week 27 - Raku results

During our class Raku day I was on shavings and kiln minding duty, so I didn't take any photos. But look at the exciting results from what we fired!!

These buttons are also test tiles - I tested most of the glazes we had. Isn't the vermillion one amazing?? We only had the tiniest amount left because it is a professionally mixed glaze. I think I am going to have to buy some for next year! I might be able to use the buttons on cushions or bags or something. The metallic ones are amazing too, most of those coppery ones were torquoise coloured glazes. They all have a faint leaf print rolled on them.



One of my leaves broke before it was bisque fired so I used it as test tiles for some other kinds of glaze (what didn't go on the buttons). The left side is some persian glaze and also a mossy green one that is unusual. The right side is 3 different kinds of white glaze.



Check out that white crackle!! so cool!!


Unfortunately only 1 of my two leaves made it into the kiln. (We just had so much to fire and all my work was large, so I had to choose!) The left side is bare, so it just went black from the carbon/reduction atmosphere. The crackles on the white side would have been more prominent if I had put the glaze on thicker.





Continuing with the black and white theme - Here is one of my two sided bottles. Unfortunately the other one I made did not survive the kiln, it fell to to pieces! But this one is very cool. Graphic. It didn't turn out how I intended, but I still like it.







One patchwork bowl made it in - I just slapped a mixture of glaze on it to see what would happen - it is very 'Raku' looking! I love it! I have saved my second one and will fire it in the normal kiln with a transparent blue glaze. I will have to make more of these next year also.

week 26 - Fire!

My pottery friend Gill was kind enough to give me a bit of a Raku training while we did a small firing for the Egyptian paste beads.

Here is the setup: Kiln, empty trash can (so you have something to rest the lid on, it gets very hot), propane canister, containers with sawdust, wet towels and water, danger signs!


The top of the kiln, you look in there to see if the pots look 'glossy', when they are, they have reached the right temperature. (this is all very approximate!)


Metal containers with shavings - the shavings will start to burn when we put the hot objects inside, this will burn up all the oxygen and create the 'reduction'.


Rack of beads to go in the kiln - last week these were coloured, now they are covered in a crystalline 'hair' which will become the glaze when they are fired.


We load the kiln and turn the gas on - flames! HOT! The burner is really loud.


We put the beads in the metal containers and then covered them and draped in wet towels. This helps to keep the smoke down. The smoke is dangerous - it can explode so you have to be careful.


These are the beads - now we have to wash and scrub the soot off!


I was really happy to have the opportunity to do this - it also means when we have the Raku firing for the class, I can help. There is a lot to do quickly once things come out of the kiln!