Creative Industries Delivers

Just when I had about decided my CI wheel was a lemon -- and I would have to learn to live with it -- Creative Industries surprised me with a new replacement, and model upgrade to boot! I have to say this was a noble gesture, and my hat's off to them for going the extra distance.
No doubt, my original Clayboss had its share of problems, and its uncertainties were beginning to get to me. However, to be fair about this, CI did try in good faith to remedy the situation. I honestly believe both of us were the victims of a bad run of luck. Even with its problems, it seemed to me the wheel was substantial and well constructed -- well worth its price under better circumstances. I never believed the company produces shoddy products -- I only wished I had not gotten what was most likely the year's jinxed unit.
I still have not had the time to put the new wheel through its paces the way I want to. But I certainly have used it and I can honestly say I am very pleased. Plenty of power, smooth control, a solid and substantial feel -- no doubt it is a very decent potter's wheel and I look forward to running much clay over it.
I once purchased a very popular kitchen mixer, specifically for kneading bread dough. You all know the brand -- starts with a "K" and has another name starting with "A." I didn't just pop in an appliance store and buy it, I researched which model I needed based in large part on the company's own literature and recommendations. Two weeks after bringing it home it stripped a gear in its drive mechanism. Their customer service rep -- I believe they were called "customer care consultants" -- reluctantly agreed to replace the machine, but only after chastizing me for "kneading the dough far too long." She told me no bread dough should be kneaded for more than four minutes, which is absurd. She also told me she considered the failure to be the result of "customer abuse" and was so noting that in my "record." Finally, she said that because it was "customer abuse" that caused the failure, they would not be replacing the new one they were sending me, in the event it also failed. Then, just to show me who was in charge, they sent me a model with less power than the one I purchased originally -- and it was a "factory refurbish" like the reboxed items you buy at discount outlet malls -- not the premium model I bought in a department store.
I was so incensed at their arrogance I ended up in a conversation with the president of the company, who finally agreed to "buy back" the mixer and all of the accessories I had purchased for it. Since it happened ten years ago I have probably told this story to a hundred people face-to-face. I am sure I will continue telling it, and to this day I would not knowingly buy any product that company makes or sells, no matter how good their reviews and marketing might be.
All of this to underscore the difference between them and Creative Industries. Any company can ship a defective product. Even NASA has done that. It's what they do about it when it happens that counts. In my opinion Creative Industries deserves accolades for handling this glitch with professionalism, ethics and an eye to the long term.
I'll buy from them again. Bet on it...

Maybe It's Not CI's Fault?...

Just when I thought my Clayboss problems were going away a new glitch appeared. Actually, it's been there for awhile, but I thought it was nothing. Now it's much worse, and I had to contact CI yet again for resolution.
Now, a ratcheting noise comes from beneath the wheel head. Its frequency and loudness are proportionate to wheel speed. At first it was barely noticeable. Now it sounds like wheel failure is certain. I called CI.
This time I was able to speak directly with their tech guy. He seems well informed and knowledgeable on the hardware, and has always been eager to assist. I described the problem, then held the phone by the wheel so he could hear for himself. He immediately said they would ship out a complete replacement wheel, and I could send the defective one back to them. That was last week. I understand it is en route now.
I'm not too happy about having to lug another wheel down to my basement from the driveway, lug the old one back up from the basement to the driveway and try and pack it all back into the box for shipment back to Creative Industries. I also have to admit I'm wondering if the replacement will come with a defective controller and pedal, or if it will have the new version, or if it will come with yet another "surprise."
But to be honest, I know how things can sometimes go bad in spite of every one's best intentions. I was once in the retail business. It can be a godawful backwater of frustration and the Peter Principle. Occasionally a customer got what seemed to be a "jinxed" product. When it happened, regardless how hard we tried to make it right, something else would go wrong. Maybe that's what I have here. Maybe it's just Jinxed. Creative Industries has nothing to gain by sending me defective products, and I don't believe they did that intentionally. We'll see how it goes from here. I will definitely report results.
At this point the hassle factor has far exceeded the price benefit I thought I was getting with the less expensive CI wheel. Now, I'd spend the extra bucks for something else in a New York minute if I could. I just want a wheel that lets me focus on clay for a change...

Clayboss Resolution? Well, Sort Of...

In my last Clayboss status update I mentioned the problem (failure to reduce the wheel's speed beyond 20 rpm or so when the pedal goes to the shutoff position) is diminishing with use. In the last episode, a person at Creative Industries told me to open the (new, replacement) controller box (like I had to do with the original) and make sure a potentiomenter inside is at its minimum position. I assume they must have an ongoing problem with their controller boards.
She asked me to call her and report status.
After I did what she asked, I didn't have the time to really test it out. Later, after I used the wheel for a while, it was back the same as before. I called CI again and reported it. This time I had a kind of "indirect conversation" with their technical guy. Instead of letting me speak directly to him, the customer service gal held the phone, asked me questions, shouted my answers to him and then relayed his comments back to me. After several minutes of this she told me "We will talk about this and decide what we're going to do. We'll call you tomorrow and let you know."
That was last Thursday. Today is the following Wednesday. I have heard nothing from them.
But there is GOOD NEWS! The problem has continued to diminish with use. From the outset this seemed more like a mechanical problem with the pedal assembly than an electrical one with the controller board. It has definitely gotten better. Yesterday, it only happened once in about three hours.
The truth is, I've had enough of the back-and-forth with Creative Industries. They win! We've had the Clayboss since July. It didn't work right when we got it. It's now the middle of September, and it still isn't completely right. If they really wanted to remedy the problem, by now they would have found a way. Instead, I am still screwing around down on my hands and knees on a concrete floor with little screwdrivers replacing their faulty parts and trying to troubleshoot their faulty product and having endless telephone discussions with CI's people about something they apparently don't have a fix for! We thought we were purchasing a fully functioning potter's wheel -- one that worked right out of the box. That's what we paid for. What we got is a new maintenance/repair project.
Now -- fortunately for me, and no thanks to them -- the problem has diminished on its own to a point where I can probably live with it if I have to. If I am lucky, it will eventually go away completely, but that's a crapshot I have to take unless I want to continue the tap dance with CI. Frankly I do not want to have to pack the wheel up, lug it up from the basement and send it back. This has been a lesson well learned...
Would I buy another Creative Industries wheel?
Probably not. I've learned too much...

Clayboss Status

As I use the wheel, it seems that the intermittent shutoff problem might be improving on its own. At first, every third or fourth time I tried to stop the wheel it continued at a slow, even speed. Now, it seems the frequency is decreasing. Maybe it will fix itself!
Yesterday, I needed to speak with Creative Industries regarding the return of their defective controller. They sent a UPS return label, but in our very small town the only UPS "terminal" I could find is a drop box at Popeye's Fried Chicken. Of course, the package containing the controller wouldn't fit the drop box, so I called CI to ask for instructions. After working that out I told them about the new intermittent problem.
The lady I spoke with told me to go into the controller box and make sure the minimum speed potentiometer is, in fact, at its minimum position. This is the same thing they told me to do with the other, original problem. So, it was back down on my knees with a screwdriver for the third time. Not being as young as I once was, I don't enjoy futzing with gear as much as I used to, but I tried it. The pot was already at its minimum position -- the same as it was when I tried it before on the old one.
I didn't have time to test it beyond turning it on and off a few times, and the problem did not show up. Last night I did work with it for an hour or more, and although much diminished, the problem remains.
To their credit, the person I spoke with at CI called early in the evening to inquire. That was before I had used the wheel for actual throwing, and at that point the problem had not reappeared. She asked me to keep her posted, and I will call her later today when they open.
At this point I'm hoping the problem will turn out to be a "break-in" issue that will go away with use. I'm sure CI has no interest in sending out yet another controller and pedal if it isn't necessary, and I have no interest in getting down on all fours in a very tight space once again to install it. I'm willing to give it some time.
No complaints about Creative Industries and how they are handling this now. I believe they want to get it right, and when it is working, I have no complaints about the wheel itself. It seems solid, with enough power to do the job.
More to come...

Clayboss Update

Here's where we are:
Creative Industries sent the replacement controller assembly out and I received it last week. I exchanged it, installing the new one on our Clayboss. Now the flutter problem is gone. Unfortunately, the replacement brought its own new problem. Now, about every third time, when the pedal is moved to the stop position the wheel continues to rotate slowly and evenly.
I can stop it by accelerating to a higher speed, then returning to the full stop position. At first, I almost decided to just ignore it and charge it off to experience. I figured I could live with it. However, after throwing for several hours today, I decided it is too much to accept. I called Creative Industries this afternoon.
The person I have been working with was out. I left a message, and am waiting to hear from him now.
More to come...

The Blue Funk is GONE!

It came;
now, gone.

Yellow light streams into this void
objects materialize for others to judge
I move on.

How -- and why -- is mystery
...and will most likely remain so.

Not Too "Up" on CI at the Moment...

Our new Clay Boss came out of the box with a flutter. Wheel sits there fluttering and jerking, even when the pedal is at minimum. I've only heard good things about Creative Industries, so I didn't worry about it. I gave them a call.
Spoke with a helpful soul who told me about something to try. If that didn't fix it, he said, CI would send out a new controller and pedal that I could swap out and return the faulty one.
I tried his suggestion. Had to remove the cover plate and check a PC board pot for proper setting. Fair enough. Clearly, he was trying for a fix in the least amount of time and bother which would have benefitted both of us.
Unfortunately, nothing changed. A few days later, when I had time, I called back and spoke to the same person. He asked for my address and promised to have Shipping get a replacement out to me right away. That was, maybe, two weeks ago. A few days after that call I received a hand-addressed envelope from CI containing a UPS return label and nothing else. No explanation. Nothing.
Yesterday, I was about to call them to ask where my controller is when they called me. This time it was a different person who wanted to know when I was going to send them the defective controller. She said, "We'll get a replacement back to you after we receive the one you have."
This was completely at odds with what I had been told earlier, AND it meant we couldn't use the wheel for days while this whole thing worked its way back and forth between the Southeast and California where CI is located -- via UPS Ground. I protested.
"Well..." she said, or something to that effect, "We've had some trouble with people not getting parts right back to us, so we want you to send ours in first. Besides," she continued, "this is the second time we've had to replace something on your wheel, and we just need to get it back..."
At this point I was becoming a little annoyed. "In the first place, it's a new wheel." I explained. "You have never replaced anything on it."
"Oh." she said. "We haven't?..."
"No. And not only is this completely different from what I was promised earlier, it also means now we are shut down until you get around to sending the controller to us!"
"Are you a teacher, or something?" she actually asked me.
"No, I'm not a teacher. I'm a POTTER!"
She eventually capitulated and agreed to do as they had promised. They would send the replacement controller out first, "But try to send the other controller right back to us as soon as possible..." she admonished.
That was yesterday. We'll see how this turns out. Again, I have never heard a negative about CI, but as it turns out it is my six hundred bucks at stake here -- not theirs -- and it is my potter's wheel which has never worked properly -- and which is under their warranty -- that they want to shut down for their convenience -- certainly not mine.
Admittedly, I am annoyed at Creative Industries now, but I have no ax to grind with them whatsoever, as long as I get what I paid for. At this point, what hangs in my craw include: 1) promising one thing then renigging; 2) sending out the return label with absolutely no communication that they were changing the deal, which cost me more wheel time; 3) suggesting that if I were a teacher, then maybe they'd apply a different set of warranty rules than if I am just another Joe Blow customer; 4) shipping a faulty product in the first place. It's not as if it is difficult to find the problem. Plug it in, turn it on and the wheel starts jerking. If they had done a modicum of quality control before shipping the wheel, they would have noticed the problem.
What really worries me is this: What if they did plug it in, turn it on and notice the problem; and then ship it anyway, counting on the customer to be too boneheaded to know the difference or think anything could be done to fix it? Now, that's disturbing...

Blue Funk

The blue funk has choked off all progress. That's why I'm writing about it instead of doing it...
The new piece is a departure from my usual. Some parts: exciting... well, interesting, at least. Inside I wonder if it's superficial.
Went to bed last night eager to get back to it. Now I'm stuck somewhere between average and mediocre. Embarassing. Everything seems bland and amateurish. The more I try, the more "lowest common denominator" I become.
Now I am the dullard at the cocktail party. Hey, wanna hear about my cruise?...

New Wheel

My wife and I gave each other a potter's wheel for our birthdays this year. I was reluctant at first, having a concern that I might like it so much it might detract from my hand building. I am easily led.
The wheel is a Creative Industries ClayBoss. Out of the box, it had a slight flutter that would not go away -- even with the foot pedal at the minimum position. CI seems eager to correct it. First, they asked me to check the position of a potentiometer on the PC board. It was as it should be, so they are sending a replacement controller. In the interim, the wheel is useable -- just annoying.
We managed to hook up with a graduating senior ceramics major from the local college. She visited our studio and taught us the basics of centering and throwing cylinders. We have a long way to go, but at least we're now underway.
I don't see this as interfering with my hand building so much -- at least, not yet. We'll see.

Handbuilt Pottery for Now...

Handbuilding is what appeals to me now. I make two styles of handbuilt objects. One is cylindrical and organic in design, like the image shown here; the other is more architectural and/or sculptural -- typically having four unequal sides.

Some examples of my work follow. Whether future pieces bear any resemblance to these examples is anybody's guess. I have to confess that I don't decide these things.

I have received some incredible critiques from accomplished Artists and potters via these postings. Not all of them are shown here. Some have been emailed directly to me. Some have been a bit painful to read, but I have learned much from them. I read and ponder every suggestion. Clayart potters, especially, have been more helpful than I can ever acknowledge. You know who you are. Thank you.

I hope you will continue to comment.

A cylindrical organic form that started life intending to become a garden lamp. Now I think it might be a wind bell -- or, maybe just an object. Most of what I have done came into this world intending to be a functional piece. Later, all show a stronger desire to just be what they are without any kind of preconcieved assignment.

This is another cylindrical organic form constructed of a brick-red stoneware clay, partially glazed with "antique green" at ^6.

The last examples of the cylindrical form. The stoneware in the upper image contains dominant manganese speckles that bled through the turquoise glaze. The other cylinder is a ^6 terra cotta with Ron and John's "Variagated Blue" glaze poured on.

Now, on to what I find to be most exciting -- the more sculptural pieces. Here's the first of two:

This began life as an exercise in slab building. Eventually it reached the point where it took on its own life, and dictated what it would finally become.

Here's the last example of this posting. Can't wait to see what comes next... FP