GEP

What would you recommend? My local supplier is also having some issues with Frit 3134. It’s marginally cheaper, but still not cheap. Right now, they keep a waiting list of everyone who wants it, and anytime they receive any, it’s sold out before it hits the shelves. They told me I can get on this waiting list too, if I want. Are there other options?

Laguna is short staffed as are most places due to covid and they have yet to recover. Also there has been a turnover in the top positions as older folks retired out. Clay output has been tough and many bodies have just been in short supply -all clay makers at laest on west coast is this way now.In all my Laguna years (I swicthed to them in the middle 80s's from westwood clay bodies) its never been this bad. They grew and bought out westwood  and movds to that facility and then bought out the clay plant in Ohio (not sure what that name was Neil may know) then Axner in Florida-Stewarts in LA and Thoirley shevel manufacture as well. They are the gorilla in the clay field . I knew the old owner and his father (who retired near me before passing) I bought some of his stuff long ago as well. When I switched porcealin  bodies in the 80s I went down to meet them(the owners)  and see the plant as it was a big deal for me to switch -12 hour drive  each way. That was long ago but I have a long history with Laguna as well as being a distribiutor in more modern times. For many many decades I would  order  at least 12 tons to get the best price breaks(the 12 ton break was the best price)  before becoming a distributor . Part of my  overall success is keeping costs low as possiable on materials.. Today I noticed I'm down to 1 ton of clay and have not been this low in over 20 years. I have a 8 pallet order in now and they are making the extra soft clay but as noted eralier its a slower process these days. Trucking is now a huge issue for me as well. We live in the boonies and trucking has always been an issue. Now its worse.

It was the Spodumene Substitute that I emailed them twice about and didn't get a reply. My email was forwarded to a tech and that was the last I heard from them. I then contacted  Pottery Supply House in Ontario (same company as Euclids) and asked about their Spodumene Blend and they confirmed it was the Laguna Substitute product and quickly gave me the analysis which I posted in the thread above that Mark linked. Still haven't heard anything from Laguna.
We've been down this road before with Gerstley, lots of subs already developed, I think it's just a question of finding one and tweaking the chem to use one of the alternatives. Quick google search, Laguna Borate at Sheffields, $34- for 50 lb bag. Main differences are Laguna Borate has more boron, alumina and silica.

@GEP I just checked online with my supplier and Denver for pricing on GB.  It seems a lot less that what you paid. 
https://stoneleafpottery.com/clay-raw-materials/?page=7

When GB was going extinct the first time I started using Boraq 2  from and it worked just fine for what I was after.  This was ? 2? decades ago?
https://digitalfire.com/recipe/p3998
https://digitalfire.com/material/boraq+2
https://digitalfire.com/material/boraq+3

Holy moly!!!!!!

Yes I know that Laguna purchased the remainders of the closed mine. But what they said at the time is “there is enough GB to last through the life spans of all current potters.” That’s why the price hike is confusing. It could just be greed, not shortage. 

Often Questions of the Week can be confusing, as some will look at the surface of the question and easily answer it like eating a strawberry, others will look at it and see an onion with so many layers to be peeled off before the discussion is over. My play on the QotW is that it invites all sorts of response. I knew this one would be a good one for the onions and strawberries.
 
 
best,
Pres

It’s better to make the pots you can now than wait for ideal circumstances. It will extend your skills and your creativity. 
Also, build a business plan for yourself, not the kind you’d send to the bank. The starving artist trope is a steaming pile, and earning money at this is kinda fun!
Make for the now, not posterity. History is unlikely to remember you, and that is a VERY freeing thought.
You have ADHD. You need to find different working methods than the toxic work habits you learned in school if you don’t want to burn out. (That one’s personal.)
You aren’t lazy for not wanting to make the work right now. You’re tired. Go rest and try again in a bit.

I would have told myself to get involved sooner rather than waiting until I almost retired...

On the creative side, I learned so much from most of my ‘mistakes’ that it’s hard to imagine not having made them.
The things I learned too late were on the business side: (1) how to be practical about the narrow profit margin at large ‘craft fairs’ as imports invaded them and (2) if I wasn’t going to regularly monitor consignment sales I’d better not do them at all.

I would not tell myself to change anything--my perspectives, relationship with clay, and sense of "making" what I make are essentially the same as then. Not about pottery/clay per se, but the one thing I would tell my young adult self would be to rachet back the wild child behavior and pay more attention to protecting my future. 

In my early adult years I did not talk to myself as I do now in my later years

Seems like I can't get away from things from the past. This week I will ask another one of those what if questions.
QotW: What would you tell yourself about pottery, if you could speak to yourself when you were in your early adult years. 
In my early years, I thought that I wanted to go back to school for an MFA, and wasted time commiserating over it I would tell myself to not dwell on what could be and work with what is. At the same time I would tell myself to stop playing around with the Amaco motorized kick wheel that took up too much space and couldn't handle the bigger pots, and buy the Brent CXC 12 years ealier!
 
best,
Pres

On the subject of one’s body wearing down … I’m 52 now, approaching the 30 year mark of my pottery-making life. When I am going through a busy stretch with work, I have a nightly appointment with my heating pad, to soothe my aching elbows, wrists, and back. The past few years, I have been taking a 2 month break after the holidays. Pandemic forced me to do it, now I choose to do it. The recovery time makes a big difference. Throughout the year, I prioritize my physical health, knowing that my job depends on it. Running, yoga, sleep, healthy diet. Last year I started taking a collagen supplement, and that seems to help with my chronically sore elbow. Maybe the most important advice I have for a younger potter is to make sure your throwing clay is nice and soft. 
I hope to retire with my hands being functional enough to do things like cooking and gardening. 

On the subject of one’s body wearing down … I’m 52 now, approaching the 30 year mark of my pottery-making life. When I am going through a busy stretch with work, I have a nightly appointment with my heating pad, to soothe my aching elbows, wrists, and back. The past few years, I have been taking a 2 month break after the holidays. Pandemic forced me to do it, now I choose to do it. The recovery time makes a big difference. Throughout the year, I prioritize my physical health, knowing that my job depends on it. Running, yoga, sleep, healthy diet. Last year I started taking a collagen supplement, and that seems to help with my chronically sore elbow. Maybe the most important advice I have for a younger potter is to make sure your throwing clay is nice and soft. 
I hope to retire with my hands being functional enough to do things like cooking and gardening. 

Joseph, I apologize for being unclear! I did not mean that you made this comment. You did not. I was referring to this entire discussion, and to many other discussions I’ve seen, here and in other places, where the differentiations are not discussed. 

I agree with most of what you’ve written here, but these points need to be challenged a little. Being able to produce the volume that it takes to earn a living with pottery is not really about time management, or an awful amount of labor. It’s about training your body to be able to produce high volumes, using a reasonable amount of time and labor. The “modern machinery” required for a pottery studio is your own body, honed for efficiency. There’s only one way to develop this …. by doing it for a few decades. 
I do strongly agree that everyone should define “success” for themselves. But I also believe that the different definitions should be talked out openly, and weighed with relativity. Some are turning a profit, in an amount that equals a nice side business, while working another day job. Some are doing it full-time and doing well, but would not get by without another form of financial support (spouse or parents). Some are paying for their entire lives (housing, vehicles, food, utilities, health insurance, retirement plan) by making and selling pots, without any other support. All of these are valid businesses, but they aren’t equal. As a person in the last category, it really annoys me when anyone suggests I should act more like a person in the first category. That’s not the boat I’m paddling these days. I’m not putting down those in the first category, because I was that person when I started out! I’m arguing that anyone who wants to discuss the Business of Pottery should recognize and understand the differences when they are discussing it. 

On the subject of one’s body wearing down … I’m 52 now, approaching the 30 year mark of my pottery-making life. When I am going through a busy stretch with work, I have a nightly appointment with my heating pad, to soothe my aching elbows, wrists, and back. The past few years, I have been taking a 2 month break after the holidays. Pandemic forced me to do it, now I choose to do it. The recovery time makes a big difference. Throughout the year, I prioritize my physical health, knowing that my job depends on it. Running, yoga, sleep, healthy diet. Last year I started taking a collagen supplement, and that seems to help with my chronically sore elbow. Maybe the most important advice I have for a younger potter is to make sure your throwing clay is nice and soft. 
I hope to retire with my hands being functional enough to do things like cooking and gardening. 

I turn 70 on the 15 of March. Pottery full time since 1976 for the most part  Yes a few jobs as an electrican and a plumber and a commercial diver but the most part its clay bringing in the income..I consider myself a full timer and am  was  simi retiring slowly (started at 64) until this coming year we are in. I married quite late  in life (mid 90s) and my wifes state insurance has helped a lot but that said its my income that has paid most of my way thu my life so far.
Pottery has been brutal on my hands /wrists. Yes back issue as well but knock on wood good last 20 years. Its kept me strong and worn me down at same time. (On the topic of your body being able to do the work) one needs to think about this a bit .
I read these discussions with very mixed feelings.  And coming from a place of knowing  whats needed and what the cost will be on oneself i have a different take on things. Mea points this out well. I agree with most of Josephs statements  although I never considered scaling up or even being in business-it was all an organic process not thought about much in the old days.It jusat happened from the love of making and firing pots.
I did have a slip cast friend who scalled up and I saw maganaging people was not for me in the 80s
Most I have learned are just not cut out for the production side of things . 
The next is sticking it and out figuring it out over time. This takes time and 10-20 years is not  what most are willing to give.
The body not holding up to the work is another big one. 
It's the individual that holds the key -do thay have what it takes to cut thru all the above and become successful ?
A few points for me are It has never been a hobby-as a collage kid coming out of school and working in clay I did not have the money or time to play with clay as a hobby so I have see the hobby part as a detriment  to those doing that thinking wow lets make some $$$ at this-this will not be full time in so many ways
The success is a judgment call on so many levels-as noted  a few extra $$ is all that needed or expected is fine for some and falls short for others.
What I made in the 70s-80s is not ok in the 90s-2000s-sure it paid the bills and house payments but I just got by for a long while. Now a show thats 6k for me is a disaster and not worth doing-back then it was on fire so thats a moving target as well. All this knowledge takes so much time to learn meanwhile your body is slowing getting ground down. That's a fact
If one wants to sell a few pots on instagam and feel like its full time I say go for it. But I know whats thats about -more the hobby deal as an upgrade
If one want to sell 6 figures a year I say go for it as I really know whats that about as well
My suggestion and its really been thru dumb luck is find a few good people to help you if you want to go big and long. In my case they found me  about 30 years ago and are just part timers and help me out in so may ways. They also have been with me that whole time (one is thrower 6 hours a week)  The other is a do it all studio assstant doing whats needed when needed and she has been terrific . Its been possiable to stretch this into a 50 year career body wise. You need to pay them well to keep them by the way and share in the sucesss as it comes-more pay
Its worked for me so know its possiable
Whats my biggest unknown in my future is wrist fusion ,so Neil pay attention now and give it real thought.
 
 
 

Thank you for following up!

Joseph, I apologize for being unclear! I did not mean that you made this comment. You did not. I was referring to this entire discussion, and to many other discussions I’ve seen, here and in other places, where the differentiations are not discussed. 

Joseph, I apologize for being unclear! I did not mean that you made this comment. You did not. I was referring to this entire discussion, and to many other discussions I’ve seen, here and in other places, where the differentiations are not discussed. 

I agree with most of what you’ve written here, but these points need to be challenged a little. Being able to produce the volume that it takes to earn a living with pottery is not really about time management, or an awful amount of labor. It’s about training your body to be able to produce high volumes, using a reasonable amount of time and labor. The “modern machinery” required for a pottery studio is your own body, honed for efficiency. There’s only one way to develop this …. by doing it for a few decades. 
I do strongly agree that everyone should define “success” for themselves. But I also believe that the different definitions should be talked out openly, and weighed with relativity. Some are turning a profit, in an amount that equals a nice side business, while working another day job. Some are doing it full-time and doing well, but would not get by without another form of financial support (spouse or parents). Some are paying for their entire lives (housing, vehicles, food, utilities, health insurance, retirement plan) by making and selling pots, without any other support. All of these are valid businesses, but they aren’t equal. As a person in the last category, it really annoys me when anyone suggests I should act more like a person in the first category. That’s not the boat I’m paddling these days. I’m not putting down those in the first category, because I was that person when I started out! I’m arguing that anyone who wants to discuss the Business of Pottery should recognize and understand the differences when they are discussing it. 

I agree with most of what you’ve written here, but these points need to be challenged a little. Being able to produce the volume that it takes to earn a living with pottery is not really about time management, or an awful amount of labor. It’s about training your body to be able to produce high volumes, using a reasonable amount of time and labor. The “modern machinery” required for a pottery studio is your own body, honed for efficiency. There’s only one way to develop this …. by doing it for a few decades. 
I do strongly agree that everyone should define “success” for themselves. But I also believe that the different definitions should be talked out openly, and weighed with relativity. Some are turning a profit, in an amount that equals a nice side business, while working another day job. Some are doing it full-time and doing well, but would not get by without another form of financial support (spouse or parents). Some are paying for their entire lives (housing, vehicles, food, utilities, health insurance, retirement plan) by making and selling pots, without any other support. All of these are valid businesses, but they aren’t equal. As a person in the last category, it really annoys me when anyone suggests I should act more like a person in the first category. That’s not the boat I’m paddling these days. I’m not putting down those in the first category, because I was that person when I started out! I’m arguing that anyone who wants to discuss the Business of Pottery should recognize and understand the differences when they are discussing it.