob Santerre on tue 30 aug 05
The shaft of your wheel head may be bent a little. The marking test
that W&S Schran suggested will determine that. Truth is this may be a
bit disconcerting, but really shouldn't be effecting you ability to
center the clay. I center clay on wooden bats that are warped, in fact
most of my bats have some warping. I've seen videos of Asian potters
throwing on wildly warped and "dancing" kick wheels, no problem! Once
you've moved your hands up off the warped surface of the wheel, center
the clay mass is independent of the wheel. The clay mass will find it's
own center with your help.
Ignore the wheel head and concentrate on the clay mass in your hands.
If you're right-handed and throw counter-clockwise, anchor your left
elbow tightly into the bend in your torso just above or into your hip
bone. When you center the clay keep this elbow locked in this position
and just lean you body forward applying the entire weight of your upper
torso through the bones in your forearm to the side of the clay ball.
Your right hand should be pushing down from the top of the clay ball.
If the wheel head is truly warped, just move your left hand slightly up
off the surface of the head. The clay will center, there's nothing else
it can do. The softer the clay, the easier it will be to center. Make
sure the clay ball is really well attached to the wheel surface initially.
Bob
MudFire - Luba & Erik on tue 30 aug 05
Holli,
I have a bunch of Brents and Shimpo's at the studio. The Shimpos do take
some getting used to, but they really are very, very nice wheels.
First of all, check to see if you have your new wheel at the height you are
used to. The legs on these wheels can be raised and lowered (unlike many
other wheels) and you may have it set to a very "weird" height for yourself.
This alone may cause some difficulty.
Second, adjust the pedal to be a comfortable response level. On my wheels,
the pedals were all too tight when they arrived and we had some trouble
until it was pointed out to us that a very simple adjustment makes the pedal
incredibly responsive. It's tightened for shipping purposes, I think.
And third, remember, if you're used to a wheel that makes noise as it speeds
up (like most of us!!!), this is a totally different experience. You have
to actually watch your wheel to see if you're going too fast. The "squeal"
of the motor won't help you gauge the speed on this baby.
Hope this helps
Luba
MudFire Clayworks and Pottery Center
Open Studio * Gallery * Workshops
www.mudfire.com
175 Laredo Drive
Decatur, GA 30030
404-377-8033
Michael McDowell on thu 1 sep 05
Holli,
It's been a couple of days that you've been receiving suggestions on
how you might solve your centering difficulty. I hope it is already
taken care of. If not, here's another possibility to consider. Those
cardboard shims that you have placed under your wheel legs to get it
leveled may be the source of your difficulty. There may be enough
give in that material to allow the wheel to rock ever so slightly.
Level is not really that important, it is a firm footing that counts
most. The old style shimpos had a four point stance, one of those
was threaded so that it could be "leveled" with the other three. If
the floor of the studio was uneven, then every time the wheel was
moved, a new "level" had to be worked out. Now the Whisper follows
what has become the industry standard three legged stance. This is
preferable because it will come to a firm stance no matter how
uneven the floor surface. As long as your flooring is firm, I would
suggest you dispense with your shims, and see if that doesn't cure
the problem. If there is some give in the floor, you might try
setting the wheel up on a rigid base like a single piece of 3/4"
plywood to eliminate any tendency to rock.
Michael McDowell
Whatcom County, WA
Michael@McDowellPottery.com
http://www.McDowellPottery.com
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