Raku Group July Update

Hi Potters,

We had a great day on Saturday 14th July.  Some fantastic looking pots and a lot of fun.  Some trials were done on the new naked Raku slip – I have another round of trials on the next firing and will hopefully have a better cracking effect.

Another Raku firing is planned for Saturday September 8th 10am start – so plenty of time to get your pots ready.

There will be a box on the bench marked “Raku ready to Bisque” – put your pots in here by / on Tuesday 21st August – this will give us time to bisque your pots ready for Saturday 8th September.  If you already have some pots and you want to give it a go – come along.

If you are in a class and would like me to come along and show you some of our results / questions - just give me an email and I will pop in.  leighanno@gib.co.nz
Please give me an email if you are planning to come along on Sat 8th Sept so I can plan.
Cheers Leigh-Ann

Raku Ready – pots  
Making your pot / vessel - The number one key that Averill advised to get the best result was – Ensure your pot is smooth – burnishing your pot when it is bone dry.  
If you want a textured look for your Raku then disregard making it smooth.

Burnishing Tools - Any very smooth object can potentially be used as a burnishing stone. Many potters use rubber or plastic ribs for burnishing, particularly on leather hard pots. The back of a spoon is a popular tool, though it may leave greyish marks on the clay.  Make sure you do not sand your pots, even prior to burnishing.

Apply Terra Sigillata - When your pot is bone dry and dust free – apply 4-5 layers of Terra sigillata.  Terra sigillata gives it a glazed, shinny look, obviously disregard if you do not want this look.  This will be available at the pottery rooms for you to use.

Terra sigillata is an ultra refined clay slip that can give a soft sheen when applied to bone-dry wares and, if polished or burnished while still damp, may give a high gloss.

• Apply 4-5 layers of Terra sigillata by brush or spray – best to use the wheel or banding wheel
• Do not let the Terra sigillata drip – as you will see these marks
• Do not let your brush loose hairs as this will make a permanent mark
• Let it dry between coats
• Handle as little as possible – the oil in your hands will damage to coating
• Buff / polish before last coat is completely dry (the surface will look waxy when it is dry)

Bisque your pot – your pot is now ready for Raku and/or Naked Raku.
An Obvara Pot for Christmas?

I am really keen to give this a go – if we can get a few people we can do this one Raku Saturday.  Looks like great fun

The obvara firing process, which originated in Eastern Europe around the 12th Century, involves scalding the finish on the pottery to seal the porous surface. Similar to the raku pottery process, a bisqued pot is heated, (899°C) and removed from the heat. The difference is that the pot is then dipped into a specific obvara yeast mixture before being dunked in water to rapidly cool the piece. The effects are quite stunning.