Dorkin' Out

Being in Pittsburgh, PA for the past week, I took a short 1 hr. trip to The Homer Laughlin pottery factory in Newell, WV to take a tour.
Homer Laughlin is best known for Fiesta Ware but they also produce restaurant ware. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to take photos on the tour. The tour was nothing short of fascinating. I saw slip casting, a robotic slip-injection cast system, ram pressing and a very sophisticated form of jigger-jollying. I also watched glazing and workers do over glaze decoration including silk screening on wares and decal application. The main conveyor belt kiln fires green-glazed wares in about 10 hrs.

We also got to see the Ceramics Museum across the Ohio River in East Liverpool, OH. In the 1850's this area produced over 40% of pottery in America. Yellow ware was made from local clay. Ironstone and Lotus ware was also produced in the same popular styles being produced in England at the time.

Only few of the old bottle-shaped kilns can still be seen in the area. Wares were stacked in saggers and saggers were stacked 10-12' high inside the kilns.

The area was once a pottery boom town with over a dozen pottery factories. Today just a few remain. I highly recommend visiting Hall China or Homer Laughlin if you get the chance. The technology used to produce commercial ware today is truly amazing.