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Raku firing is expressive, exciting and fun. Whether you’re raku firing in your own studio or taking part in a group raku firing at a school, workshop or community center, raku offers many rewards. Raku firing is one of the most exciting processes in ceramics. After you place your pottery into a raku kiln, the anticipation builds as you wait for that final moment when the intense heat begins to melt the raku glazes. When you remove the pieces when the glazes begin to melt, you can feel the heat and hear the pings your red hot work rapidly cooling, then it’s into the raku combustibles for a round of flame and smoke. Many surprises await you as you clean the surface and reveal the wonders of raku pottery.

Tips for Successful Raku Firing Raku pottery is tremendously popular. The wide range of raku glazing and raku firing methods, and the surprises that come from every firing hold the interest of potters everywhere. While many achieve consistent results, many potters as well as students have been unhappy with their raku attempts. Here is a rundown of the basics you need for success at firing raku.
Raku Pottery Clay The raku firing process requires a porous nonvitrified clay that can withstand rapid heating and cooling without cracking or breaking from the thermal shock. By this definition, any clay that can withstand such stresses can be considered a raku clay; however, some clays will provide a greater degree of success. When deciding on a suitable raku pottery clay, your chances for success increase with bodies specifically formulated or adjusted for the raku pottery process.
What’s a Raku Glaze A raku glaze is any glaze you use in the raku pottery method. It doesn’t have to be a glaze specifically designed for raku, formulated to fire at the temperature you fire your raku ceramics to, nor homemade or commercial. Read how your raku glaze can be most anything. The key to success is understanding the raku firing process and the ability to predict how a particular glaze reacts to that process.
Buying a Raku Kiln There are many configurations for raku kilns—top loaders, front loaders, top hats, car kilns and clam shells. Some top hats have pulley systems, springs, counterweights and guiding tracks to raise and lower the chamber. Without the lifting mechanism, a large top-hat kiln requires two people to safely lift the body off, while smaller kilns require only one person. Here’s a biref overview of what you need to know to buy the raku kiln you need.
How to Build a Portable Raku Kiln You can make a portable raku kiln from a gutted electric kiln or a metal trash can lined with Kaowool™ Cerablanket®, outfitted with a weed burner and fueled with propane from a barbecue tank. Take raku kiln building to the next leve and you can create a low-cost, sturdy, lightweight, efficient and safe raku kiln made from readily found materials that’s easy to construct using ordinary tools.
Finding the Right Combustibles for Raku Firing The most commonly used combustibles for raku post-firing reduction are paper and sawdust. Although there are many types of paper, the most popular are shredded office documents and shredded newspaper. Newspaper can help you get the colors in a luster glaze to appear more intense and sawdust burns much slower and creates a speckled surface. Here’s how to test for leaves, grass and other natural combusitbles that would give different results.

About Ceramic Arts Daily: Ceramic Arts Daily is a free online website and newsletter written and produced for the benefit of potters and ceramic artists worldwide. The newsletter features both renowned and emerging artists, their work, techniques and artistic perspectives. Regular features include tips and techniques designed to help every artist expand their skill set and widen their artistic horizons. Ceramic Arts Daily also delivers video tips, in which potters and ceramic artists demonstrate various projects and processes. Think of them as e-workshops! Ceramic Arts Daily is designed to be interactive, inviting your comments and fostering a community in which each person can contribute to the growth of their own and others’ skills. You may be surprised at what you learn! Ceramic artists on Ceramic Arts Daily know what ceramic art is all about - from functional pottery to abstract ceramic sculpture. This is about community. You’ll be drawn in by artists’ stories, inspired by their work and find confidence to try some of their techniques. With Ceramic Arts Daily, you’ll learn a little bit of everything. Then you can choose the techniques you enjoy the most to create something new! So subscribe today and download our free Successful Tips and Techniques for Raku Firing: How to Select Raku Clays, Glazes, Kilns and Combustibles. Then, get ready for Ceramic Arts Daily to introduce you to new artists and show you new techniques!