hyalyn porcelain, inc.
© 2004. by Michael E. Pratt
In the favorable climes of North Carolina, near the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Piedmont Plateau, rests Hickory, former home to Hyalyn Porcelain, Inc.* To the florist trade, Hyalyn was known for its finest-quality porcelain vases, bowls, and planters used for flower arrangements. Department, gift, and specialty stores carried Hyalyn's exceptional artware and tabletop accessories, including dinnerware and decorative accessories. Some Hyalyn lines were created by nationally famous, award-winning designers like Eva Zeisel, Erwin Kalla, and Michael Lax and these lines, in particular, are becoming highly prized among a number of mid-century modern collectors.
If you have heard of Hyalyn before, it is likely that you are most aware of the bevy of both modern and traditional ash trays and smoking accessories, lamp bases, tiles, coasters, compotes, planters, salt & peppers, mugs, trivets, and decorative plates-simply because these can be found in rather large volume. Hyalyn product is seemingly ubiquitous, undoubtedly a tribute to the company's success and shipments to all 50 states, Canada, Puerto Rico, and some South American countries.
The pottery was originally founded and incorporated in July 1945 by H. Leslie Moody. It took only six weeks after an initial stock offering, that the issue was fully subscribed. The first shareholder meeting was held September 12th, 1945 and by November 10th, construction was contracted for a building on six acres having frontage on Lenoir Road and adjacent to the Carolina and Northwestern Railway. The 28,000 square foot Hyalyn pottery was completed by the end of 1946, with all machinery and equipment installed and the tunnel kiln operational.
The company began by filling orders for lamp bases. Companies ordering the lamp bases were pleased with the high quality of the Hyalyn product and its competitive pricing. During this early period, a high quality line of porcelain holders for flower arranging was developed and called the Garden Club Line. This same line would continue to be a mainstay for the firm for decades. By spring 1947, Hyalyn offered its first line of artware, believed to have been designed by Moody and possibly his wife, Frances, both skilled sculptors.
Moody is said to have traveled to Piedmont area of North Carolina in the 1930s, falling in love with the temperate climate, beautiful setting, and friendly people. His decision to locate the company in North Carolina, was not only based on these factors, but also on its proximity to some of the finest raw materials used in ceramic manufacture. Additionally, Hickory had a readily available local labor force and the local chamber of commerce was anxious to encourage new ceramic industry.
From the beginning, Moody was concerned with producing only the highest quality ceramics. In fact, product integrity was so important that it was emphasized during each stage of production. Extensive glaze and ceramic research kept Hyalyn product on the industry's cutting edge while quality control inspections insured only the finest product reached market. After a slow first year, Hyalyn soon began to flourish, necessitating frequent facility expansion. By 1950, the company had nearly doubled in size, at 50,000 square feet. Fifteen years later, the pottery boasted 60,000 square feet.
During the early 1950s, permanent showrooms were maintained in New York (Walter Crowell Co., 225 Fifth Avenue), Chicago (Harry A. Neville Co., Merchandise Mart), Dallas (Thomas & Moore, 322 Santa Fe Building), and Los Angeles (Pryor & Co., Brack Shops). Over the years, showrooms, distributors, and representatives would change. One particularly important association was with one distributor of modern goods known to consumers as Raymor (Richards Morgenthau Co.) Some of Hyalyn's best mid-century modern lines were distributed by Raymor including: Casual Craft, Raymor Capri, Basketry, Large Planter Pots, and High Fashion).
By 1952, Hyalyn was known to the trade as "America's Finest Porcelain." (In 1957, the firm embarked on marketing the Hyalyn brand name to consumers through various shelter and household magazines.) The term, porcelain, as used by the Hyalyn, indicated that only the best clays were utilized and after formulation, these were high-fired to make a white, highly-durable, vitreous product. Porcelain is the "finest species of pottery," one company catalog remarked. By means of selecting the finest clays and high firing, the final clay product was made extremely hard and durable, and depending on thickness, in some cases translucent (the word hyaline means translucent).
According to an official company history, the manufacturing process begins with the most important step--design. As mentioned previously, early Hyalyn designing was done by H. Leslie Moody, the company founder and manager (from 1945-1973) and his wife Frances. Over the years, many respected designers created wares for Hyalyn including Charles Leslie Fordyce (Free Form, Golden Bars; <1951), Erwin Kalla (Casual Craft, c.1953; mark: K-), Michael Lax (Raymor Capri, 1953; mark: L-), Peerless Arts/Peerless Art Company (Esta Huttner Brody, owner-designer; Basketry, c.1953; mark: P-), Herb Cohen (Portfolio, Hanging Planters; 1957), Georges Briard (Midas, 1961; mark: B- or PB-), Frances Johnson Moody (Sculpture, <1962), Eva Zeisel (High Fashion, 1964; mark: Z-). By 1963, it has been reported that many designs were created by a commercial design firm, Mitchell & Pyron.
Hyalyn's Manufacturing Process
The process of introducing a new design at Hyalyn would begin with creatives sketching many new concepts. These ideas would then be discussed with H. Leslie Moody before any production decisions were made. A working model was then made-to-scale by a modeler in clay or plaster. Sometimes, new designs were fleshed out on a potter's wheel. Drawings were then created in the mold shop. The next step involved the production of a plaster model, slightly larger than the actual size, to allow for clay shrinkage.
In 1953, Hyalyn remarked that its product was compounded from six select clays, each from a different geographical region in the United States and Canada. By the company's own admission, the clay formula was a "jealously guarded" secret. A decade later, the company stated that the current Hyalyn ceramic body consisted of two kaolins, the primary being from North Carolina and the secondary one coming from South Carolina. One ball clay originated in Western Tennessee and another in Western Kentucky. Both were said to be used together for balance. Flint or silica was brought in from Western Maryland and feldspar from North Carolina's mountains. A small amount of talc was used and came from New York State.
All Hyalyn product is believed to have been cast in molds from slip. Hyalyn described the process of making slip, noting that clay was carefully measured and then introduced into large ball mills with water and deflocculants. The material was ground for nearly four hours. This clay slurry, "slip," was then sent to the lab for testing its specific gravity, viscosity, and cast rate. These properties had to be within certain standards prior to running the material through a magnetic filter (to remove iron impurities) and into storage agitators. Slip was aged and enough was kept in storage for several weeks' worth of production.
The slip then passed through a pipe into the casting shop where it was poured into molds. Plaster molds, being dry, absorb moisture, creating a build-up of clay on its surface. After a period of time has elapsed, excess clay is poured off into a trough that recirculated it into the slip pipeline. Many items at Hyalyn were solid cast, where the mold formed both sides of the object.
The Hyalyn casting shop doubled as the drying room. Ware, once removed from molds, was stored on shelves overnight when the temperature was permitted to rise to 100°F, driving moisture from the ware and molds. The molds, once dry, could be reused. About 5,000 pounds of water were evaporated daily in the casting department during the 1960s.
Partially dried ware was placed on movable racks and moved to the finishing department where mold seams were removed and clay was smoothed with damp sponges. Each item was inspected both before and after finishing.
Items were then reracked and moved to the glazing department where matte, gloss, or textured finishes were applied, often by spraying. Ceramic glazes were carefully formulated so that the glaze possessed the same co-efficient of expansion as the clay body. This helped prevent crazing, which is caused by different rates of expansion or shrinkage in the glaze versus clay. Porcelain colors were manufactured from metallic oxides and typically matured in temperatures of 2100°F-2200°F. Test firings ensured that batch colors and textures were uniform. Glaze spraying was accomplished in booths in which dust was filtered and washed from the air, promoting operator safety. In Hyalyn's true porcelains, the body and colored glazes were fired together.
The plant operated on a 5-day production week, which ensured that kilns were filled to capacity 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Hyalyn's tunnel kilns were 70 feet long. Ware was placed on shelves in cars and carefully spaced to maximize capacity. Each hour, one car would enter the kiln while another would leave. A pusher kept the train of 15 cars moving, which extended from one cool end of the building into the heat zone, and then back into a cooling zone. Lower fire, electrical kilns were used to produce more vibrant reds, gold and some other brilliant colors. Hyalyn had three kilns for this purpose in 1963. Decaled ware also necessitated lower firing temperatures.
Over-glaze decorating was accomplished by several processes in the decorating studio. Some decorations were printed in ceramic metal oxides. Another process involved hand-painted bands of color. After such decorating, wares had to be fired again at low temperature.
After decoration and firing, ware was stored in a zone, awaiting final inspection. Each piece was examined carefully and individually for quality. Flawed items either were rejected or corrected. Ceramic bottoms were ground on a horizontal disc grinder to permit each item to sit level. After grinding, items were moved to another storage area where they were packed and shipped.
H. Leslie Moody, Hyalyn Founder & General Manager
The company was organized and founded by H. Leslie Moody (1908-1973) who originally hailed from Zanesville, Ohio. Moody attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology and Ohio State University from 1926-1931, obtaining a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramic Arts. One account from a local newspaper states that he also taught ceramics at Ohio State University. Moody was a member of Tau Sigma Delta, a fine arts honorary fraternity. He became a member of the Design Division of the American Ceramic Society in 1929.
After graduation, Moody worked as an engineer-designer for Lovefield Potteries in Dallas, Texas; by 1933, he became involved in sales at the same pottery. In 1934, Moody worked as a production manager of the Artware Division of Abingdon Potteries (Abingdon, Illinois). Over a period of about nine years, he became both division manager and a designer at the pottery.
By 1942, Moody had designs on starting his own pottery, but fuel restrictions associated with America's involvement in World War II prevented him from carrying out any new pottery construction plans. In the interim, he moved to Texas in 1942, to manage the San Jose Potteries (San Antonio). By the following year, he returned to his home state to manage the famed Rookwood Potteries (Cincinnati, Ohio). Moody worked at Rookwood until the close of the war in 1945. He established Hyalyn Porcelain, Inc. that same year.
Over the years, Moody authored numerous articles in Ceramic Industry, Ceramic Age, and other publications related to glazes, design, and management. One of his notable innovations in the ceramic industry involved the use of vacuum packaging with shrink polyethylene, significant for minimizing breakage and weight reduction. The process eliminated the need for straw and other bulky packing materials and lowered costs.
H. Leslie Moody was appointed Secretary of the Design Division of the American Ceramic Society in 1959-1960, Vice-Chairman in 1960-1961 and Chairman in 1961-1962. In 1963, he was nominated and elected a Fellow of the American Ceramic Society for his outstanding contributions to the field of ceramic arts and sciences.
Latter Company History
Hyalyn company officers in 1963 included: L. P. Frans, President; Carl V. Cline, Vice President; H. Leslie Moody, Secretary-Treasurer and General Manager. Frans had served as president of Hyalyn since the very beginning in 1945, while Moody had been its General Manager.
In 1965, Moody succeeded Frans as president of the company. During this same year, the corporation had 114 shareholders, with 93.4 percent of the company owned locally in Catawba county.
Sometime near the early 1970s, the formulation of the Hyalyn body was switched from porcelain to earthenware. This was done to accomodate orders for larger lamp bases and to remain competitive with foreign manufacturers.
Moody had been in ill health during the early 1970s. By November, 1973, Moody announced that at a November 21st shareholders meeting, a proposal would be considered for the sale of the company to one of its largest customers, Hamilton-Cosco. Moody died November 16th, prior to that meeting. Despite the founder and president's death, the sale of the firm was approved by shareholders and the firm became a division of Hamilton-Cosco Industries and incorporated as Hyalyn-Cosco, Inc. Hamilton-Cosco Industries was owned by Tyndale Inc. of New York City, moving ownership of the company outside North Carolina. The Hamilton-Cosco name was later changed to Cosco.
In 1977, Robert E. "Bob" Warmuth purchased the company, bringing ownership of Hyalyn back to Hickory. He assumed the role of president and general manager. Warmuth had been a staff engineer with Hamilton-Cosco prior to his assignment as Hyalyn manager in 1973. The firm's name was changed to Hyalyn, Ltd. in 1977. At this time, the firm had 55 employees. The company continued to produce product as Hylayn, Ltd. until 1989, when the factory was sold to Vanguard Studios. Hyalyn, Ltd. continues today as a company involved, not in the production, but the sale and distribution of lamps.
Examining two Hyalyn catalogs from the mid to late 1970s, reveals product had become strongly traditional in styling, decorated with a preponderance of floral decalcomania. During the period post-Moody, mid-century modern design & styling at Hyalyn disappeared in favor of traditional styling.
Modern hyalyn Lines**
Garden Club Line, 1946-1973
Freeform, <1951
Golden Bars, <1951
Casual Craft, c. 1953 (mark: K-)
Raymor Capri, 1953 (mark: L-)
Basketry, c.1953 (mark: P-)
Contour, 1953
Informal Service & Luncheon Set, 1953
Pebble Grain Finish, 1953
Portfolio, 1957
Hanging Planters, 1957
Large Planter Pots, 1961
Midas, <1961 (mark: B-)
Patio Planters, 1962 (A-)
Contrast, 1962
Sculpture, <1962
Fiesta, 1963
Fantasia, 1963 (mark: F-)
Shibui, 1963 (mark: T-)
High Fashion, 1964 (mark: Z-)
Rachel Carr Collection, 1967 (mark: RC-)
Sources & Resources
Wisconsin Pottery Association's article on Hyalyn Porcelain.
Hyalyn catalogs/price lists from 1953, 1961-1965, 1967-1969, 1976, 1978
Raymor Catalogs for Large Planter Pots, Basketry, Casual Craft, Midas, Raymor Capri
Magazines & newspapers: Hickory Daily Record. The Hickory News. Crockery & Glass Journal. Giftwares, Ceramic Industry.
Hickory Public Library (North Carolina).
Correspondence and/or interviews with Erwin Kalla, Michael Lax, Robert Warmuth, and Philip Stetson
American Ceramic Society Library
*The official logotype for the company was spelled in lower case letters during Moody's tenure at the company. In one official history by the company, Hyalyn used normal capitalization when referring to itself. Therefore, Hyalyn Porcelain is capitalized in this article. One further note, the Hyalyn firm that succeeded Hyalyn Porcelain in 1973, adopted a capitalized logotype on company catalogs.
**not an inclusive listing
