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Wendt Pottery Helmer Page 2009
1-208-746-3724 fax 1-208-746-6968 e-mail wendtpot@lewiston.com
Easy to throw and strong. Large pots can be made with Helmer in place of ball clay. Mixed , deaired cone 10-12 porcelain is currently available at my studio in Lewiston for $0.25/ lb in 19 lb pugs. Our mixing train is all stainless steel and is used only for this clay body so there is no chance of contamination from a low fire clay or grit from a stoneware. The airfloat used to make the body comes from the dust collector on our roll mill and is screened to remove light weight contaminants like feathers and leaves prior to mixing.
A new service offers direct mail shipment anywhere in the 48 states, Alaska or Hawaii of 38 lbs of deaired Helmer based porcelain for $19.35 per box (yes, that's the total price...($9.50 for the clay plus $9.85 for shipping). This is a true Helmer body good for oxidation, reduction and especially for wood fire since it flashes the characteristic orange. I have also fired this body to cone 11 and even on occasion, 12. For long duration firings, it would be a good idea to test a few pieces prior to committing to full scale use.
Helmer Kaolin (a white sedimentary clay replacement for Avery in pottery) Free samples (1000 g) are supplied upon receipt of the cost of shipping only, limit one request per address. Additional amounts now available for $10.00 for 20 lbs of 10 mesh dry Helmer shipped anywhere in the 48 states, Alaska or Hawaii.
1.Chemical Analysis ( XRF by ALS CHEMEX http://www.alschemex.com)
SiO2 Al2O3 Fe2O3 CaO MgO K2O Na2O TiO2 LOI (loss on ignition) Total
47 36 1.3 0.48 0.26 0.53 0.08 1.13 13.22 100.00
2. Typical Screen Analysis* (as performed on a Ro Tap multilevel screen)
Screen mesh sizes 20 80 150 pan total
range of size +20 -20 + 80 -80 + 150 -150
fraction % 0.5% 17% 28% 54.5% 100%
*Milling efficiency varies with the dryness of the clay, the relative humidity and the ambient air temperature. This analysis was done on air dried clay (approximately 7-8% residual moisture) at 50% relative humidity and an air temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit in the same hammermill we use to process all the clay for sale. Screen mesh is 8 mesh. This is for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of grind properties. Wet processing shows that nearly 99% of the clay will pass through a 325 mesh screen when fully dispersed in water.
3. Description of deposit and mining method
Helmer clay is sedimentary in origin. This block covers 600 acres and is accurately bore holed on 50 foot centers. This one lens contains 1.6 million tons of the clay with the listed composition. It is situated at the far end of an ancient dry lake bed which constitutes much of the white clay in the Helmer-Bovill region of Idaho. Clays nearer to Bovill are higher in silica and feldspar and are coarser grained. Those at the Helmer end are very fine grained and almost devoid of fluxes or free silica. The dark color seen in the dry clay is organic matter. Fired color is white with an iron blush coming from the colloidal iron found in the clay. For porcelain use, we have found that the clay can be made into a thin slurry with water (no deflocculents) and passed over powerful magnets repeatedly until no more iron is noted. This removes the iron staining and makes a much whiter fired color in the porcelain.
The clay is mined in July and August each year. Overburden is stripped off the top of the clay and set aside. The clay is mined along a vertical face to a depth 6 inches above where the sand deposit is. The clay is spread on the cleaned area and plowed repeatedly to air dry it to about 10-12% moisture. It is then hauled to Lewiston, Idaho where we finish drying it to the 7-8% moisture level. Because it is surrounded by forest lands, we routinely see leaves, wood, grass and some rocks in the clay which are introduced after the clay is mined. A new dust collector on the roll mill has totally eliminated all tramp in the downline grind circuit. This is the most tramp free Helmer has ever been and we are very pleased to have spent the money on the added equipment. For those with the equipment, fluid processing can remove all the unwanted fine organics on your end very easily and this helps keep your cost low. You can specify a 20 mesh screen run if you let us have some lead time at no additional cost. Later this year, we are adding a Universal Mill which can grind to 325 mesh so if you want airfloat, it will soon be available as needed.
4. Packaging
We now offer multiple packaging levels. You can order Helmer in 1, 5, 10, 25 and 50 lb bags. We also ship 1 ton bulk boxed and lidded Helmer on a pallet for customers who want to avoid the disposal of multiwall kraft bags. This option is especially good for resellers who repackage Helmer for resale in smaller quantities.
5. Purchase Terms
Current price is as listed below:
quantity 1 5 10 25 50 500 1000 1 ton 3 tons >3 tons
30 mesh 1.50 2.50 3.50 6.00 10.00 90.00 175.00 300.00 850.00 280.00/ton
air float* 2.50 3.50 4.50 9.00 15.00 120.00 260.00 400.00
Now available in limited amounts!
*Air float is the dust collector fraction and as such represents about 5% of the total capacity. For this reason, large quantities are not available. Air float is best suited for applications where fluid slipping and wet screening are inconvenient or impossible and large quantities are not needed such as in glaze production.
Schools and Universities may use purchase orders. All other purchases are cash, check or bank card except for well rated resellers who qualify for net 30 day terms. Always call ahead to assure that the clay will be ready when you need it. We only mine 500 tons per year and once it is gone, there is no more until the next mining season, so plan ahead.
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