Jim Kassebaum on thu 3 may 01
As most of us know, in early 2000 U.S. Borax shocked the ceramic communit=
y
by announcing that, for safety and economic reasons, they were ceasing
operations at their California Gerstley mine the source for the unique
sodium borate mineral many of us have utilized for decades as a basic
ingredient in our glazes. The mine was closed and all remaining gerstley
was sold over the ensuing months - or so we thought.
A couple of weeks ago we learned that there remained a limited amount of
mined but unprocessed gerstley borate at the now defunct Gerstley mine.
Laguna has entered into an agreement to purchase all the remaining Gerstl=
ey
and is milling it to the same specifications as the Gerstley sold over th=
e
past 30 years.
While this supply is limited, based on historic usage Laguna anticipates
having an adequate supply for the next two to three years. This forecast
does not take into account that some gerstley users have successfully
switched to Laguna borate or other suitable substitutes, a fact that migh=
t
extend the availability of this final supply to those who prefer the real
gerstley.
Laguna will market gerstley borate through its network of dealers through=
out
North America. Only a small amount of the material has been processed to
date, and it will be mid-June before enough gerstley is in stock to suppl=
y
the dealer pipeline. While gerstley won't be around forever, hopefully t=
his
new reserve will "buy some time" for those who have yet to find the perfe=
ct
substitute. We will provide updated information about the gerstley
situation and the amount of material remaining at www.lagunaclay.com over
the coming months. Please direct any questions you may have to
info@lagunaclay.com.
Jim Kassebaum
Laguna Clay Co.
| |
|
