mt. st. helen's ash

updated mon 8 apr 02

Roger Korn on tue 26 mar 02

Another possibility is Michael McDowell (michael@mcdowellpottery.com) who reads
this list sometimes. He wrote a CM article with an analysis of this ash from a
Ritzville deposit. I don't know if he still has any. I'm down to my last kilo or so
and Ian Curry may wind up with that, since he likes it for a "Corner C" glaze in
his workshops.

I'll be gathering more this summer, but it'll be September before I have any down
here in AZ.

Hope this helps,

Roger

Paul Lewing wrote:

> Tig, try Seattle Potter Supply at 1-800-522-1975. They used to sell Mt. St.
> Helens Ash, but I don't know if they still do or not.
> Another suggestion might be to ask if there is some kind Clayarter who will
> scoop you up some and send it to you. It's all still out there on the
> ground in Eastern Washington, you know. It hasn't gone away.
> And another idea that would take some detective work, some charm and some
> luck. Every business with a big parking lot had to get the ash off their
> lot, and most of them didn't pay to have it hauled away to a dump. They
> just bulldozed it off to the side of the lot and left it. It's still there.
> One kind of business that you can pretty much guarantee did this is the farm
> implement dealer, because they had their own machine of some kind. So look
> at a map of Eastern Washington, pick some small towns, call directory
> assistance for the names of John Deere or Allis-Chalmers or Ford tractor
> dealers, call them up and see if you can sweet-talk someone into doing you a
> huge favor. It just might work. My experience is that people tend to be
> awfully nice.
> Good luck, Paul Lewing
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.

--
Roger Korn
McKay Creek Ceramics
In AZ: PO Box 463
4215 Culpepper Ranch Rd
Rimrock, AZ 86335
928-567-5699 <-
In OR: PO Box 436
31330 NW Pacific Ave.
North Plains, OR 97133
503-647-5464

Dupre Mr Marcy M on tue 26 mar 02

I am looking for 50 pounds or so of Mount St. Helen's ash, to use in glaze
formulation. I kick myself for not stocking up when I lived in Tacoma, but
that's the breaks of the game. :o(

Anyhow, does anyone know of any supply house that has some St. Helen's ash
for sale? I have tried surfing the net, without success, querying
bigceramicstore, ceramicusa, clayartcenter, laguna, and newmexico.

Any help and suggestions would be appreciated.

Tig

Play Dirty!

Paul Lewing on tue 26 mar 02

Tig, try Seattle Potter Supply at 1-800-522-1975. They used to sell Mt. St.
Helens Ash, but I don't know if they still do or not.
Another suggestion might be to ask if there is some kind Clayarter who will
scoop you up some and send it to you. It's all still out there on the
ground in Eastern Washington, you know. It hasn't gone away.
And another idea that would take some detective work, some charm and some
luck. Every business with a big parking lot had to get the ash off their
lot, and most of them didn't pay to have it hauled away to a dump. They
just bulldozed it off to the side of the lot and left it. It's still there.
One kind of business that you can pretty much guarantee did this is the farm
implement dealer, because they had their own machine of some kind. So look
at a map of Eastern Washington, pick some small towns, call directory
assistance for the names of John Deere or Allis-Chalmers or Ford tractor
dealers, call them up and see if you can sweet-talk someone into doing you a
huge favor. It just might work. My experience is that people tend to be
awfully nice.
Good luck, Paul Lewing

Donna Sparks at Almost Art on wed 27 mar 02

last year's catalog from Seattle Pottery Suppy lists Mr st helen's ash in
their raw materials available. (I don't have the latest catalog). they
have a web site, tho' not one you can BUY on.

And did you try the pet stores? one of the more innovated marketing
schemes after the eruption was selling bags of the ash as 'pet rock food'.

Dupre Mr Marcy M on wed 27 mar 02

I would never, in a bazillion years, have thought to check out pet supply
stores in my quest for ash!

Thanks for the tip,

Tig

Tim Lynch on wed 27 mar 02

As a side note to this, Ritzville, WA, USA, got nine inches of the stuff in
1980. Most of it is still in huge piles, overgrown now. As you drive east
on I 90 from George (actual name of a town here in WA) it increases in depth
on the side of the road. Some localities scooped it up and deposited it in
huge mounds outside of town. If you follow Paul's advice, try towns like
Quincy, Ephrata, Moses Lake, Ritzville, maybe even Spokane. It's still out
there.

Tim

--
Tim Lynch
The Clay Man
1117 Tedford St SE
East Wenatchee, WA 98802
hifired@earthlink.net

On 3/26/02 8:27 PM, "Paul Lewing" wrote:

> Tig, try Seattle Potter Supply at 1-800-522-1975. They used to sell Mt. St.
> Helens Ash, but I don't know if they still do or not.
> Another suggestion might be to ask if there is some kind Clayarter who will
> scoop you up some and send it to you. It's all still out there on the
> ground in Eastern Washington, you know. It hasn't gone away.
> And another idea that would take some detective work, some charm and some
> luck. Every business with a big parking lot had to get the ash off their
> lot, and most of them didn't pay to have it hauled away to a dump. They
> just bulldozed it off to the side of the lot and left it. It's still there.
> One kind of business that you can pretty much guarantee did this is the farm
> implement dealer, because they had their own machine of some kind. So look
> at a map of Eastern Washington, pick some small towns, call directory
> assistance for the names of John Deere or Allis-Chalmers or Ford tractor
> dealers, call them up and see if you can sweet-talk someone into doing you a
> huge favor. It just might work. My experience is that people tend to be
> awfully nice.
> Good luck, Paul Lewing
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots@pclink.com.

Dupre Mr Marcy M on wed 27 mar 02

Thanks, Paul. BTW: Are you the Paul Lewing I saw an article on regarding
tiles in Seattle? Hope so. Excellent article and good work on your part.
Keep it up.

I'm having a wonderful time educating some folks out here in the Virginia
area. Among other things, I make textured tiles. Not a big inventory and
no custom-ordered pieces. "So, how much do you charge?"

I charge by the amount of time I have invested in the tiles. For those in
your hand, the charge is $XXX.XX for the set.

"What? For a couple of piece of flat clay?"

He didn't really need tiles from me.

Thanks for the tip,

Tig

Nancy R Chestnut on thu 28 mar 02

Here's another person who kicks herself for not saving more ash at the time.
I was living in Pullman, WA (for those who've never had the pleasure, it's
in SE WA, 11 mi W of the Idaho border) and the day the mountain blew in the
morning, we had a white out blizzard of ash fall all afternoon. Cleanup
went on for weeks. I had yet to be bitten by the pottery bug and I only
saved one little bitty jar of ash just as a souvenir. Here's how I remember
it:

Mt. Sonnet Helens

An artichoke jar of powder fine ash,
Store label peeling off a lid once green,
Recalls the day the sky suddenly crashed
Just after the lunch rush. We ran outside
To watch the dry grey blizzard fall in May.
Bending above the road home, barely seen
Faint streetlamps ringed with foggy halos tried
Valiantly, hopelessly, to show the way.

When the storm had settled and eyes could see
We found the earth transformed. Spring was exchanged
For a mock moonscape of light grey grasses.
Grey bicycles wobbled tracks on grey streets;
Peddling outlaws, bandanas arranged
On noses, blinked dust from grey eyelashes.



Nancy C in Cincinnati

Martin Howard on thu 28 mar 02

Tig said:-
stores in my quest for ash!>

Why not?
These volcanic ashes are similar to cat litter, montmorillonite, bentonite
etc.

Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
http://www.webbscottage.co.uk
Updated 3rd March 2002