Slate Industry Update

Cupa 10 & 50 Tour

John Chan recently visited Cupa’s underground slate mine, and it felt like stepping into a sci-fi movie—except this is the real process of extracting slate from within a mountain, unlike the open quarries we are accustomed to the US. This visit was at Cupa 50 and it was an incredible experience, with some great photos and videos to show from the trip.

The 2nd part of the trip was to Cupa 10—the single largest slate quarry globally. Cupa operates 24 quarries. Remarkably, this one quarry alone produces roughly three to four times the total output of all slate quarries in the United States combined.

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*Slideshow*

Punching Slate and Antique Tool

Here are a few neat videos from NSA board member Clay Heald about punching slate and an antique tool he came across.

Rusty Wallace Uses “Slate” on Home (except it’s not slate)

Article Link

These types of articles are where a lot of confusion about “slate” gain momentum. This has been a sticking point for years internally within the associations and how to combat the misuse of the term slate. It’s been said endlessly, that by definition, slate is a metamorphic rock. If it’s plastic, it can’t be called slate.

The good news is that the NSA and SRCA are going to move forward with an effort to take back the use of the term. Updates will follow.