The 7 Tools You’ll Need for Raku Firing

The 7 Tools You’ll Need for Raku Firing

Whenever the weather is warm, there is always a buzz about outdoor firing techniques such as Raku. Being that summer is upon us our creative friends are celebrating what has become an unofficial "Raku Season" right now. Bailey employees themselves have been known to gather with excitement for raku firings in these warmer months. In Raku firings, pieces are fired and cooled rapidly yielding wonderous and often unpredictable effects. And, compared to most firing processes, results are almost immediate.


In this post, we will tell you what Raku firing entails and the 7 tools you'll need to do a raku firing at home. 


"In the spirit of raku, there is the necessity to embrace the element of surprise. There can be no fear of losing what was once planned and there must be an urge to grow along with the discovery of the unknown. In the spirit of raku: make no demands, expect nothing, follow no absolute plan, be secure in change, learn to accept another solution and, finally, prefer to gamble on your own intuition. Raku offers us a deep understanding of those qualities in pottery which are of a more spiritual nature, of pots by men willing to create objects that have meaning as well as function." (Soldner, 1973)



Raku firing dates back to the 16th century Japan as an outgrowth from the Buddhist tea ceremony. Unglazed, muted ceramics were best suited for the savoring of tea at the time. The best of these unglazed ceramics was originally produced in Shigaraki, by the great tea master Sen no Rikyu and his friend Sasaki Chojiro. The military leader of Japan awarded a seal (reading "raku" translated as "pleasure") to Chojiro's son, also a great potter. Chojiro went on to become the originator of Raku in the Momoyama period of Japan (1573-1603). 

The traditional Raku method includes putting thrown and bisqued pottery forms, directly into an open Raku kiln, to be pulled out a few minutes later and plunged into water. The temperature shift between the kiln and the water causes the surface of the vessel to crackle and change in color. 

"American" or "Western style raku" came about in the 1950's when artists and potters began to experiment with the concepts set forth by the pottery tradition of the East. The late Paul Soldner is credited as one of the early founders of "Western Raku". In this new form of Raku, pottery is removed from the kiln while at bright red heat and placed inside containers with combustible materials. Once the materials ignite, lids are placed upon the containers. This produces a reduction atmosphere where little oxygen is present. The combination of glazes, combustibles, and reduction contribute to glaze surface effects and color development.



Now that we've covered what Raku firing is, here are the 7 tools you'll need in order to do a raku firing at home. 

1. Raku clay is clay that can withstand the rapid heating and cooling that takes place during the raku firing process. Clay bodies specifically designed for the raku firing process can take the stresses of thermal shock without cracking, breaking or deforming. Both 
Standard and Tuckers produces clay for raku firings. 

2. Protective Gloves are required gear when raku firing. A variety of kevlar gloves are available to protect against radiant heat when removing pieces from the kiln with tongs. The 2-Part Raku Mittens that we recommend are specifically designed to withstand short-term contact up to 1800°F. They consist of a special 23" high-temp mitten for full arm coverage and a replaceable 12.5" slip over.

3. Eye Protection against infared light is necessary for viewing pieces inside kiln. 

4. Raku Tongs are necessary to transfer the piece from the raku kiln into the combustion chamber. This part of the raku process requires alert focus and steady hands. Raku tongs are specifically designed to withstand high temperatures. Raku tongs are available with teeth or without teeth for gripping glowing pots and removing them from the kiln.

5. Raku Glazes are typically low-fire, with a peak temperature running between and cone 010-06, commercial glazes are available pre-mixed in a liquid form or in a powdered dry mix where you must add water to them. At Bailey, we carry raku glazes from five different manufacturers, specifically designed for raku firings and labeled "Raku Glazes". The advantage of using commercially prepared glazes includes having instructions, being able to see glaze examples and the formula will be consistent. The firing can have drastic affects on the results however! Due to the irregular and crackling surface finishes, raku glazes are not food safe. 

6. A Raku Kiln can be one of many different configurations. While you can find raku kilns and kiln kits available, you can also make your own raku kiln. There are many resources online for building a kiln out of readily available materials. 

7. A Combustion Chamber can be any metal can with a lid that you place your combustible materials into. Combustible materials can include paper, sawdust, straw, dry leaves, hay, cloth and other dried natural materials. Your combustion chamber should be large enough to accomodate your piece. Over time, your combustion chamber may develop holes due to the high heat and will need to be replaced. 

If you are into raku firing check out the links to our favorite raku firing tools below. We hope that you enjoy the unpredictable and exciting process of raku as much as we do!

Links:




1. Tuckers Smooth Raku Clay | Standard #239 Raku Clay | 2. 2-Part Raku Mittens | 3. Infared Glasses  | 4. Kemper RK37 Raku Tongs - No Teeth | Bailey Raku Tongs (Small) w/ Teeth | 5.Deep Space 866 | Raku Burst R20 | Oil Slick RK-107 | White Crackle PG805 | Smokey Lilac R-14 | 6. Raku Kiln | 7. Metal Bin 

sources: PaulSoldner.comCeramic Arts Daily, the Spruce



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