HOW TO RAKU FIRE
The following pictures demonstrate my method of Raku firing. They were taken by my
sister, Betty Cadmus on Sunday, March 5, 2006. Using propane and a burner, pots are
heated up in a portable kiln. When the glaze has melted and turns shiny (about 1750F)
tongs are used to remove them. Pots are then placed into galvanized buckets containing
paper, sawdust, straw, leaves, pine needles, or other burnable materials to cause a reduction
atmosphere. This is where the magic occurs. Ordinary yellow, green or blue glazes turn into
gold, copper, and other metallic colors depending on the coloring oxides used in the glazes.
After 10-20 minutes in the reduction barrels pots are plunged into cold water to stop the process
and cool down. Sand or a scrubber is then used to remove some of the soot.
Click on a thumbnail to enlarge the picture. Comments or questions? Email me.
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