Description
Are you interested in trying out alternative firings? If so, come and join us on our one-off Raku & Copper Fuming workshop.
We will take you through the process of how to Raku your clay creations, as well as showing you more specialist methods like Copper Fuming. We’ll teach you how to decorate your pieces using resists to create variation in your glazes and cover all the necessary Health and Safety involved in managing your own Raku firing. We can even show you how to build your very own Raku kiln!
Workshops are limited to small numbers which allows us to give personal tuition, making sure you get the most out of your time with us.
We have restricted numbers to only 6 participants so that everyone gets a good opportunity to try and experiment with the various techniques.
The workshop will start at 10:00 a.m. Please arrive between 09:45 and 10:00 ready for the workshop to start. There should be adequate parking on our driveway for any vehicles. We will send you directions on how to find us if you have not previously visited us.
A light lunch will be provided (soup and a roll, or similar). Coffee, various teas and soft drinks will be provided throughout the day, and cake in the afternoon. If you have any particular dietary requirements, allergies or dislikes, then please let us know in advance, so that we can plan accordingly.
We do have a very friendly black Labrador, Phoebe, who may be around during the day. If you have a particular dislike of dogs then please let us know in advance and we can make sure that she is locked away.
The plan for our workshop is currently to demonstrate and allow you to try a number of techniques including:-
- Standard Raku Glazing, including the use of resist.
- Naked Raku (using special resist slip)
- Copper Matt fuming, at least 3 different ways….
- Reduction under a “tophat”
- As above, with an alcohol spray
- Post cooling reduction
- Using horsehair/feathers
- Obvara firing (an experiment for us! See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0ARBkzNwVc ).
All Participants are invited to bring along their own work for firing, or we can will supply a number of test items. Items will need to be made from a suitable clay, ideally something recommended for Raku firing. We strongly recommend Ashraf Hannah Raku Clay from Scarva/Valentines (PF520). This is white and very reliable. You may try any clay you wish, however there may be some higher risk of cracking on some clays due to the rapid heating/cooling of the pieces.
For the naked raku and the horsehair/feathers it is recommended that the clay is burnished before bisque firing (which might optionally include the use of terra sigillata), however this is not absolutely essential. It just tends to give a better finish, especially if you then wish to polish the surface using wax to give a shine.
The day is planned to finish at approximately 16:30.
If you have any queries before that day, then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Please note that this workshop day is partially weather dependent. Whilst we can operate under inclement conditions, if the weather is forecast to be extreme (gales or very heavy rain) then we might need to reschedule the date. If this is the case, we will try and let you know as early as possible. Please check your e-mail the day prior to the workshop to confirm that we do not anticipate any problems.
Cost: £75 – includes light lunch (e.g. hot soup and a roll), all materials & firing.