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cone 10 b mix

updated tue 24 mar 98

 

Boop33 on sat 14 mar 98

Is anyone else getting totally frustrated with the grey lumps in the Laguna
cone 10 b mix???????????? When I contact them I get the run around and they
always say we are the only ones.........but this is such a drag when you are
trying to pull a beautiful bowl or whatever and hit a hard lump!!!!!!!!!!
Every bag!!!!!!!!!!! Let me know if you are having the same
problems.........it is such a great clay I hate to see this happen!!!

Robert Speirs, M.D. 12 4450 on mon 16 mar 98

I haven't had your particular problem with ^l0 B- mix, which I used to
use, but I DID want you to know that dealing directly with Laguna about
a clay problem will probably end in frustration for you. "Run around"
seems to be their party line.

I was using ^5 B-Mix last year and when I put a handle on anything it
cracked at the joining point EVERY TIME in the glaze firing. It went
through the bisque just fine. I called Laguna and was asked the usual
questions about how I joined the handle and I was doing everything
right, but they still cracked. I then talked to a rep at NCECA last
year about the problem and they wanted me to SEND them a piece to see!
Yeah, right, then what are they going to do about it when they see I'm
not lying?? I gave up and now use another clay body. I just wanted you
to know that you're not the only one dissatisfied with customer service
from Laguna. BTW, I loved working with ^l0 B-Mix too. It's a wonderful
clay. I hope this is just an anomaly for your sake.

Laura in Oregon

debra ulland on mon 16 mar 98

I have been using B-Mix for the last 15 years. I have had the same problems
over the years.
The only satisfaction I have received was an exchange of clay. I was told
that they had not heard of such problems. I have just learned to live with it.

John H. Rodgers on tue 17 mar 98

-- [ From: John H. Rodgers * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --

Robert, I use cone 5 B-mix. Lovely to throw, terrible to crack. I have had
bowls crack from dead center in a straight line right up through the rim. I
have quit using it due to cracking. I have other potter friends who use the
cone 10 B-mix. And they have quit using it. Loss due to cracking got so high
it was costing to much in terms of lost time and revenue. These are
professional potters and order 3 to 5 thousand lbs at a time.

John Rodgers
In Alabama
-------- REPLY, Original message follows --------

Date: Monday, 16-Mar-98 11:36 AM

From: Robert Speirs, M.D. 12 4450 \ Internet: (speirsro@adams.mts.kpnw.
org)
To: Clayart \ Internet: (clayart@lsv.uky.edu)

Subject: Re: cone 10 b mix

----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I haven't had your particular problem with ^l0 B- mix, which I used to
use, but I DID want you to know that dealing directly with Laguna about
a clay problem will probably end in frustration for you. "Run around"
seems to be their party line.

I was using ^5 B-Mix last year and when I put a handle on anything it
cracked at the joining point EVERY TIME in the glaze firing. It went
through the bisque just fine. I called Laguna and was asked the usual
questions about how I joined the handle and I was doing everything
right, but they still cracked. I then talked to a rep at NCECA last
year about the problem and they wanted me to SEND them a piece to see!
Yeah, right, then what are they going to do about it when they see I'm
not lying?? I gave up and now use another clay body. I just wanted you
to know that you're not the only one dissatisfied with customer service
from Laguna. BTW, I loved working with ^l0 B-Mix too. It's a wonderful
clay. I hope this is just an anomaly for your sake.

Laura in Oregon


-------- REPLY, End of original message --------

Eleanora Eden on tue 17 mar 98

I have had such good experience dealing with complicated glaze/underglaze
problems at Laguna and I always have wondered if it is just a fluke or will
I keep lucking out. Anyway the guy I communicate with at Laguna is John
Miller at ex 213.....btw I do send him samples of what I am talking about
it seems like a reasonable way to help him help me....as a matter of fact I
just sent him several samples of my refiring problems yesterday.....I don't
know if he will be helpful to you or not but he sure has been reasonable
and very, very helpful to me.

Eleanora.....as y'all know I am not exactly your corporate shill......this
guy has been GOOD to me.


Eleanora Eden 802 869-2003
Paradise Hill
Bellows Falls, VT 05101 eden@sover.net

Osian2 on wed 18 mar 98

In a message dated 98-03-16 11:55:37 EST, you write:

<< BTW, I loved working with ^l0 B-Mix too. It's a wonderful
clay. I hope this is just an anomaly for your sake.
>>


I use laguna ^10 B-mix too and have found some lumps in it too but I thought
it was just that I had recycled my clay.
I've taken to mixing B-mix with layers of sandstone or soldate so that I get
an interesting spiral effect. If it comes out just right it is very
pronounced under a celedon glaze or a clear.

Cat81257 on wed 18 mar 98

hello folks with crack problems:
I don't use the b mix that you folks do but have similar problems wth High
water clay Phenix (white cone 10 stoneware) I've tested and tested other
clays and nothing has worked any better so far that will work with my glazes
.. Has anybody found a good clay body I could test???It needs to have a little
iron but not much . Clay is one of the cheapest costs in this line o work. I
do this full time and its so frustrating to spend litterally Hours on a piece
and lose it due to cracks. PS I've been potting over20 yrs and never had this
kind o trouble before so it's not like I'm doing something wrong, I know what
I'm doing. It is a clay body problem. Any suggestions would be greatly
appreciated, I've been searching going on 2 yrs. at great expense.
Laguna sent rock hard clay LOL. so I'm not impressed with their service and am
not interested in dealing with them after that fiasco. Thanks everyone in
advance.
cat81257@aol.com E-Mail me

Rick Sherman on wed 18 mar 98

I have been interested in the discussion of B-Mix. I use it a great
deal. It throws easily for small and medium-sized pieces. I have no
trouble with cracking if I dry it slowly under plastic. Otherwise,
handles do pull off or a curled lip wants to return to an original
shape. I have also had some shipment with hard lumps. Almost
impossible to get out. I think Eleanor's suggestion about contacting
John Miller, ext 213, at Laguna is a good one. Always reinforce
responsive behavior. Don't know how many B-Mix users non Clayart will
be at NCECA. I think we all should discuss our problems with the Laguna
rep.

Rick Sherman
San Jose, CA USofA
sherman@ricochet.net

Cindy on thu 19 mar 98

Cat (name on your address),

Have your nearest trustworthy supplier mix up some clay for you to your own
recipe. Most will do this for amounts over a certain quantity--say a ton or
two.

Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels
Custer, SD
USA http://blackhills-info.com/a/cindys/menu.htm

Tony Hansen on thu 19 mar 98

I never ceases to amaze me how one person can use a clay and every
single piece cracks yet another has no problems at all. But I think
manufacturers have a responsibility to properly document their bodies
and put out specifications that they will try to hold to. Is there
a data sheet on the web for the body? I have tested it thoroughly
and I could post one but I don't know how representative my results
are.

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T o n y H a n s e n thansen@digitalfire.com

Tony Hansen on mon 23 mar 98

> hello folks with crack problems:
> ...its so frustrating to spend litterally Hours on a piece
> and lose it due to cracks. PS I've been potting over20 yrs
> and never had this kind o trouble before so it's not like

Clay manufacturers are under constant pressure to make more plastic
bodies, the more plastic they make them the poorer the drying.
A small change toward greater plasticity in one of the materials and
the body cracks all over. I think we need to adjust our expectations
and learn to work with shorter bodies.

--
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T o n y H a n s e n thansen@digitalfire.com
Get INSIGHT, Magic of Fire at http://digitalfire.com