mel jacobson on fri 28 apr 06
i was just thinking of the many things that one sees on
a trip to china and japan. if you like clay, things of clay....you see
it all.
it reminds me of the gary larson cartoon...`teacher, i have to go home,
my brain is full.`
i sure filled my brain looking and being in china. po was very good
and showing us the `best of the best`.
people making things of clay.
the great pots in the great museums.
old universities, new universities.
art schools the size of the university of michigan. the entire
university.
we saw how old pots were made, we saw new pots being
made, we saw wonderful old sculpture of clay, we saw
wonderful new sculpture made of clay.
we saw old buildings, new buildings...tall buildings 100+ stories.
we rode a train that went 436 KM and hour.
we rode on buses as old as my mother.
we walked on that old wall around china.
we talked to many people involved in clay. nice people..eager
people...they wanted to meet us. talk about what is going
on in american art, european art....nice folks...just like potters.
they want to share what they have...the old and the new.
so.
my brain is full.
i have to sort it all out.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3
David Beumee on fri 28 apr 06
I'd personally like to hear it on Clayart as you sort out your experience. What a great opportunity for you and for the people you met.
David Beumee
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: mel jacobson
> i was just thinking of the many things that one sees on
> a trip to china and japan. if you like clay, things of clay....you see
> it all.
>
> it reminds me of the gary larson cartoon...`teacher, i have to go home,
> my brain is full.`
>
> i sure filled my brain looking and being in china. po was very good
> and showing us the `best of the best`.
>
> people making things of clay.
> the great pots in the great museums.
> old universities, new universities.
> art schools the size of the university of michigan. the entire
> university.
> we saw how old pots were made, we saw new pots being
> made, we saw wonderful old sculpture of clay, we saw
> wonderful new sculpture made of clay.
>
> we saw old buildings, new buildings...tall buildings 100+ stories.
> we rode a train that went 436 KM and hour.
> we rode on buses as old as my mother.
> we walked on that old wall around china.
>
> we talked to many people involved in clay. nice people..eager
> people...they wanted to meet us. talk about what is going
> on in american art, european art....nice folks...just like potters.
>
> they want to share what they have...the old and the new.
> so.
> my brain is full.
> i have to sort it all out.
> mel
>
> from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
> website: http://my.pclink.com/~melpots3
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
Ivor and Olive Lewis on sat 29 apr 06
Dear Mel,
Thank you for sharing your observations and insights.
Regarding the way you saw claystone being processed. Trip hammers are =
old devices. My birthplace was surrounded by steep hills. Most of the =
valleys had been dammed and the water harnessed to serve the Trip =
Hammers where cutlery was forged. It also powered the grinding wheels on =
which they sharpened knives and scythes. In the city museum there was a =
model of a set of trip hammers. As kids we would ask the attendant to =
get the key and put it into motion. History stretching back more than a =
thousand years.
Later in life I visited most of the industrial clay works in the north =
of England and Scotland. Much of the clay was mined, not quarried. Came =
out of the coal mines, hard and splintery stuff. Highly refractory. =
Mostly Fireclay. All alkali fluxes had been leached to feed the plants =
that became coal. I was called in to assess the repair cost of a pan =
mill. The two roller wheels which were about six feet diameter had worn =
down about four inches milling the stuff. They should have been =
hardfaced before being put into service. Cheaper to replace with Chilled =
Cast Iron.
Best regards,
Ivor
Hank Murrow on sun 30 apr 06
On Apr 30, 2006, at 6:36 PM, David Beumee wrote:
> Ivor wrote,
> " All
> alkali fluxes had been leached to feed the plants that became coal."
>
> Hi Ivor,
> Please explain.
dear David;
I guess I can take a stab at this. During the Carboniferous Period,
ferns and other plants grew to sometimes 300 foot heights due to
perfect atmospheric content(which has drastically altered in present
times), causing the soluble material in the soils to be completely
leached out to feed the plants. The decaying plant material was
compressed by overburden to become coal, while the soil became
fireclays. free of iron and alkaliis. Much of Ohio is underlain by such
fireclay and coal.
Cheers, Hank
www.murrow.biz/hank
David Beumee on mon 1 may 06
Ivor wrote,
" All
alkali fluxes had been leached to feed the plants that became coal."
Hi Ivor,
Please explain.
David Beumee
Lafayette Colorado
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: Ivor and Olive Lewis
> Dear Mel,
> Thank you for sharing your observations and insights.
> Regarding the way you saw claystone being processed. Trip hammers are old
> devices. My birthplace was surrounded by steep hills. Most of the valleys had
> been dammed and the water harnessed to serve the Trip Hammers where cutlery was
> forged. It also powered the grinding wheels on which they sharpened knives and
> scythes. In the city museum there was a model of a set of trip hammers. As kids
> we would ask the attendant to get the key and put it into motion. History
> stretching back more than a thousand years.
> Later in life I visited most of the industrial clay works in the north of
> England and Scotland. Much of the clay was mined, not quarried. Came out of the
> coal mines, hard and splintery stuff. Highly refractory. Mostly Fireclay. All
> alkali fluxes had been leached to feed the plants that became coal. I was called
> in to assess the repair cost of a pan mill. The two roller wheels which were
> about six feet diameter had worn down about four inches milling the stuff. They
> should have been hardfaced before being put into service. Cheaper to replace
> with Chilled Cast Iron.
> Best regards,
> Ivor
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
Ivor and Olive Lewis on tue 2 may 06
Dear David Baumee,
I missed a point in my previous note.
When the minerals in soil have been depleted of their alkali metal and
alkali earth elements I am given to understand mineral remnants
containing Silicon and aluminium reorganise themselves into clay
minerals of one sort or another. If iron was present in the original
mineral mix (Often Granite residues) Iron can substitute for
Aluminium. Presumably this is the genesis of Terra Cotta Clay.
You would find more information in a good text on Soil Chemistry
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