Ethics Of Selling Repaired Raku Forms

[Kohaku]

Unless you are mixing your clay from scratch, adding kyanite would not be evenly distributed.

Can you tell us what else you are doing? How you prepare? Do you wait a day after glazing.

Are you dunking the pieces in water?

Peipenburg's clay is good.What clay are you using?

You can get raku clay with fine grog so that it is smooth.

Give us more detail about your procedures and your clay body.

 

Marcia

 

I planned to mix the kyanite it using the slap and cut method (40 rounds). My impression was that this did a pretty good job of mixing- let me know if I'm wrong.

 

In terms of clays- SPS (where I shop) has several Raku clays, but all have a significant grog component. On their recommendation, I've tried both Alpine white and Sea Mix with sand.

 

I also use Helmer Kaolin (mixed and sold by local Wendt Pottery). I've detected no real difference between fracture rates across these different clays, and Helmer is by far the nicest in terms of throwing.

 

I'd be delighted to try a commercial Raku clay with a finer grog if you have any recommendations... although shipping could be a deterrent (I have family in the Seattle area, so SPS is a convenient stop).

 

In terms of prep, I always pre-glaze at least a day before firing. For delicate pieces, I do a very slow gradient on the temperature.

 

I do not dunk my work- although (glaze dependent) I do 'burp' the can. I use kevlar gloves for transfering delicate pieces (no tongs).

[Min]

Plainsman Clay makes a Raku body that uses fairly fine mullite grog, not the usual firebrick or fireclay grog. A link to the info on it is here: http://plainsmanclays.com/data/RAKU97.HTM  There is a sieve analysis at the bottom of the page. Plainsman is very good about answering questions and technical support, Tony Hansen of Digital Fire is involved with their clay composition and testing.  

[Marcia Selsor]

Have you tried using paper clay?

It fires well in Raku.I had a ton special mixed by Seattle Pottery Supply. Maybe they would special mix Peipenburg with fine grog for you.

 

Marcia

[Kohaku]

Marcia... I've made some of my own paper clay for doing repairs... but my impression was that it didn't throw well. It's something I've been meaning to experiment with more.

 

It's probably worth talking to SPS... although I've often found my interactions with them to be a bit... 'special'. (Whole separate topic there).

 

Min- thanks for the tip on Plainsman's clay. I wish there was a distributor a bit closer than Helena... but I do need an excuse to visit the Archie Bray facilities.

 

I just wedged a round of kyanite into some clay this AM, and I'll be forging ahead with a few experiements...

[Babs]

Were you happy with it?... wabi sabi?

[Guest JBaymore]

A very wise woman once said:

 

Here is a question for you that might be your answer.

Think of a potter whose work you admire and whom you respect a lot.
Picture someone showing him the piece above as an example of the quality of work you make.

How would you feel?
Every piece of work you put out in the world carries your name and makes your reputation.

If you put that much time and energy into the carving STOP raku-ing them ... Get yourself a more predictable firing process.
All the raku special effects get nuked in the sunshine anyhow and it's not hard to simulate black raku crackle post firing.
My advice is to stop throwing away all the time and energy you put into surface decoration.

 

best,

 

......................john

[Idaho Potter]

Kohaku,

 

I use Coleman raku (firing range 06 to 10) and it is fine grained. (It's from Clay Art Center)  It also is endurable during the kiln to smoke pot,   I don't do much by way of carving, but think this would work well if you are sticking to raku firing.  Your work is so beautiful, I'm kind of with Chris--try another firing technique.  If it's the luster quality in raku that attracts you, a second firing and you can have your lusters on a well vitrified clay.  B-mix without grog is smooth as butter and carves very well.

 

Shirley

[Kohaku]

Kohaku,

 

I use Coleman raku (firing range 06 to 10) and it is fine grained. (It's from Clay Art Center)  It also is endurable during the kiln to smoke pot,   I don't do much by way of carving, but think this would work well if you are sticking to raku firing.  Your work is so beautiful, I'm kind of with Chris--try another firing technique.  If it's the luster quality in raku that attracts you, a second firing and you can have your lusters on a well vitrified clay.  B-mix without grog is smooth as butter and carves very well.

 

Shirley

 

Thanks a ton Shirley- I'll check that out.

 

I'm not opposed to alternate techniques, but I'm pretty obsessed with the mosaic effect you get when carved lines are blackened. I suppose I could get this with India ink, but that seems a bit forced to me. Suggestions are welcome... but my experiments with sagger firing aren't promising (you can get a beautiful surface... but darkening the bare areas is more problematic)

 

I also love the organic feel you get with a Raku surface... not just the luster, but the variegated color, the crackle, and the textural residue of the combustibles.

 

Honestly, I feel like there's a lifetime of possibility for me to explore... and I'd rather explore form until I figure out which shapes can handle the stress and which can't.

 

David

[Leslie Ann]

Hello everyone

I am hoping someone knows a place where I could get a Raku picture repaired? The corners need repairing and there are 2 cracks on the bottom.  Hope someone can help me?

Kindest Regards

Leslie

[neilestrick]

1 hour ago, Leslie Ann said:

Hello everyone

I am hoping someone knows a place where I could get a Raku picture repaired? The corners need repairing and there are 2 cracks on the bottom.  Hope someone can help me?

Kindest Regards

Leslie

What is a raku picture?

[CactusPots]

If you put a sealer or finish of any kind over the surface of raku, wouldn't that count as a repair?

[neilestrick]

1 hour ago, CactusPots said:

If you put a sealer or finish of any kind over the surface of raku, wouldn't that count as a repair?

I see what you're getting at here, but would you consider sanding the bottom of a mug to be a repair? A repair implies that it was broken and put back together. Sealing a raku pot is just part of the process. I see raku like any other non-functional or sculptural work- there are no rules when it comes to how to deal with the surface. If that means a non-fired treatment, so be it.

[CactusPots]

Sanding the bottom of a pot is not a repair, because it's permanent.  Applying a finish to a porous pot is not.  The most important thing about ceramics is that it is permanent.  Archaeological digs are usually looking for ceramics if possible.  I think we are mixing the definitions of repair from anything done post firing to reassembling multiple pieces.  My opinion is that if using epoxy to fill a crack is a repair, then so is urethane, wax or any other surface enhancing application.

[neilestrick]

3 hours ago, CactusPots said:

I think we are mixing the definitions of repair from anything done post firing to reassembling multiple pieces. 

So if it's part of a process that's normally done post firing then it's not a repair, but....

4 hours ago, CactusPots said:

My opinion is that if using epoxy to fill a crack is a repair, then so is urethane, wax or any other surface enhancing application.

Applying a urethane or wax post firing is, even though it's part of the process?

A repair means that something happened that wasn't intended and needed to be fix, whereas applying a urethane or wax is part of the process. Is waxing your car a repair? No, it's meant to protect the paint so it lasts longer. Touching up a chip in the paint would be a repair.

 

[CactusPots]

The problem as I see it is that ceramics as we normally think of it requires no protection to the finish.  A car's finish won't last 2,000 years no matter what.  My lowly planters will.  Not a good analogy.  High fire ceramics will require no maintenance to prolong the finish.  The maker may consider a wax or other finish to be part of the process, but that somewhat separates it from what I consider ceramics proper.  Let the buyer beware.

As for repairing the crack with epoxy.  We agree that is a repair and I do treat it as such.  In my little corner of the ceramics world, I actually have higher standards than most, and I'm more like a typical potter In that respect.  I just don't want a buyer to discover a repair and be disappointed in his purchase.  As for my "legacy", not really a concern.

[Magnolia Mud Research]

A manufacturer has a set of specifications for each of the products produced.  A buyer has a set of specifications that must be met by the item purchased.  The best situation is when the Venn diagram of these two sets indicates that the buyer's set is totally within the manufacturer's set;  a situation where both parties are happy.  

 
The specs for cactus pots are not the same as the specs of 'tea bowls', 'scotch bowls', dinner plates, jewelry, teeth, or sculptures; all of which are ceramic items.   

LT

[neilestrick]

2 hours ago, CactusPots said:

A car's finish won't last 2,000 years no matter what.  My lowly planters will.  Not a good analogy.

I thought we were talking about raku, not your pots? The color in a raku copper glaze probably won't last any longer than a car's finish, so I think it is a good analogy. You wax them both to prolong the life of the finish. Both can oxidize over time.

2 hours ago, CactusPots said:

The problem as I see it is that ceramics as we normally think of it requires no protection to the finish.

We don't all think of it that way. Not all ceramic work requires durability or longevity. I personally strive for that in my work, but for a lot of people their work does not require it, nor do they strive for it, and I don't think it makes it any less valid.

[LeeU]

On 11/12/2019 at 7:51 PM, neilestrick said:

for a lot of people their work does not require it, nor do they strive for it, and I don't think it makes it any less valid.

Yes-thank you! I just commented along this line in another thread about repairs/epoxy/disclosure/ flaws etc.  I used to wonder if people like Soldner/Volkus ran around explaining their holes and ill-fitting seams! I stopped explaining that "it is intentional" a long time ago, after I figured people either "get it" or they don't. If they're interested, we'll talk. If all they see is something they assume is an amateurish flaw, and are condescending or snooty as they point it out, then so be it.  The world of ceramics is indeed hugely bigley with standards all over the place, running from exceptionally poor to exquisitely perfect!  

[Rebekah Krieger]

On 10/21/2013 at 8:16 PM, Kohaku said:

Well- the consensus seems pretty clear. Really appreciate the feedback.

 

It's interesting to me that people seem to support the idea of kintsugi (which is also a glue-based repair at its essence)... but I guess the perception of addition of value makes the difference.

 

I anticipate lots of fun with urushi laquer in my future. Better make friends with cold cream and rubber gloves...

Please pardon my lack of fluff here, but I feel that modern society has perverted the idea of kintsugi to be what it was never intended to be. It was never intended to be a way to repair pots that were made to sell, or to cover mistakes. . It was a way to repair long cherished pots.