Clay Shortage

[GEP]

I mentioned this last week in a QOTW thread. I am having a hard time buying clay right now. My local supplier cannot get a shipment from Highwater Clay, because a lot of Highwater’s clays have been out of stock for an unusually long time. They said they expected to get a delivery over a month ago, and are still waiting with no ETA. 

Highwater does have my clay in stock, so I was able to order an amount that will get me through the end of the year directly from them. This is a lot more expense and hassle than usual. 

I posted about this on social media, and another potter said that Laguna is having similar issues. This really worries me, if it’s happening to more than one manufacturer. 

Is anyone else being impacted by this? Does anyone know what the shortage is about? 

[Mark C.]

Laguna went thru a period of covid employee issues as many business did last year. Now its spread to materials shortages in the supply chain as well as supply chain backups . The Texas talc issue (no more talc) has affected many things as well. I just heard Laguna (pacifica wheels are backlogged 100 wheels due to no foot pedals  in the supply chain)

I has a few clay bodies I order for others that where out of stock lately as well. Standard cone 10 bodies at that.

The mining world has the same issues as all businesses. I got enough clay until next late spring but that means nothing these days if materials are out of stock. The world is not yet back to normal supply chain wise. Over 100 frieghters backed up not unloading on both coasts is not helping as well. This backup alone is due to covid and trucking shortages (not enough truckers)This will impact all businesses coast to coast. Ceramics is just one of them.

[Roberta12]

I get my clay from Laguna via Denver and so far have not had a problem with supply.  However I am calling in the morning to get clay for the Empty Bowl throwers.  I will ask some questions.

Yes,, I heard about the ships on both coasts with endless containers waiting to be unloaded.  Interesting times we have here.

 

[Mark C.]

Trucking has been dicey for me with clay the last twp orders. ) I order twice a year now) Its a 12 hour run from LA to here and it gtakes our local trucking company weeks to a month to get that together now.

Laguna used to run thier own trucks for example in a 100 mile radius  for locval customers but dumped the whole deal a few years ago

Now Truckers are hard to find -my last order last month was up 50$ a ton but I was happy still to get the 4 pallets

[GEP]

I am paying $200 for a truck delivery of only 400 lbs of clay. The delivery is almost as much as the clay. But I do not want to buy more clay than for the rest of this year. I may be switching to something else if it looks like this problem will stretch out longer than that. I’m also getting a sample of a similar clay mailed to me from Standard Ceramic. My local supplier does not stock it, but they will let me special order it. Standard does not seem to be having shortages. I’ll start testing it right away, and if it will work in place of my current clay, then I will switch clay starting in January. So I can absorb a $200 expense right now, if it will lead to a permanent solution, one way or the other, by the beginning of next year. 

[Pres]

@GEP I was at Pittsburgh Standard Ceramic in August. They had the clay that I use, but some of the other clays were listed on shortage. At the same time I picked up chemicals for glazes, and noticed no shortage on those. When it came to buying kiln shelves though,  they said that they were on back order and that it had been several months. Smaller shelves were available, but the 26" half shelves were not. Seems like everyone is having shortages on items.

 

best,

Pres

[GEP]

@Pres I think you have mentioned that you have used Standard 211 Hazelnut? This is the clay that they are sending me a sample of. What are your thoughts on Hazelnut?

[Pres]

I like the hazelnut it throws well, and works well for slab construction. I find that it stains most everything in the way of clothing so I wear my apron whenever working with it. The glazes that I used on the SC112, the SC 630 and other clays also work well. The COE seems to be close enough to the 630 that I don' t have to do anything special with glaze thickness or firing. I am on my 3rd 1000# order of it. 

 

best,

Pres 

[GEP]

34 minutes ago, Pres said:

I like the hazelnut it throws well, and works well for slab construction. I find that it stains most everything in the way of clothing so I wear my apron whenever working with it. The glazes that I used on the SC112, the SC 630 and other clays also work well. The COE seems to be close enough to the 630 that I don' t have to do anything special with glaze thickness or firing. I am on my 3rd 1000# order of it. 

 

best,

Pres 

Thanks, it sounds like there’s nothing fussy about it. And my pottery clothes are already thoroughly stained!

[kswan]

I use a Laguna clay and bought a few hundred pounds supply about a month ago. I noticed that the quality is way lower than I've been accustomed to. It is very hard and I have had to wet it in the bag to be able to wedge it. There are also weird chunks of things in it that I can't identify, possibly small bits of wire, red and black hunks, large enough that they have ruined several of my pieces.  I often make extra lids for things and keep them on hand bone dry to get the best fit and I noticed that the clay from previous batches is a different color. 

[Roberta12]

23 hours ago, kswan said:

I use a Laguna clay and bought a few hundred pounds supply about a month ago. I noticed that the quality is way lower than I've been accustomed to. It is very hard and I have had to wet it in the bag to be able to wedge it. There are also weird chunks of things in it that I can't identify, possibly small bits of wire, red and black hunks, large enough that they have ruined several of my pieces.  I often make extra lids for things and keep them on hand bone dry to get the best fit and I noticed that the clay from previous batches is a different color. 

I wonder if it's a difference between west coast factory and east coast.  So far, I haven't noticed anything out of place with Laguna.  When I called the clay supply shop in Denver last week I asked about supply issues and they said they haven't run into problems at this point. They would be getting all their clay from City of Industry in California.  Hmmm interesting.  

 

[Mark C.]

Laguna makes clay at three locations-City of Industry (west coast) Ohio (east coast) and Florida -south coast

[Morgan]

Laguna has been out of frit 3134 for months now for what it’s worth.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

@Morgan

It could just be a shipping backlog at this point. Just copied this from the materials page on Digitalfire: 

“A USA pottery frit. A shortage in NA early 2021 led many companies to search for alternatives, Fusion Ceramics inherited some with their F-12. During the process of moving production from a facility in Washington, PA to a state-of-the-art factory in Villagran, Mexico they had to work through a variety of issues (such as Covid 19, raw material shortages, transportation issues and production problems), but they were in full production in April, 2021 (and catching up with back orders).”

Tony’s pretty good about posting any provenance he knows about. There’s also more information on possible substitutions on the page, if you need something to reformulate with in the meantime. 

https://digitalfire.com/material/ferro+frit+3134

 

[Mark C.]

Ferro(frit division) has been going thru  some changes now moving offshore

https://www.usglassmag.com/2019/01/ferro-cuts-240-jobs-in-u-s-expands-facility-in-mexico/

[Min]

Ferro is in the process of being bought out by Prince International. Looks like the acquisition will be firmed up in the first quarter of 2022.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-19/prince-is-said-in-talks-for-asset-sales-to-help-ferro-deal

I have no idea how this will impact the frits we use. Perhaps some hiccups with the transition, perhaps not. 

[Mark C.]

Just goes to show how long I have been in studio making pots as last I thought Prince was dead. Who knew he was buying up Ferro  and no wonder that frit is now turned to purple rain.

 

On a more level headed story I as a young potter have a ferro story. I was as a young potter who moved  to Northern Cal to go to school and hone my craft. On a visit to Long Beach in the middle 70s to my mother I called Ferro in Huntington Beach who at that time had a small office near a railhead . I bought some silicon crabide shelves directly from them. They traeted my very well and they had just ubnloaded some boxes of shelves to be distributed to so-cal clay dealers. Her I was a young ponytailed kid (19-20?) and they sold me my 1st 3/4x 12x 24 shelves which now 50 years later is still my standard  shelve size. Of course at cone 10 -11, I warped these into banana shapes pretty quickly ..  I recall this small office near the railroad tracks  very well. In justa few yaers Ferro was long gone from the west coast.

My next shelves where dry pressed really thick 1 inch and 1.5 inch shelves that a manufacture sent to me for free to test out as the floor  shelves to my car kiln . They also turned into banana shapes over time. I have a nack of turning sheleves into banana shapes-that was until I got all advancers they still are dead flat 25-30 years later

[oldlady]

just talked to highwater in florida asking if there was a delay in little loafers.  i can pug about 300 pounds that i have here and drag it down for the winter or wait and buy clay there.   looks like i am going to pug about 300 pounds of clay tonight.   or i can get put on the waiting list.   they are short 30,000 pounds of various clay, no truck this week so my name would go on the list.  i will pug clay.

[Mark C.]

Oldlady just change shoe size to meduim loafers those may be in stock

[oldlady]

gee, mark, i never associated little loafers with the shoes by that name.   loafer's glory is the name of the NC town on the Toe river and the name of the cone 10 formula clay.  little loafers is the cone 6 variety.     i  just read the facebook related to the town and saw how it got it's name.  even drove through it once.  it is deep in pottery country.  sounds a little like Mayberry.

[Denice]

I have started reorganizing and cleaning my studio,  I have found two five gallon buckets recycled  clay ready to use.   I have another 100lbs in bags and some more that can be recycled.   I think this will last me until spring,  hopefully manufacturing and shipping problems will be worked out by then.   Denice

[Marcia Selsor]

Recently went to Archie Bray. Their clay choices were reduced. Some completely sold out.

Marcia Selsor

 

[Allison LeBaron]

I have a ceramics studio with 60 students/members.  It is sad that I didn't hear about the clay shortage until I placed my  order in Dec. 2021.  Will covid complications finally take my business away.?  I have been doing okay for 2 years. But now I've rationed clay and we will pottery-starve in 2 months.  Highwater Florida said last weeks shipment was cancelled.  They were optimistic 2 weeks ago. Told me not to change my clay body to clay they had in stock. Now all that wrong temp clay is gone.  No kiln elements either. One broken kiln, one to go.  I thought about buying a new kiln.  Found Skutt makes the kilns to order.  Guess what, no elements for a new kiln.  Allison LeBaron

[Hulk]

Hi Allison,

I'm not seeing any notes regarding delays/shortages on Euclid's Elements sub page (Euclids.com) - you might try them for your elements; many posters here have recommended them for kiln elements.

Hope you are able to get some clay in that will work for your business.
Checking the three suppliers (here in CA) that I've used,
   The Bay Area one has five mid range stonewares out of stock; one of the two I've used is available.
   The LA basin one has two (of nineteen) mid range stonewares out of stock.
   The Sacramento area one has all eighteen of their mid range stonewares in stock.
As Sacramento is along the way to our son's house, I may never pay to ship clay again; that it doubles the price o' clay may be central to your dilemma ...and freezing weather?

 

[oldlady]

allison,   Robin Teas developed a very inexpensive, beautiful cone 6 red clay for her students who could not afford the usual one sold at the school bookstore.  it is strong, easy to work with and takes glazes well.   the recipe is very simple, i used to mix it in a local potter's cement mixer that he used to mix clay.  i do not know if highwater has the two ingredients, i called them today and am waiting for a callback.  

using dry ingredients, mix 50 pounds of Redart  and 50 pounds of XX saggar clay.  add water.    i used it immediately after mixing.   works well and at the time the cost was about $20 and with water was about 200 pounds of wet clay.

i am only about 3 miles from highwater, florida so if they have some, i could get it for you and hold it until you can get it.   these days, i am using a white clay.

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