What is Raku?

Raku firing is a fast and dramatic ceramics process that creates distinctive crackle patterns, smoky textures, and metallic lusters. The pottery is first bisque fired and then coated with a raku glazes formulated to react strongly during firing. The glazed pieces are placed in a small gas-fired raku kiln and heated rapidly to around 1600º to 1800ºF. When the glaze becomes molten, we open the kiln and remove the red hot pieces with tongs, exposing them to extreme thermal shock that encourages crackle effects in the glaze. The glowing pottery is then placed into a reduction chamber filled with combustible materials such as sawdust or newspaper, which ignite and quickly consume the available oxygen. This oxygen deprived environment forces metallic oxides to develop vivid colors and allows carbon to seep into glaze cracks, creating the signature smoky, darkened lines. After the reduction period, the pieces cooled and then cleaned and polished, revealing the unpredictable and unique surfaces characteristic of raku.

***important note, all raku pieces are NOT food safe