Table of Contents
How is raku pottery made?
Raku is a Japanese style of pottery first made during the 1580s; the practice is characterised by the removal of a clay object from the kiln at the height of the firing and causing it to cool very rapidly. Originally created for the tea ceremony, Raku ware is most commonly found in the form of tea bowls.
What kind of clay is used for raku pottery?
Most of the time, stoneware is the clay of choice for raku pottery. However, it is much more likely to survive the raku process if it has additional materials to prevent it from cracking. Grog can be added to clay bodies to make them more resilient.
What are the steps of raku?
The Process: Raku Step 1: Wedging the clay. Wedging mixes the clay and pushes out any air bubbles. Step 2: Hand building. Step 3: Bisque Firing. Step 4: Raku Glazing. Step 5: Glaze Firing. Step 6: Reduction. Step 7: Submersion. Step 8: Washing.
What is special about raku clay?
Raku clay has typically high thermal shock resistance and low shrinkage. Another important factor in the creation of your raku firing is choosing the right type of glaze, a glaze whose properties react in the best way in a raku firing.
Where is raku pottery made?
The Raku pottery tradition originated in Japan in the 16th century. In its original Japanese form raku pottery was typically hand-built and used to make tea bowls. These are small semi-porous drinking vessels used in a Japanese tea ceremony.
Is raku pottery safe for food?
May I use your Raku ceramics to eat and/or drink? Yes, you may. Unlike traditional Raku ceramics, we use only food-safe glazes without lead or other metals. Don’t use for store salt or salty wather for a long period, it can damage the glaze.
Can I use a normal kiln for raku?
EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS. Potentially any kiln could be used for Raku, as it’s really the post-firing reduction that makes it happen.
What is raku clay made of?
Western raku is typically made from a stoneware clay body, bisque fired at 900 °C (1,650 °F) and glost or glaze fired (the final firing) between 800–1,000 °C (1,470–1,830 °F), which falls into the cone 06 firing temperature range.
What is white raku?
White Raku Clay is versatile clay which can also be fired to stoneware temperature. It’s manufactured with a large content of fine grog, which allows for excellent plasticity and burnishing. Widely used for a multitude of different applications such as coiling, hand building and slab work.
What is Western Raku?
Western Raku is a type of low-firing process that was inspired by traditional Japanese Raku firing process that dates back to the 16th Century. Western-style Raku usually involves removing pottery from the kiln while at bright red heat and placing it into containers with combustible materials.
What should I wear to Raku fire?
Always wear long pants and closed-toe shoes. A face shield and hat are also required. In addition to the obvious danger of the heat of the open kiln, you also need to be protected if a piece decides to crack or pop apart and a hot shard goes flying.
How long do you fire Raku pottery?
Raku ceramics are loaded into a cold kiln, and the kiln is heated rapidly. Sometimes the cycles in which the pieces are fired are very short, as little as 15 to 20 minutes in cases, differing vastly to traditional firing cycles of around 10 hours.
Can you Biscuit fire in a raku kiln?
Bisque Firing in a Raku Kiln It is possible to bisque fire in a raku kiln. However, if you do, you will need the temperature in the kiln to ramp up much more slowly. If you heat the greenware up too quickly it will explode.
Who invented raku?
raku ware, Japanese hand-molded lead-glazed earthenware, originally invented in 16th-century Kyōto by the potter Chōjirō, who was commissioned by Zen tea master Sen Rikyū to design wares expressly for the tea ceremony.
Is raku pottery waterproof?
Some potters say the answer is basically no, you can’t make raku waterproof. The argument is that raku can be coated with various things that make it temporarily waterproof. However, with time the pottery will suffer from continual seepage and will eventually disintegrate.
How are traditional Raku tea bowls made?
Raku chawan tea bowls are molded using the tezukune technique, with the palms of the hand: clay is shaped into a dense, flat circle and built up by compressing between the palms. When dry enough, the rough and imperfect clay is trimmed with an iron or bamboo scraper and covered with an opaque glaze.
How do you care for raku pottery?
General guidelines about how to clean raku are to wet the pottery then sprinkle some cleaner on generously. Then using a nail brush, green abrasive cleaning pad, or toothbrush, simply scrub away the soot and debris.
Can you put plants in raku pots?
Raku is a style of Japanese pottery that is used in tea ceremonies. Raku fired Cachepots are a decorative planter for a pre-planted orchid, decorative plant, or artificial flower arrangement.
Can raku clay be fired to cone 6?
RAKU FIRING – These Spectrum glazes can be fired anywhere from 1600 F up to cone 06 (1850 F) in either an electric or gas kiln.
How do I make a raku kiln?
How to Make a Raku Kiln Drilling. Cutting your Burner Port and Ventilation Hole. Drilling a Hole for Your Thermocouple. Cutting Your Ceramic Fiber. Place the ceramic fiber in the base of the can. Lining Your Trash Can. Securing the Ceramic Fiber. Cutting Off the Excess Fiber and Aligning the Edges.
What Cone is Raku?
Most raku is done in the cone 010–06 range. Begin by choosing glazes that both appeal to you in color and that fire in your range.
What type of clay is white raku?
Feeneys White Raku | Earthenware-Stoneware Clay | Feeneys White Raku from Pottery Supplies Online | Pottery Supplies Online.
What kind of clay is used for pit firing?
You don’t need to use micaceous clay, but use a clay which is resistant to thermal shock such as raku clay, groggy stoneware, or paperclay.
