Dave Finkelnburg on mon 28 aug 00
To anyone concerned about the availability of Helmer Kaolin,
Helmer Kaolin will definitely be around for a lot longer than we will.
If it were mined at the rate of 15,000 tons/year (much more than is
currently being mined), it would still last 1.,000 years! The current
deposit holds an estimated 650,000 tons of Helmer Kaolin. The main deposit
is much larger. Unless a massive meteorite wipes out Helmer, Idaho, Helmer
Kaolin will be available for a long time to come!
I got my information from three sources. The first is personal
knowledge of the Helmer and Bovill clay deposits (6 miles apart), where I
worked back in the mid-sixties. Second, I know Bob Rukavina, who was
responsible for exploratory drilling of those clay deposits in the '70s. He
has explained to me the extent and analysis of the clay in both areas.
Finally, I called Michael Wendt, who is currently mining and selling Helmer
Kaolin. Michael confirmed the extent of the Helmer deposit and offered
additional details on the more than centuries-long potential life of the
current mine.
If you want to know more about Helmer Kaolin, contact Michael personally
at Wendt Pottery in Lewiston, Idaho. You can call him at (208)746-3724 or
800-554-3724, or e-mail him at wendtpot@lewiston.com. I have no connection
with Mr. Wendt, financial or otherwise, I just hate to see any business
damaged by misinformation.
Dave Finkelnburg
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeanne Wood
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: Sunday, August 27, 2000 11:09 AM
Subject: Re: Helmar Kaolin.
>Greetings,
>For eveyone who uses & likes Helmer Kaolin, I wouldn't
>count on it being around too much in the future. As I
>mentioned before on this forum, I live nearby and it's
>a relatively small mine.
>Jeanne W.
| |
|
