Raku workshop day with Midlands Potters Association

Always great to learn some new skills. We had a brilliant Raku workshop day with Midland Potters Association. We each took along several bisque fired pots we had made, and used an array of glazes to prepare for the raku firing. Once glazed the pots were left to dry before adding to the raku kilns.

It was a day of perpetual firing!

A really interesting technique we tried out was ‘Obvara’ where the pots are submerged briefly into a mixture fermented flour, yeast and sugar. (I believe you can also use fermented flour, water, milk or beer – more to try out!- more research needed).

The bisque fired pots were placed in the kiln and fired to around 900c. Each pot was removed from one at a time straight from the hot kiln and the pot was dunked in a bucket of flour, yeast and sugar mix, then plunged straight into a bucket of water. This created the most amazing patterns on the pot. Being quick to ‘dunk’ in the mix  and swiftly plunge into the water seemed to create more variation of pattern as the mixture had less time to interact with the clay.

The main firings had pots placed in metal dustbin kilns which were heated to 1000c Each pot was removed carefully while still hot and placed in another metal bucket on a bed of straw, covered with sawdust. This was repeated until all pots were removed from the kiln. Then the lid was placed on the bucket to remove any oxygen and this was left to cool.

Once cooled, the pots were taken out one at a time, doused with a water spray and plunged into water. Then they were scrubbed to show the beautiful glazes!

A few potters removed unglazed pots from the kiln and placed various natural items, grasses/sugar etc on the hot surface creating the most amazing patterns. 

If you are able to get to a workshop, I highly recommend!

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