SUMAS BRICKWORKS

it is difficult to describe the pleasure felt standing in
the middle of a plant making clay brick, tiles and pipe.
The smell of dry and wet clay; the taste of the purring
gas kilns; the sounds of crushers, conveyer belts,
extruders and fork lifts with pallets of warm bricks all
told of an experience that has gone on for hundreds of
generations.

We had made an impromptu visit to the Sumas Clay
Products plant, just east of Abbottsford and just off
Hwy. 1. It was Interesting to mote that this is a
business owned by and largely staffed by people of the
nearby reserve — Natives giving Natives work, piving
the reserve a 3% unemployment rate.

And, as anyone who works with clay knows, it ls hard
work. They make a wide variety of brick for the
building trade, We watehed their huge de-airing
extruders pugmill send out a steady stream of brick —

it comes out (with holes) for the mill; passes through
rollers that imprint the sides: past two men with paint
rollers who dip white or red slip onto the sides; stops
Tiomentanly at a magnificent wire cutterthat cuts 17
bricks with one/ quarter revolution; and moves along
to six men who carefully stack two pallets so that air
moves freely between the fresh products.

These pallets are forklifted away to large drying roams
— next to sewer pipe or chimney Due or 6" tile. They
gel their clay from up the mountain and put tt through
a couple of powerful crushers, adding brick grog asthe
product varies and demands.

They have eight ancient beehive kilns — two or three
were in various stages of firing (cither pre-heating or
going full bore). It's a beautiful scene, One kiln was
being stacked with brick — by three or four men
carefully, but with a steady speed, were inside the kiln

brick from the pallet, And two Idins were being
unloaded with still-warm brick ranging in color from
brown to red to black. Each individual color had
subtle variations depending on where they say in the
kiln.

At the back of the yard, behind the kilns and produc-
tion areas sat a somewhat surprising device, It looked
like a 20 long barrel on a tilt, with steel ribs running
the full length. This is where they tumbled new bricks
to take off the sharp edges to make them look lke the
old bricks that people who don't like anything new like
to use, I loved itl

So next time you're driving east, give a little salute to
the clay workers at Sumas Clay Products — we're all
working with the same stull and most of us aren't

working as hard as they. - Bob Eingsmill

Pecifie Bestera Ceramic jac

eg Baka-$6.3@ (reg. $10.50){ limit 1 bag per customer)

*"Now In SMES -SESTILE PSTIERY CL@TS...Avallable from 25 to
2000 ibs and up: e.g. Raku- $425 per ton, Porcelains-Kenzan- $5285 par ton
We now have a good selection of these quality SPS clays in stock!
Call or drop in for price list. Casting Slips, Raw materials and all
other SPS supplies are available on an order basis

***ie STOCK-Med-MeriMetallics and lusters) ***Barrisap Bell......
The mfg with 200 yrs experience, their complete line of fired ® non
fired preducts including Aristocoats (nee Hanovia) overglazes.***Bell

Cepes.
pe: i --. We are distributors for this quality kiln line
Pattergeraft supplies are available on an order basis.

*** WABBISGN BFii-lur sew full colour book on the complete
quality line of Harrison Bell products Is now available free. Also
Harrisons Bells 42 page product manuel is available @ a 50% savings [it
includes cone 6 results of firings of our low fire glazes).

"2-I211) 86 AVE.. SURREY BC

(604) 594-9955

Hours-Mon-Fri 6:50 to 4:30; Saturdays 10 to 3