I’m thinking about pug mills. Anyone have any suggestions? Do you have one you like? I don’t work in porcelain, and there’s just me in the studio. Tell me what you think.
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Barley Hollow Pottery 
I had one but sold it – more trouble than they are worth, in my opinion, unless you work on a truly industrial scale and have a de-airing pug mill with a 4″ outlet.. Since I learned spiral kneading, I can work up my clay quickly. It rarely comes out of the bag in the right consistency for throwing, so I often rework it, either to make softer or firmer. I also often add molochite or silver sand for specific purposes, and recycle a lot of clay, trimmings etc, anyway. Working up the clay for a batch of pots is not unpleasant, and helps for getting ‘in the mood’. I use three different clays, and cleaning a pug mill is a pain. Also, not easy to get the consistency ‘just right’. Ok – so I’m prejudiced against pug-mills!
Thanks! That’s the kind of input from experience I was hoping to get. There are always a lot factors to consider that only come from having worked with the equipment. I appreciate your insights.
I have a VPM-9 peter pugger and I LOVE mine and would not trade it for the world. It sits on a table top does about 25 pounds at a time or I can leave the clay in there until I am ready. I wanted a pugger to do it all!! I injured my hand so it was getting difficult to wedge the clay. Now if I make a mistake or the pot is not right I take it from the bat to the pugger… Saves a lot of time! The company is great, the people are wonderful, helpful with any question and thankfully patient. It is well worth the money.
And there’s the other side. Thanks Connie. I’ve looked at the VPM-9 online and it looks great. Does it take long to work it into your studio process?
Well, after lots of research and suggestions and considerations, I’ve determined that there are folks who love pug mills, and they tend to be pretty solidly in the “I love it” camp. A few don’t care for them. The majority of potters with whom I corresponded haven’t used them, but hear they’re pretty nice. There are a lot of different ones out there, and a few are marketed at small studio potters, which is to say potters working on their own or on small studios. Of those, Peter Pugger comes up more often than others, and was the only brand others compared themselves to. It’s telling when one sees ads or marketing claiming to be as good as another brand. Apparently, Peter Pugger has some patents that make a difference in performance. Say that five times fast. There are lots of interesting technical tidbits I could digress into, but I’ll just wrap up here by saying it’s been an interesting bit of investigation. Thanks to all who offered their experience and insights, on and off the blog.
I am sorry I did not answer your question, I did not know!!!!! It took a little time to get it working but the people at the company were so great and helped me with every little thing,,,, I would not be without a pug mill in my little shop.. Gives you freedom of worry, I mean I hated attempting some things because I did not want to reclaim the clay (lazy) now no problem I’ll just throw it back in the pug and start over attitude!!!! Less wasted clay as well and I love blending clays now……Again, I am sorry I forgot to hit the follow up comment.. Are you going to get a pug mill? Believe me I feel they are totally worth it once you get the hang of it. Plus if you can not get used to the pug mill, peter pug will buy it back from you because that was one of my major questions to them was if I was not totally satisfied what would they do for me…..
No problem! Your original post was clearly in favor of using pug mills. Since then, I’ve ordered a VPM-9, and should have it soon. Thanks for your input! It helped me feel more comfortable with the decision.
Happy Pugging……. I know you will love it….