|
- Newsletter - |
|
The Newsletter for Raku Artists and Raku Art Lovers In This Issue ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ 2004 is just about over. It has been another exciting year for me and I hope for you too. Well the contest for the free Raku Glazes ebook is over and a winner has been selected, but they have not confirmed their email address yet - so I maybe picking a new winner soon. http://www.garyrferguson.com/contest.htm I had very few responses to the survey last month, but most of those who did respond, liked the length of the newsletter and would not change it (some even wanted it longer). As always, I look forward to your feedback, suggestions, questions, and article ideas at: mailto:editor@garyrferguson.com. Gary R. Ferguson ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * From the Studio * I have not had much time for studio work during the holidays. My shows are over for the year and I've been busy decorating, shopping, and being generally festive! J I'm still putting the finishing touches on my next eBook (Raku Secrets) and hope to have it available the first of 2005. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Article * I just have some feedback on the issue of "How to keep pots from exploding". This may indeed happen when wet pots are put into a real hot Raku kiln, even upon first firing with a very low flame. Most Raku kilns just heat up so quickly in the beginning, and the flame and pyrometer must be watched very closely. Some clays are more likely to create explosions than others. Very coarse or groggy clay is usually better than using dense clay, or clay that is bisque fired too high. If the clay contains any air pockets, the water evaporating into steam is likely to collect in these air pockets, and then tension builds up, until an explosion finally occurs. My preferred method to avoid explosions is using a simple barbeque to heat up pots after putting on the glaze. I use this method both for my personal work as well as when teaching workshops. Most of the time, 10 minutes are enough. In many cases, you can visually watch the steam evaporating. When this stops, pots are ready for the kiln. You can also judge by touching the pots carefully with a finger. If they are too hot to handle, you can be sure all the water has evaporated. Another alternative method is to preheat the pieces in an electric kiln. Fire up the kiln to 100° Celsius, put in the wet pots, and leave them in for 20 minutes (30 for real big work) I used this method during a workshop in Tucson last April, and not one single pot exploded. Someone else also sent in a posting about problems with firing real small objects that are difficult to handle with tongs. My favorite method is a simple metal basket. Go to a scrap yard or search in the "metal container" at your local garbage collection center. Many people make French Fries or croquettes in a frying pan filled with oil. When the electric elements burn out, it us usually thrown away, but the metal basket inside is still very good. This basket is "top class" for firing small objects. It does give off a very bad smell upon the first firing, when the residue of oil or fat burns away, but it will then burn clean for any future firings. I have used many of those for 20 or more firings; the wires do not burn very easily. They are also very easy to grab with tongs, I just dump them into the smoke bin with everything inside, and put the reduction material on top. Of course I use this method for my "naked Raku" firings, with a very low-end temperature of 775-800° Celsius, they should be OK for standard Raku up to 900° C, but I don't know how this baskets will behave in high-temperature Raku firings of 1000° C or more. I would suggest you try it out. I also put the little objects directly on to the wires, and they usually leave no trace, as the glaze in "naked Raku" comes off after the firing anyway. For standard Raku, I would suggest to throw a plate the size of the bottom of the metal basket, or put some thin pieces of kiln shelf on the bottom to prevent the objects sticking to the wires. --- Note: I will be teaching 3 hands-on "Naked Raku" workshops in USA next spring. I remember one of your newsletters last year also gave some information about my workshops in Arizona, and quite a few of the members of your newsletter were amongst the participants. Dates and locations: * Tips and Techniques * Just read your great November newsletter and noticed the section regarding kilns. You suggested either a gas or an electric kiln. You did not mention a wood fired kiln (for the glaze firing) I think it is worth mentioning because it has some advantages. A wood fired kiln may take some time to build (but can be done in a day) and it's the cheapest one to build/run if you have the wood. I always suggest a wood fired kiln when a large amount of items need to be fired during one day. A wood fired kiln takes some time to fire up to the right temperature - but when it gets there it stays there quiet easily and little effort is required to keep it going. You can fire load by load without having to wait for the kiln to heat again. And you can preheat your items around the top of the kiln so that they do not get damaged when entered into the kiln. I use gas when I have a few firings that need to be done fast. But when I have a lot, or are with other potters, a wood fired kiln really gets the work done. And it is a great experience with the hot oven against the night sky and it's the most natural (original) way of burning your stuff. Last, but not least, when you are done - normally in the middle of the night - you can have a nice barbecue on top of the still hot kiln. (It takes days before it cools again). I have a photo series of how to build a wood fired kiln here: http://boegner.dk/bygovn
the subtext is currently in Danish but the photos tell it all. If you
would like more information I also have the drawing to the kiln (but ~~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~- * Q & A * Q: I'm having a problem with glazing on Raku. Recently, I had the glaze
falling off my pots completely in powder form, normally around 15 minutes
into the firing (perhaps around 300 degrees, at slow firing). Today I
stopped the firing, as there was almost none left on the test tiles I was
firing. The temperature was still very low, perhaps 300 to 400 Celsius as
I was attempting to fire very slowly. I don't understand why now the glazes applied are falling off in powder form. They do mature eventually on the shelf. In the past with previous experiments we had good results. Perhaps some pieces were over fired, or under fired, but we never experienced this flaking off, or even as today, falling off as powder. Bearing in mind that: What could be the cause? Is it possible that we are now starting the firing too slowly, to the point where we create a reduced atmosphere? And this could be forcing the glazes not to adhere to the pot? I would appreciate any help. A: Boy, that's a new one to me! I've never seen a powder glaze fall off the piece before it melted in the kiln before. Your details address some of the thoughts I had: Now it is possible you had a heavy reduction before the glaze starts to
melt could potentially cause this problem. I know some glazes will bubble
during heavy reduction, so maybe this could "pop off" the dry
glaze. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Glazing * I had several readers have questions about the Raku glaze Hawaiian Copper Blue and the challenge of achieving interesting colors. The following is my feedback on using this glaze. This is the challenge of that glaze. If you are getting just Blue or Green, you are not getting enough reduction - either firing or post-firing. To get Red and/or Magenta you need to starve the copper of oxygen. So either fire the kiln in reduction for part of the firing, or increase the amount of post-firing reduction. Now if you get just copper, you are reducing too much, so back off the firing or post-firing reduction a little bit. The way I fire this glaze is as follows: 300+ More Raku Glazes can be found at: http://www.rakuglazes.com ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Reader Feedback * In the November issue of your newsletter, John S. said the following:
"Here's a good cheep way of sealing Raku pots for functional use.
Just use some wood varnish or anything similar." Hi Carol: The varnish should make the piece somewhat water tight, but I would not use the piece to serve food. I'm not sure what kind of chemicals could be passed from the varnish to the food, but it might not taste very good. Gary F. * * * * * * * * * Gary, I have been reading your articles in your newsletters and I appreciate all the cool stuff I find in them every month. I have a task for you when you get a chance. You seem to know a lot about Raku glazes. I am enclosing a picture of pieces that are already made with a Raku glaze that I would love to get the formula for or pretty darn close. This glaze is neither a matte nor a gloss. It seems to be in the middle, like sheen or a satin finish. I visited this gallery this summer and the people were very friendly but did not want to give out their secret glaze. Can you tell what they are using? The gallery is Round Tree Pottery located in Pensacola , Fl. Even if I can come close, I would be happy...they produce the richest reds and purples I have ever seen in Raku. Thanks for your help, ~ ~ ~ Hi Michael: Sorry, I didn't get you attachment, but I have seen several of their pieces on eBay and their website. They do nice work and get some amazing colors. I have no idea what glaze they use or the reduction technique they use, but I would assume they are conducting both firing and post-firing reduction. Being in Florida, the high humidity may be influencing the results as well. As far as the semi-matte goes, you can often over fire a matte glaze and get a semi-matte effect. I do this quite a bit with Hawaiian Blue. Sorry I couldn't provide more insight. Gary F. * * * * * * * * * Hi Gary, Thanks for adding me to your newsletter, it is awesome. I've been doing some horsehair work lately with some ferric chloride
fuming with good results. I've tried fuming with bismuth subnitrate and
barium chloride as well but neither of them did anything at the 1100-1200
degree range. I've Maybe even someone who could explain the difference between chlorides, sulfates, subnitrates would help. Thanks, ~ ~ ~ Brad: I personally have not done any fuming yet (although it is on my list of things to try), so I many not be much help. Any Readers have some ideas for Brad? Gary F. * * * * * * * * * Query! I obtained a very old square electric high-fire kiln (27" X 27" od) that I want to convert to a propane low-fire. Any feedback Kenny ~ ~ ~ Kenny: This was covered in a prior issue of Just Raku. Checkout the following
issue: * * * * * * * * * Gary I wanted to share an experience that I was afforded recently through my participation in the Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. I am a high school art teacher, and the FMF program sent me, along with 199 other U.S. teachers, to Japan for three weeks (Nov. 14 - Dec. 3). As I write this I am actually still in Japan learning about their educational system. We were also given the chance to do some exploring in Japan on our own, so I jumped on the bullet train in Tokyo and headed for Kyoto and the Raku Museum. This museum is located next door to the residence of Raku Kichizaemon XV, the 15th generation Raku master, descended from the originator Chojiro. There I saw many beautiful tea bowls, beginning with those made by Chojiro in the 1500's. The museum staff was very gracious and showed me and the other two
FMF'ers a video on the processes of making Raku by the Japanese method.
This was a wonderful experience, which I would highly recommend to anyone
interested in this art form. I feel as though I have visited Raku Mecca! Jeff A. ~ ~ ~ Hi Jeff: Thanks for the info on your trip to Japan and the Raku museum. If I ever get a chance to visit, I will definitely try to make this part of the visit. Gary F. * * * * * * * * * I fire small pieces used for magnets. Mostly, I use 80/20 Gerstley Borate and Nepheline Syenite and a small percentage of oxides or commercial stains. Sometimes I use ^07, 06, 05 commercial glazes. What I am after is the smoke filled crackle antique look. I learned this technique from "Mr Raku" Billy Ray Mangham. I use a soft firebrick flat to hold small items. Once the glaze matures, the lightweight brick can easily be lifted from the kiln and either set in the reduction chamber or tilted to one side to let the pieces slide off into the chamber. Also, short pieces of Nichrome inserted about 3/8" deep and perpendicular to the flat surface of a soft brick to form mini stilts is very useful for firing small pieces at risk of having glaze stick to the brick (small pieces need to be glazed all the way down their sides to look good). When the soft brick finally breaks, just put it back together, wrap a piece of Nichrome wire around it and twist off the ends of the wire. The brick can also be wrapped with Nichrome wire before it's first use for Rakuing. This helps prevent the brick from breaking and dumping some of the pieces before getting them to the reduction chamber. When the brick is finally ready to be trashed, save the Nichrome wire for the next brick. Keep up the good work, * * * * * * * * * Gary We started our business with Raku beads and found bead trees were not the answer. We found kick plates from doors, had them sheared into 2" strips. One kick plate will give you about 6 frames. Fold these into a square and drill 4 holes on both ends and attach the two ends with high temperature wire. This gives you a square frame that will endure 1,000's of firings. We grind grooves in the fame to hold the wires in place. You then string your beads on stainless steel wire and glaze. These frames are easy to pull and will hold about 100 beads a firing. Have fun beading, ~ ~ ~ Jerry & Janet: Thanks for the tips on firing smalls. It seems there are an endless number of techniques for Rakuing these small pieces. Gary F. * * * * * * * * * I do a great many horsehair pieces and have experimented with various finishes for the pieces. Paste Wax is very time consuming and clear spray paint turn the piece an ecru color. I am currently experimenting with spray on wax. Any other suggestions? Thanks so much for giving us Rakuist a voice. ~ ~ ~ Michelle: I have not done much horsehair work yet, so I don't have too many suggestions. Any Just Raku readers that would care to share? Gary F. ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Calendar * eBay listings are the only thing left for this year http://tinyurl.com/tn08 ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ * Click Away * Raku Museum Salku Just Raku Logowear Got Raku? It does a Clay Body Good! Just Raku Newsletter Archive ~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~ 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 an email to unsubscribe@garyrferguson.com with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Disclaimer: Just Raku, the owner(s) and representative(s) of this
website and newsletter will not be held liable for any direct or indirect
losses or damages originating from the use of any information listed on
our website or in our newsletters. By using this site and newsletter you
agree to indemnify and hold all owners and representative parties of Just
Raku harmless from any claim or demand originating out of your use of the
Just Raku website and/or newsletters. Use of our website and newsletters
is an indication of your complete understanding and acceptance of these
Terms of Service. |
