1. Raku vs. Electric Glaze Firing
Ceramics
Raku vs. Electric Glaze Firing

2. Clay A form of mud that can be built by And then baked into Hand or
Thrown on a wheel
And then baked into
Decorative pieces or
Functional pieces

3. First Firing Bisque Firing This is called the
Your newly formed piece must dry for 24 hours
Then it is placed in an electric kiln and heated to make sure all the water is out of it.
Bisque Firing

4. Glaze A complex mixture of minerals
Your piece is painted with, dabbed on, or dipped in glaze
To make it functional
To decorate a piece

5. Glaze Firing Vitrified
The glaze must have time to and be heated in order to be vitrified
The ingredients reaction to each
other by heat and fusion
Vitrified

6. Electric Kiln Pyrometric Cones
Heat is generated by special coils built into the walls
placed on the kiln shelf so that they can be seen through tiny holes in the wall.
When the kiln reaches the appropriate temperature, the cones will start to bend to indicate the end of the firing session
Pyrometric Cones

7. Raku Comes from Japan Began in the 16th century Creates unpredictable
Smoke patterns
Spectacular metallic effects
Crackle effect

8. Raku Uses a special glaze that won’t seal the piece from water
Glaze will react to combustible materials while it is hot
The pieces are heated in the kiln for min. at a temperature between 1500 and 1800 degrees.

9. Raku
The pieces are then taken out and placed into a prearranged bucket of combustible materials
15-20 min. later the pieces are dunked in cold water
A 50 % chance that the piece will crack due to the rapid change of temperature
Wear thick gloves and use tongs when handling the burning hot pieces

10. Resources http://www.mediterranean-interiors.com/en/pictures_raku.htm
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