[Clayart] Top 3 fun glaze materials to say

[Skrej Bulgar via Clayart]

Just a silly topic for fun, inspired by some late-night sorting through
glaze materials mixing test glazes yesterday:

What are your top 3 favorite glaze materials to say aloud? Based purely on
how fun they are to utter - no other considerations. Why?

I'm going to go with (not necessarily in order):

spodumene - can't help thinking potatoes are somehow involved
wollastonite - sounds best with Elmer Fudd or Arnold Schwarzenegger accent
ilmenite - has a delightfully sinister ring to it. Surely beloved by the
Illuminati

runner-up: pyrophyllite ( hehehe --fire, fire)

Anyone else care to share some faves?

-Bill
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[farmpots--- via Clayart]

On 2025-08-28 12:43, Skrej Bulgar via Clayart wrote:
> Just a silly topic for fun, inspired by some late-night sorting through
> glaze materials mixing test glazes yesterday:
>
> What are your top 3 favorite glaze materials to say aloud? Based
> purely on
> how fun they are to utter - no other considerations. Why?
>

My favorites are "Gerstley Borate" and "Twenty Mule Team Borax"
(yes, I have a box in the studio and use it from time to time).
This stems from my visit to Boron California about 20 years ago.
There is a boron museum downtown, at the intersection of Boron
Avenue (the main street) and Twenty Mule Team Street.
Ha ha. I bought a chunk of raw boron rock at the museum!

I also like "Old Mine Number Four" since I visited the source
about 50 years ago. Yes, you could go look at the mining
operation in those days.

David Hendley
da...@farmpots.com

[David Woof via Clayart]

David H,
Yes "O M number Four" rolls of the English tongue as a poem in itself for us who know..

Good to hear your "Clayart Voice" as well.

Misneach,

David Woof...................................................................................................................................
*******************************************************************************************
________________________________
From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> on behalf of farmpots--- via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2025 8:23 PM
To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Cc: farm...@eastex.net <farm...@eastex.net>
Subject: Re: [Clayart] Top 3 fun glaze materials to say

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[Dragonbelly Ceramics via Clayart]

Nephelene Syenite

Sounds like a new Batman super villain.

www.ljcbluemuse.blogspot.com
www.ljcohen.net

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[ronroy--- via Clayart]

Neph Sy helps me go to sleep!

RR

Ron Roy
ron...@ca.inter.net
Web page ronroy.net

[Paul Randall via Clayart]

Ron,
Neph Sy!!!!!!
Paul
________________________________
From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> on behalf of ronroy--- via Clayart <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2025 10:18 AM

To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum <cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>

Cc: ron...@ca.inter.net <ron...@ca.inter.net>; Skrej Bulgar <skre...@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: [Clayart] Top 3 fun glaze materials to say

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[Skrej Bulgar via Clayart]

You know,, everyone raves about the late 80's Neph Sy varietals, but I've
found some of the more recent vintages from just after the turn of the
century up to about 2011 to be quite drinkable at a much more resonable
price point.

URL: <https://lists.clayartforum.com/pipermail/clayart/attachments/20250829/c7ee7a7c/attachment.htm>

[Vince Pitelka via Clayart]

Hi David -
Your mention of Boron, California brought back a treasured memory. During
spring quarter break In 1967 and 1968, I participated in the Merritt College
(Oakland) Earth Science Department trips to the Mojave Desert, where we
explored what is now the Mojave National Preserve. We went through a couple
of wonderfully oddball desert town. One was Boron on old Route 66. At the
time, there was a big sign saying "WELCOME TO BORON, CALIFORNIA, HOME OF
U.S. BORAX." Even then Boron was a little shithole town, with a post
office, a gas station, several stores, a school, and a lot of funky
residences and windblown debris. In the middle of the town, a paved road
turned off on the left with a big sign pointing north saying "U.S. BORAX
CORPORATION." A little farther to the east was another big sign, saying,
"YOU ARE NOW LEAVING BORON, CALIFORNIA." By far the most substantial
structures in the whole town were those three signs.

The other town, farther west in the Tehachapi Valley, was Monolith,
California, home of the Portland Cement Company (inspiration for the John
Fahey guitar instrumental "Portland Cement Company at Monolith,
California"). The entire factory town was covered with gray dust. The
cement plant is still there and upgraded, but the town has completely
vanished. The plant was originally built by the City of Los Angeles to
supply cement for the building of the Los Angeles Aqueduct that took all the
water from the Owens Valley.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Potter, Writer, Teacher
Chapel Hill, NC
vincep...@gmail.com
www.vincepitelka.com
https://chathamartistsguild.org/

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> On Behalf Of
farmpots--- via Clayart
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2025 10:24 PM
To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum
<cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Cc: farm...@eastex.net
Subject: Re: [Clayart] Top 3 fun glaze materials to say

[Terry Lazaroff via Clayart]

Wow! Great story, Vince. When you mentioned Boron and the home of U.S. Borax, I thought of the television program, "Twenty Mule Team Death Valley Days".

Terry

www.vincepitelka.com<http://www.vincepitelka.com>

https://chathamartistsguild.org/

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart <clayart...@lists.clayartforum.com> On Behalf Of
farmpots--- via Clayart
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2025 10:24 PM
To: Clayart international pottery discussion forum
<cla...@lists.clayartforum.com>
Cc: farm...@eastex.net
Subject: Re: [Clayart] Top 3 fun glaze materials to say

On 2025-08-28 12:43, Skrej Bulgar via Clayart wrote:
> Just a silly topic for fun, inspired by some late-night sorting
> through glaze materials mixing test glazes yesterday:
>
> What are your top 3 favorite glaze materials to say aloud? Based
> purely on how fun they are to utter - no other considerations. Why?
>

My favorites are "Gerstley Borate" and "Twenty Mule Team Borax"
(yes, I have a box in the studio and use it from time to time).
This stems from my visit to Boron California about 20 years ago.
There is a boron museum downtown, at the intersection of Boron Avenue (the
main street) and Twenty Mule Team Street.
Ha ha. I bought a chunk of raw boron rock at the museum!

I also like "Old Mine Number Four" since I visited the source about 50 years
ago. Yes, you could go look at the mining operation in those days.

David Hendley
da...@farmpots.com

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