Raku and alternative firings

What is Raku?
Raku is a firing technique that involves rapid heating and cooling, resulting in unique and unpredictable surface effects. Pottery is removed from the kiln while it is red-hot and either placed in combustible materials (creating a reduction atmosphere) or left in the air to cool rapidly. The process is highly unpredictable, leading to unique and often unexpected designs and glazes.

GLAZED RAKU
Raku glazes are specifically designed to react to the rapid heating and cooling, creating crackled surfaces, vibrant colors, and other interesting effects. These glazes can be vibrant when cooled in a reduction environment, leading to metallic and textured finishes.

NAKED RAKU
Naked Raku is most often used to describe unglazed raku pottery. There are several techniques that can be applied to unglazed pieces to create distinctive finishes. Typically, these pieces should be burnished before firing for best results.

OBVARA is an Eastern European pottery technique, sometimes called Baltic Raku, where pots are pulled from the kiln and dipped into a fermented flour, yeast, sugar, and water mixture before being plunged into water to cool. This rapid cooling process creates unique, textured patterns and colors on the surface of the pottery. The pattern that is scalded onto the pot often provides a unique, liquid smoke effect.

HORSE HAIR, SUGAR, FEATHERS and other combustible materials can be used to create striking markings when applied to a hot pot out of the raku kiln. When these items are applied and burn, the carbon created from the smoke pulls into the pores of the pottery, leaving exposed, unglazed clay a matte black.

RESIST SLIP, also known as peel-away slip, is a technique where a slip (a liquid suspension of clay and water) is applied to a bisque-fired piece before Raku firing. This slip is formulated to not permanently adhere to the surface, and during the firing process, it peels away, revealing a bare surface with crackle patterns.