Raku

In Raku firing the kiln is brought up to approximately 1800 degrees F.  At that point the pots are removed from the kiln and put into a small nest of combustible materials such as straw, sawdust and leaves.  The heat of the pots ignites the combustibles; that fire is then captured within a metal trash can or tub.  This reduction atmosphere can produce unique and beautiful effects on glazes and clay bodies.  I have included pictures below of these steps.  As you might easily imagine, this process isn’t for the faint of heart!