Tips for Using a Peter Pugger Vacuum Deairing Pug Mill in the Pottery or Ceramics Studio!
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2021
- This video is a demonstration of how to use a Peter Pugger Deairing Pugmill. I find the pugmill the most indispensable piece of equipment in my classroom as I teach 125-150 students per day- and that requires quite a bit of maintenance throughout the semester. During covid, I did have the kids keep and maintain their own clay in their personal bags… but normally, I routinely pug multiple times a day during non-covid sessions. Enjoy my camera fail at 2:41 for a little chuckle!
My pug mill is a Peter Pugger Power wedger, VMP-20. Here is a link to the Peter Pugger webpage peterpugger.com/products/deai...
, but you can often find deals on them by various suppliers- including my favorite local supplier- Cornell Studio Supply in Dayton… give them a call, they’re super helpful! (And tell them I sent you!) cornellstudiosupply.com/
I happen to be using Standard 153 stoneware in this pug mill.
For the great tools, materials, and suppliers I recommend check out this link to a live searchable (control F) Googledoc I continually update with lots of my favorite tools on Amazon using my associate links! docs.google.com/document/d/1X...
I made this video for my STUDIO MANAGEMENT INTERNS and my Ceramics III students at Mason High School.
I am a public high school ceramics teacher at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. (Mason is currently the largest high school in Ohio!) As a potter, I have been working in clay for over 33+ years, and I have been teaching for over 30 years, the past 22 have been specifically teaching high school ceramics. I love what I do! I have my own studio in my home basement, where I work on my personal pottery for my Etsy site; www.etsy.com/shop/KaransPotsA...
I started my RUclips channel a few years ago, to make videos to help my students if they are absent and miss a demo, or if they would like to explore more advanced techniques independently. I have been amazed to reach such a wider audience than my own students!
Please subscribe to my channel if you would like to receive channel updates, or would like to learn more about clay and studio processes!
A really useful guide. I’d never questioned the need for a vacuum pugger. Thanks!
I’m looking forward to someday having one for my home studio!!!
Thank you so much, this was so helpful to really understand how the mixer and pug functions work. I’m saving up for one now!
Yes, you are brilliant. Appreciate the PT share.
So helpful! I love your videos. Thanks!
Very helpful video - thank you for making and posting. Much better than what the Peter Pugger company has on their website. I am testing a friend’s (used) peter pugger - smaller than what you have for your classroom. Mixing was easy, but when I went to de-air with the vacuum there was no pressure. Even tried what was suggested on their site, to put vacuum on while mixing - nothing. Hopefully I can call Peter Pugger and figure out what is wrong and that it will not cost a lot! Everything was closed that needed to be closed, maybe just O-rings that need replacing…
Wonderful instruction, thank you
You are so welcome! Complete with my blooper of dropping my phone!! Lol!!!
Just saw these in a school I work at. Never knew how they worked until now
Hi thank you. I’m going to give it a go. I seem to be making more work for myself going through the drying out, slaking down……. LOL!! Regardless of how I’ve been processing Peter has allowed me to continue working with clay. Cheers from Lefroy Ontario 🇨🇦
Yay! Let me know if you run into issues! 😃
Great video, I like your relaxed style of presentation!
I appreciate that! Thanks! I amused myself a little too much when I dropped my camera! Lol!! :)
@@KaransPotsAndGlass you're so enjoyable to watch! I'll bet your students love you.
That's sweet of you to say, thank you! I don't know how they feel about me, but I know I feel lucky to have them as my students! :)
nice review on how to use the pugger! i like your strap & foot idea to force the hopper a little bit. i hope forcing doesn't screw up an auger though. good points on how to tell if the chamber is mixing or just free wheeling.
Stephen, good point about the force and the auger. The clay I believe always has enough water to get it mixing- rather than straight up pushing on the augers, (that being said, I have started filling it a little less full to help compensate and prevent any potential damage.)
Thanks mademoiselle 💯💯🫡🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦🇲🇦
Thanks again! I always look forward to your videos. I was wondering what the rest of your t shirt says “…and the potter said unto the clay”
Lol- it continues with “BE WARE, and it was!” 😂😂
That strapping foot tool is brilliant, your physical therapist is right. I will use that tip from now on. Thanks
Great strap idea! Stealing it! Lol. We use a wire hanger to cut it off. A bit cleaner cut
Thank you for this one. I’m making a strap pronto. I have a VPN 7. I have tried to put through leather hard scraps with softer clay. I got a lot of firm bits mixed with the softer clay that were only obvious when throwing I suppose I’m just not mixing long enough. So it’s ok to leave the vacuum pump on while you pug. I’ve only been putting in trimmings. If a piece gets to hard, leather hard I dry it out. Then I slake it down and transfer to large plaster
Hi Karan, thanks for the video, I often have clay come out of the pugger with a bark texture and I am wondering if you know what is causing that.
Question for you, have you ever had the pressure read as if it is sealing and it clearly isn't. I am having trouble where it reads that it is at 23ish pressure and I don't have anything sealed at all yet. Is there a remedy for this? I have been cleaning the machine and I can't get it to stop doing this.
Oops! Large plaster drying bats. Then once it drys out enough to handle I put it through the pug mill. Any thoughts on the getting rid of the firmer bits in the the mix. Thanks
Hi Jane!!! Yes- just mix it longer- and with friction, those firmer bits will mush up and become plastic too!! I will mix anything that’s leatherhard for at least 45 minutes after I know the friction is engaging it to mix. (I make sure it isn’t just “spinning” in a wet barrel…. But really mixing!)
Can you make one that shows greasing the pugger and also checking the oil?
Oooh- good idea! I can do one showing the adding the grease annually- but the oil is typically not addressed by the user- as the chamber is sealed by the manufacturer- and would only need to be addressed if it’s leaking!
Hi Mrs. Karan,
For the rare occassions when you need to empty the pugmill is there a way to push most of the remaining load out so you can scrape out the rest or is it just a scrape situation regardless? Thanks
Once I empty it by vacuum pressure- I release the pressure valve to get another few pounds out- after that- it’s lots of manual scraping!!
Can you use a strainer of some sort to check the waste bucket for foreign objects.
Yes, if it is a slurry you could. But, I often have bone dry pieces that get added to the bucket!! :)
Can you please recommend some books on clays and clay recipes I am trying to learn ceramics so I can open a ceramics and gifts store
Look at the Ceramics Arts Network Shop. They have a treasure trove of resources. ruclips.net/p/PLj0pNzEmvM_qbxpokQPWmnsAHarrSKSgS
What does it say on your t-shirt xx
Lol- “And the potter said to the clay- BE WARE- and it was”! 😂😂
Fyi. Those aren't called augers. They're called tines. Augers move material along in one linear direction.
(I was just going on what PP calls them- paddles and augers!) 🙂
Wow, that's a lot of water. When I added a lot of water once, the clay came out all stringy. What did I do wrong?
The amount of water depends on the amount of dry clay you are reclaiming. Too much water and it will be slip and not want to extrude. Sometimes the first 10” that come out may have a slip pocket in it, but I just reload that to the pugmill when it’s empty again!