Stone Spiral Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 I am doing my first raku fire this Saturday and am feeling well prepared. I'm so excited! I don't have a pyrometer.. . Do I just watch the pots (with protective eyewear) til glowing orange? How can I tell when they're ready for the reduction chamber? Also, any suggestions for firing tiny finicky pieces? I realized after I made them that it won't be easy to grab them with tongs and move them over. I thought maybe just smoke fire them in a bowl but that means no glaze. If I use glaze without silica will they stick together if touching? Any tips, tricks or advice is welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 Watch the pots. The glaze will bubble up and then flux smooth and shiny. I call the bubble up part, the pancake batter stage... just when you should flip a pancake. Try putting the tiny pieces on a shallow bowl and pick them up in one shot. You don’t want the kiln open cooling for a long time. Glaze will be marred if it touches anything while fluxed. Avoid that. You could set the bowl with small pieces on a brick. Cover with newspaper and cover that with an inverted can. Use sand around the base to nestle it into a sealed position. i use a pyrometers because I use Matt raku glazes. Know which glaze is a crackle white or a luster so you can watch that one specifically. I have been firing raku since 1968..almost 50 years. Still a great passion. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 We always fire little stuff or small flat things on a soft brick or piece of kiln shelf and just pull the whole brick or shelf piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 I really only use my pyrometer for the initial stages. I do a small preheat, especially if it is cold outside, and then really crank up the heat. You'll know you if you are increasing the fuel too quickly, if you get a lot of flames, shooting out of the exhaust. Like Marcia said, watch for the bubbling, then shortly after, it will smooth out, and have a sheen. Then, they are ready to go. In regards to tiny things, I've picked up a piece, the size of a pea before, with the tongs. Not something I want to do constantly, but it is possible... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted October 20, 2017 Report Share Posted October 20, 2017 Find yourself a good color/temperature chart that shows the temps in comparison to the color of the color of the kiln heat. This will help a lot in understanding your temperatures. best, Pres Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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