The session comes to an End with Raku

The spring session came to an end with we spending a day at Bobs house doing some Raku glazing followed by Raku firing. It was a long and tiring day.

The process:

• fire the raku pots
• when cold, glaze them
• then fire in a raku furance (kiln) upto a 2000 degree Fahrenhite. Slower the temparture rise the better (if quick the water in the clay/glze evaporates faster subjecting the pot to explode, crack)
• Once fired, moved to another container that has fire and dry leaves - put the red hot pot in this add more dry leaves and close. Keep till smoke subsides. The smoke makes brings the shine to Raku pots.

The pictures:

just glazed

moving red hot object from kiln to smoky container

The end product :)

May 17 - Session 9

Made 3 raku pots [the kiln is small so they are generally small, shud not be very think and the raku clay does not hold ornamental stuff like clay flowers and stuff well - so it has its limitations]

Glazed two other items [before glazing, the pot/peice should have been fired once - I think I glazed one unfired :(( ]

Shaped a small clay elephant

Pictures to come as I get the same completed post fire.

May 8 - Seesion 8

I missed it

May 3 - Session 7

zzzzzz... missed it!!!

April 26 - Session 6

Today I saw my completed flower vase.
Also made another pot and finsihed the bead plate and trimmed the mug.

Below is the completed picture of my first flower vase

Made from S 105 clay and glazed with white, blue and light green

April 19 - Session 5

I did somethg, probably the glazing happened in this session.
How do u glaze
1) slightly wet the object
2) dip it it in the glaze or just brush it with the glaze
3) let it dry
4) fire it

April 12 - Session 4

I was late by 40 minutes as I was praticing for the skit.
I did a pot on the wheel, glazed the first flower vase, the deepak and trimmed the abstract peice.

Class 3 - I managed to centre the clay on the Wheel

Yesterday was the third session of my pottery lessons, it'll be unfair to call to them lessons as it more up to the individual to pratice and learn.
I attempted the wheel again, failed to centre the peice of clay:
By the before you go to the wheel here are the steps
1) cut a peice of soft clay
2) Make into a ball, kneed it, and again smooth it into a ball. A fine and smooth ball. (This is important for a consistent pot)
3) Now throw this ball on the centre of potters wheel
4) Put on the wheel and let it rotate
5) Wet your hands and try to centre it - basic and most important step to make a pot.
6) To centre it - keep your hands firm, don't let the clay push them. The clay is not centred until you feel its pushing your hand.

Once it is centred, you are ready to shape it.

Anyway, for me the centring did not come so easily. I asked the instructor help me again. HE centred it and I started to shape the clay only to change it into something we'll like call as distorted figure.

The next trial was the moment of satisfaction when I could centre the clay my self but again I shaped it into something abstract which does not look like a pot from any angel.

Second Class - A big disappointment

I had left the pot to dry in a steel almira, so had others. However I noticed that one of the leaf on my pot had broken and it was hard to mend it. The day went in mending it, not sure if its going t live when baked.

I also tried the wheel and was almost at the verge of making a pot but all three times I ended up in nothing. Whats important on a wheel is the centreing of the clay and then the pressure you put on the interior and exterior walls and the way you make it grow and expand. I learn how to expand it.. but the trick is - first let it grow in height and then expand. The otherway round just limits the height. Letting it grow in height making sure the walls are thick.

anyway, the day ended with no fruitful result and i came back home sad and disappointed. My creativity failed me or may be I am just not creative enough.

The First Class

The hour started with excitement, met new people with same interest.
Bob- the instructor taught has three types of pot making - that was pintch pot, the coil pot and the wheel pot. The wheel is supposed to be the toughtest as it needs a lot of balancing, as dealing with wet and moving clay.

The class worked on a pintch pot and I made a flower pot that looked like a 'bell' flower. I will put a picture when the same is baked.

I was content after those 2 hours. I loved my creativty and the end product.