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Pottery is a wonderful craft that some are able to take to the art form. It is in that spirit that I welcome you to this blogspace. If nothing else, go to the blogs that I follow to see some of the artists in the field. It is amazing what some people can do with clay, fire, water and some colorants. Many creations are functional, many are just deliciously beautiful and some are both.



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Welcome to New Holland Pennsylvania Pottery

So glad to have you along in this blog.!

Monday, June 14, 2010

My first attempt at raku with my new kiln on Saturday. They were underfired, so I think I have to get a pyrometer and try again. They were glowing, but apparently not up to temperature. Some of the areas on the pots were very nice, but overall, I didn't get what I was looking for.

5 comments:

  1. What is the heat source for the Raku?

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  2. I was using a Ward burner. I made a kiln out of an oil drum and used what I thought was a bona fide design with ceramic fiber. Oh well. Thanks for asking. Open to any ideas.

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  3. Hi Joe,
    Thanks for your kind comments.
    The cruet is thrown in one piece...it's a trick called off-center throwing. You open up a cylinder on a bat then move the bat off its center and re-throw it. Sounds weird...maybe there's a youtube video, but it pulls the shape into the form you see in my photo.

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  4. New firing coming out tomorrow for Christmas. Hope I can post in the next couple of days to show you guys the latest. Following other folks' blogs has been so helpful for inspiration and encouragement.

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  5. Hi Joe, There is a way of knowing when the raku is up to heat without a pyrometer, it is to do with holding a metal rod near the work, if you see it reflected in the glaze on the pot then the glaze is molten. That and the colour of the inside of the kiln. There is a colour chart you can print off on Ceramics Arts Daily website.

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