EPK mine tour

[Biglou13]

Toured Edgar minning yesterday

 

 

Here is actual source of EPK.

 

It was a very interesting tour!

They were very happy to,have us and very very supportive of potters.

We got some history, and information on Edgar mining. Met an employee there that's been there for over 40 years.

Plant manager drove us out to the the mine. Where it is open mined, dredged, pumped back to processing station where it is separated, then the epk slurry is pumped to settling ponds, then pumped to another station where it is processed again. No pictures inside in building. And finally the the warehouse of EPK.

 

I learned a lot, and picked up a bag of epk and a Edgar mining t shirt.

 

(Now I gotta mix me up some porcelain clay)

 

Check out gallery for more pictures

 

 

 

(Computer with photoshop down sorry for large image)

URL=http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/index.php?app=gallery&module=images&img=2670][/url]

 

 

If you look close the rafters are full of mud dauber nests, however these are high class wasps and their houses are made of porcelain!

[Mark C.]

Thanks you for those photos-It great to see where my bags come from

I have two of those very same bags in glaze room now.

That clay looks to be on an aluvia plane from many thousands of years ago.

Mark

[OffCenter]

Thanks you for those photos-It great to see where my bags come from

I have two of those very same bags in glaze room now.

That clay looks to be on an aluvia plane from many thousands of years ago.

Mark

 

 

I think you could safely change "thousands" to "millions".

 

I know it's in Florida, but where?

 

Jim

[Biglou13]

Thanks you for those photos-It great to see where my bags come from

I have two of those very same bags in glaze room now.

That clay looks to be on an aluvia plane from many thousands of years ago.

Mark

 

 

I think you could safely change "thousands" to "millions".

 

I know it's in Florida, but where?

 

Jim

 

 

Jim,

It's about 1 hour south west if Jacksonville. It's technically not Edgar Florida since they no longer have post office. It's officially town of Hawthorne,

Its in between palatka and Gainesville. If you or any one else wants to tour I'll get you contact information.

 

Heads up Jim..... Lizella is next on list !

[Mark C.]

Next tour please have them send me some testing samples-50# bags test best.

Mark

[TJR]

Biglou 13;

Thanks for that. I would like to see the processing part-the settling tanks and slip machines.

I saw the English China Clay mine in Cornwall England. It was huge.I don't have any pictures. It was in 1978.

TJR.

[Biglou13]

Biglou 13;

Thanks for that. I would like to see the processing part-the settling tanks and slip machines.

I saw the English China Clay mine in Cornwall England. It was huge.I don't have any pictures. It was in 1978.

TJR.

 

There are more pictures idet up album in my gallery. There is a picture of setting pond. Form there the slurry is pumped to another staion where floculant is neutralized and then extruded into "noodles" or prill. Then dried and powdered to the stage we get it. Unfortunately we didn't tour that step. But there is a picture of next step after mining where raw slurry is sepeated by size and weight particles, via water pressure.