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The Newsletter for Raku Artists and Raku Art Lovers In This Issue ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ I want to welcome the multitude of new subscribers that joined this
month. I think the cross advertising with The Ceramics Today Update
Newsletter worked well. Hopefully many of you signed up for his free
weekly newsletter too at: http://www.ceramicstoday.com/newsletter.htm The Reader Feedback section really died off this month. I'm guessing you are as busy with summer things as I am. Remember I always look forward to your feedback, suggestions, questions, and article ideas at: editor@garyrferguson.com. Gary R. Ferguson ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * From the Studio * It has been HOT In my neck of the woods! We have broke about a dozen heat records - daily highs, most consecutive days over 100, most days over 100 in a month, most days over 100 in a year, etc. Way too hot to Raku, but I've been really busy throwing and hand building getting inventory for an upcoming show. Reality set in about three weeks ago, when I realized my next show was only five weeks away - which is not very long in pottery time - and my inventory was pretty low. Anyway, the whether has cooled off and I will be Raku-ing my brains out over the next few days. I plan on testing a few new glazes and will let you know the results in future issues. Some of you may remember in a prior newsletter I discussed a problem I was having with my Shard Art pieces cracking and generally not surviving the creation process. I also mentioned I had received a commission to create several of these pieces so I needed a better technique to have a better survival rate. The Article this month address how these pieces were successfully created this time and hopefully will help you in making your pieces. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Article * Shard Art: Survival Techniques A few months ago, I made a batch of 8 or 10 Shard Art pieces and only 1 or 2 of the pieces survived the drying and firing process. The rest had one or more cracks that made the piece unacceptable. I just recently made another batch of 9 and all 9 have made it to the glaze stage. This is a huge improvement! So what did I do differently? Let's see… First I made sure I wedged the clay. The first batch I just used the premixed clay straight out of the bag and I received a good suggestion from a reader to always wedge the clay well when making large open pieces (like plates, platters, and bowls). I then primarily "threw" the slab instead of only using a rolling pin. This did not involve the wheel, but taking the clay and throwing it down on a canvas at a slight angle, which causes it to thin and spread out. I then lift the clay, turn it a quarter turn, and throw the slab down at a slight angle again, thinning and stretching it in another direction. This process is repeated until the slab is just over a quarter of an inch thick. I then took the slab and evened it out using a rolling pin run along two quarter-inch slats. I then cut the basic size out of the clay and sandwiched the slab between sheets of newspaper. I stacked all 9 in a single pile with several sheets of newspaper between each on and left it to dry over night. The next day they were a little stiffer than the fresh clay. I then cut the designs and patterns in the pieces (like I described last month.) Then I dried them very slowly - actually over a three-week period in a shelf wetbox (like I described last month.) I actually ran out of pans to drape the pieces and ended up using the bisqued shard art piece from before that had cracks in them. (I guess they ended up being good for something after all) After they dried I fired them laying flat on a bed of sand on a kiln shelf. I just smeared a hand full of common sand on the kiln shelf and then laid the piece on the sand. I only put one piece per shelf. I think the sand provided a very slick surface (like a whole bunch of ball bearings) for the piece to expand and shrink during the heating and cooling process without causing stress cracks. I then cooled the kiln a little slower by plugging the top peephole once the cut off temperature had been reached. The net result was 100% survival rate. So I don't know if it was just one of the techniques noted above that caused the 100% survival rate or all of them in combination, but I think this is the basic process I will always use in the future to obtain hopefully similar results. I think many of these ideas can work on other type pieces - plates, wide low dishes, tiles, etc. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Tips and Techniques * Raku and Underglazes You can create interesting effects by combining underglazes and Raku glazes. One technique is to use one or more underglazes on the piece and then cover the underglaze with a clear or partially opaque Raku glaze and fire using a normal Raku firing process. The underglaze will typically stay the underglazed color, but the Raku glaze should crackle and/or produce lusters over the top of the colored underglaze. This is a method to achieve red, purple, yellow, orange, or purple Raku glazes. Another method I've seen is small ribbons of underglazes are applied to a piece, and then the entire piece is glazed again with a clear crackle. The end result is a white crackle piece with an interesting band of color. Give it a try. ~~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- * Q & A * Q: Where can I get Silver Nitrate? A: Silver Nitrate is a chemical that most pottery suppliers will carry (if they normally carry a selection of raw glaze chemicals) or you can order it from any number of suppliers that you can find on-line (check the Click Away section in this issue). I will warn you, Silver Nitrate is a very expensive chemical (like around $300 per lb), is light sensitive, and is very corrosive (make sure you use gloves). Some Raku potters swear they can only get the colors and lusters they want by using Silver Nitrate, but I've also had people think some of my glaze results were due to Silver Nitrate and I've never used the stuff. You may also consider Silver Chloride, Silver Carbonate (less light
sensitive), Silver Acetate (less corrosive). The following is a link to an interesting article about making and
using various forms of Silver Nitrate: I would be interested in hearing from anyone that regularly uses Silver Nitrate in his or her Raku art. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Glazing * Shinju - Laguna Glaze I don't have a recipe for this, as it is a commercial glaze sold by Laguna Clay. I'm betting with all the Raku glaze recipes out there, one is similar though. I just haven't tested enough to find it yet. It is a very interesting glaze. I have found that if it is applied thickly and reduced lightly; you get a glossy pale blue with lusters and a touch of yellow and/or pink. If you apply it very thinly and reduce heavily you get more of a matte with pinks, red, and copper mixed with the black and gray of the bare clay. This almost gives the effect of a pit-fired piece. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Bookworm * Magazine: Pottery Making Illustrated The book this month is actually a magazine. Pottery Making Illustrated is a great "How to" magazine that always covers a wide variety of topics. I have subscribed to the magazine for several years and enjoy each issue. There is always a new technique covered in construction, decoration, glazing, or firing that can be applied to my own work. There is very little of what I would call fluff or filler articles. Just detailed how-to articles, typically with step-by-step pictures of how to do or make certain projects. An example of some past articles include: It is published six times a year and can be ordered at: ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Reader Feedback * No reader feedback this month. I would like to thank everyone for the donations. They are really appreciated!!! Also by purchasing the books via the links in these newsletters you are also helping to support the newsletter. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Calendar * My full calendar can be seen at: http://www.garyrferguson.com/events.htm Aug 9-10 Nampa Art in the Park Nov 1-2 Eagle Holiday Bazaar (Tentative) Nov TBA Beaux Arts Society Holiday Sale ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ The Ceramics Today Update - Newsletter The following are some resources that supply glaze chemicals: ClayArtCenter.com Seattle Pottery Supply New Mexico Clay Just Raku Newsletter ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ This newsletter is send to opt-in members only. If this issue was forwarded to you and you would like your own copy each month send an email to subscribe@garyrferguson.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. If you wish to no longer receive this newsletter send a email to unsubscribe@garyrferguson.com with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Disclaimer: Just Raku, the owner(s) and representative(s) of this
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