Craig Martell on thu 19 may 05
Teresa was saying:
>Specifically I am looking for a grolleg porcelain that has good greenware
>strength. It also should be very white and translucent where thin.
Hello Teresa:
Well, if you like the Coleman body and it's working well for you, it may be
best to stay with what you have. I realize that the cost of a ton @ 0.42
cents a pound is $840 bucks. The Pier body would save some money but you
have to ship it and that puts the cost too high. I've thrown both of these
clays and liked them and would be hard pressed to say which was
better. The only thing I didn't like about the Coleman body was that it
dried very slowly. But Coleman lives in LV and it's hotter and drier than
where I'm at so it's probably perfect for you folks in Nevada.
I think the rising cost of just about everything now is fuel
related. Grolleg and all the other very white primary kaolins we use for
the very white, translucent stuff comes from Cornwall, England. The
company is actually owned by a very large French mineral company,
Imerys. They also own K-T Clays in the US and sell all the US Kaolins
coming out of Georgia. Anyway, it costs a lot of money to get the clay to
the States and then truck it around to suppliers. With the outrageous cost
of Diesel, fuel surcharges are driving up costs. I don't know what Laguna
has premixed but I do know they carry a good range of English China
Clays. I use two English Kaolins in the body I mix and I purchased the dry
clays from Laguna in LA and Ohio. My body costs more per dry pound than
yours does mixed so don't feel too bad. Perhaps Jon Pacini will respond
and give you some idea of the English kaolin bodies that Laguna makes.
regards, Craig Martell Hopewell, Oregon
Windancer Studio: Teresa Testa on thu 19 may 05
Hi All,
I have been using Coleman Porcelain for about 3 years now. It is getting so expensive, I think it is time to switch. I usually buy about 2 tons at a time to get a better price. Every year the price goes up. This year I was quoted .42 cent a pound! This is up from the .38 cents a pound I paid last year! I have tried some Pier Porcelain from Clay Planet. I really liked it. It was smooth and plastic, it was a pleasure to work with. Although it is a bit less expensive at .38 cents a pound, the cost of shipping 2 tons from San Jose (about 500.00) is not worth it.
Specifically I am looking for a grolleg porcelain that has good greenware strength. It also should be very white and translucent where thin. Aardvark is the closest supplier, but I can also drive to Laguna if needed. Any information would be appreciated.
Teresa Testa
Windancer Studio
Las Vegas, NV
www.windancerstudio.com
Finally the crane has arrived to replace the broken AC unit!
Chris Campbell on fri 20 may 05
Teresa -
Are you really willing to change everything for $80 ???
You will have to learn a new clay body.
You will have to find new glazes to fit it properly.
This could turn into a year long nightmare.
Chris Campbell - in North Carolina - .42 cents a pound ....You
make a pot with it that would sell for $5 !!
Tony Ferguson on fri 20 may 05
Craig,
I might add that pound for pound that the price of the clay is inconsequential. It is a lot of money up front when you are buying 2 tons, but what you can make and sell, pound for pound, really is insignificant to our material costs especially when compared against other industries. I know, however, it still hurts!
As far at the coleman clay, I haven't found anything better. I've tested many other porcelains including making my own and it is the best porcelain out there. Southern ice is a close second but it likes to crack when drying and requires to be stiffer to get any verticality out of it when you are throwing. The ART Porcelain I think might almost be tied for first with Coleman porcelain. I need to work with it more. What I really like about the coleman clay other than it basically throws itself, is the Coleman clay I can trim and leave it out to dry. Something with multiple parts I cover with plastic with holes in it to slow it down. Drying time has everything to do with where you live and humidity levels, temp, etc. The fuel costs are hurting everyone. Thank you Mr. President.
Tony
Craig Martell wrote:
Teresa was saying:
>Specifically I am looking for a grolleg porcelain that has good greenware
>strength. It also should be very white and translucent where thin.
Hello Teresa:
Well, if you like the Coleman body and it's working well for you, it may be
best to stay with what you have. I realize that the cost of a ton @ 0.42
cents a pound is $840 bucks. The Pier body would save some money but you
have to ship it and that puts the cost too high. I've thrown both of these
clays and liked them and would be hard pressed to say which was
better. The only thing I didn't like about the Coleman body was that it
dried very slowly. But Coleman lives in LV and it's hotter and drier than
where I'm at so it's probably perfect for you folks in Nevada.
I think the rising cost of just about everything now is fuel
related. Grolleg and all the other very white primary kaolins we use for
the very white, translucent stuff comes from Cornwall, England. The
company is actually owned by a very large French mineral company,
Imerys. They also own K-T Clays in the US and sell all the US Kaolins
coming out of Georgia. Anyway, it costs a lot of money to get the clay to
the States and then truck it around to suppliers. With the outrageous cost
of Diesel, fuel surcharges are driving up costs. I don't know what Laguna
has premixed but I do know they carry a good range of English China
Clays. I use two English Kaolins in the body I mix and I purchased the dry
clays from Laguna in LA and Ohio. My body costs more per dry pound than
yours does mixed so don't feel too bad. Perhaps Jon Pacini will respond
and give you some idea of the English kaolin bodies that Laguna makes.
regards, Craig Martell Hopewell, Oregon
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