A few more photos of raku pots
Very tired, but happily so, after a long day with our studio open. Really nice people through, and I particularly enjoyed the company of two delightful children who made animals in my studio. I thought I would just post a few photos that my friend Peter Watson took of my work. Peter's camera can actually manage close ups!
Comments
Ang, regarding the 2nd and 3rd firings..., I find that the first load is about 2 hours, the second and third are probably up to temperature well within 10 minutes each time. I actually "soaked" them for a short while, partly for the sake of the glazes, but also to give me time to free up some tin cans from the first load, and make space to process them.
The kiln climbs very fast from cold, and I do tend to hold it back a bit to begin with to be kind to the pots and to the kiln structure. When feeling a bit rushed I did manage to go to 700 degrees C in 20 minutes from cold....
From 800 degrees the kiln does slow down and the last 250 takes most of the second hour. The kiln has ordinary uninsulated heavy fire brick walls and floor, and I think that a lot of energy is being consumed heating them. I do think though that the stored energy really helps the kiln bounce back up to temperature again for each new load. (An old fiber kiln door makes up the roof on this kiln, so that part insulates really well.)
It is an interesting kiln to fire, I think it would get to 1100 C in its current form, and fiber insulation would help it get a bit higher. I edged it up to 1075 C without any difficulty whilst doing the last load of the day on Thursday. I'm contemplating splashing out on some insulating fire bricks and making a more "serious" small kiln along these lines, as it would be hugely useful for firing a small amount of work quickly and economically.