Raku

Raku is an ancient Japanese ceramic glaze firing process, which has been updated through the years, since Bernard Leach first brought it to Europe in 1911 and astounded people with its quick firing technique.  American Paul Soldner is often accredited with the post-reduction firing method that is used in raku today.
Since we were first introduced to Raku eleven years ago, and were fascinated from the first firing, our enthusiasm has grown in leaps and bounds, and we just love Raku. 
Even though we have been, and still are, perfecting our technique, we are still amazed at the individuality of every piece.  From application of glaze, to scrubbing up the pieces at the end of the process, is an exciting and awesome experience.

We slip cast and hand build our forms, then bisque fire them between 1000-1040 degrees centigrade, before glazing them with glaze we have mixed ourselves from raw materials.
If these pieces were then to be glaze fired in an electric kiln, the whole firing process from the kiln going on, to opening the kiln door at the end, would take at least 24 hours!
THIS IS WHERE RAKU DIFFERS FROM ‘ORDINARY’ FIRING
Our pieces are placed into a small propane gas fired kiln, where the temperature is raised reasonably slowly to around 950-980 degrees centigrade, on a good day the whole process takes about half and hour.  The pieces are watched through a peep hole in the top of the kiln, and when the glaze has bubbled, burst, gone smooth then turned glossy, the pieces can be taken from the kiln – carefully!!!!!
On removing the work from the kiln with long tongs (operator clad in face mask and heatproof gloves), the pieces are placed in a bin which holds a small amount of sawdust or other flammable material, and sprinkled with more of the same.  This is so that when the glaze crackles (and if it’s alkaline based, it certainly will) smoke will permeate the cracks and give the piece the characteristic smoked lines of raku.
We are not just content with causing massive thermal shock to the pieces when they are first removed from the kiln, oh no!  After they have languished in the sawdust for half and hour we take them from their warm nest and plunge them into cold water!  Why? Why not!  Ok, it helps the carbon from the burning to clean up easier, also if the pieces are not put into water to cool down then they stay hot for HOURS, and we are very impatient to know what they look like.

A final scrubbing with wire wool, and the beautiful raku pieces are ready to grace anybody’s home.  Of course we will sell them to you if you want them!!!