Once-Fired High temperature ceramics
This technique uses stoneware clays which contain grog (chamotte). It is added to a clay body to reduce shrinking, warping and cracking. This allows us to fire our pieces only once and at very high temperatures, in this case 1260ºC.
The pieces are coloured using non-toxic glazes that are applied to a leather-hard piece, using paint brushes. The predominant ingredients in these glazes are porcelain and ashes from olive trees.
The Art of Raku Firing
This technique is based on a traditional Japanese firing technique started in the 16th century.
The ceramics are made from stoneware clays which contain grog or chamotte. This type of clay make the pieces able to withstand the huge thermal shock when they are removed from an incandescent kiln. The pieces are glaze placed in a gas-fired kiln. Using large raku tongs, the pieces are removed, one at a time, red hot from the kiln at the final firing temperature of 900-1000ºC. Upon removal from the kiln the pieces are placed in vats containing flammable materials (wood chips, seaweed).
The main characteristic of Raku glazes is their tendency to crackle or craze. These crackle glazes are enhanced by the post firing smoking of raku pots that embeds carbon into the crackles of the glaze.By using the reduction we can create silver and copper glaze metals, that decorate the ceramics.
Once the desired effect is complete the final stage is dipping the pieces in water to stop any further changes to the glaze.
Note that our products are non-toxic.
