To avoid breakage due to direct burner contact, use fire 4 brick, laid on edge, under your shelf. Place the first two in a "V" pattern, about 1 1/2" apart in front were they face the burner hole. This allows a portion of the heat to travel strait across, a portion to travel sideways. The other two at 10 and 2 o'clock, parallel to the kiln wall. Then flame on!
HI, dont know if its mentioned here but you can use your fiber cutoffs to form an insulated 'button' to clamp your firewool securely without costing out for heat resistant wires. Simply bind some into a ball or rod, tie with any wire but wrap the whole lot to form a button them pull against wall to seal off from inner atmosphere and fix in place with another outside tie off system.
Just made a kiln out of a drum from a retired clothes dryer. This is my second kiln and I used 2" insulation this time, as well as some brush-on rigidizer to keep it from escaping into the air (or me) later. I had to make a bottom out of a piece of 1/16" steel sheet, and I also added some legs out of angle steel and some handles for carrying. My first kiln was a "lift off" style made from 1" insulation and wire fencing that worked well but is now proving too small. I was able to get it up to 2000F with a weed burner / BBQ propane tank. Top loaders seem more convenient for keeping the remaining pieces warm as they're taken out one at a time. With the lift-off kiln it was a mad scramble to get the pieces processed.
That's so cool! With this one it is still a scurry to get everything in the burn buckets but the top load does buy more time! I like the idea of legs and handles this one is tough to move.
Did you use a ridigizer spray? I just purchased some fire blanket for my raku kiln and i was told by the supplier that its nit needed as its Super wool low bio persistent
I did not use a rigidizer, it's held up fine for me with just the buttons but it's possible material from different brands or suppliers would behave differently
Nice work! Have participated in very many raku firings. We used to use this horsehair method - but with the addition of a ferric chloride spray (DO NOT BREATHE!). Takes a while to figure out, temp-wise, like the hair, but makes very nice effects. If you're sporting, you can make the ferric chloride from many different iron sources (steel wool, cast iron frying pan, etc.) which just adds to the fun. Then you're a short step from making Prussian blue pigment... Anyway. Keep up the good work! Aloha
Haha the spray idea is interesting, I've seen sagar firing that turn out beautifully. I'll have to google about the Prussian blue (beautiful color), regrettably I didn't pay much attention in chemistry. 😀
@@BrevaCreative Haven't done the sugar before. Am wondering about dissolving it in water and using a spray bottle?? Try different concentrations. And different finenesses of sprays. Maybe a mouthful spurted from your lips? Or flung from your fingers, or from a brush? Makes me wanna try! 😆
@@gazzo12345 it took about an hour but will depend on your torch, insulation, weather, etc. I just kept an eye on the pyrometric cones and waited for them to start deforming. A promoter could also be installed to help gauge doneness
@@BrevaCreative Wow... I'd never tried doing a combined bisque/raku. I don't have an electric kiln, so I'm using my gas raku kiln to do a ~3 hour bisque, then a separate ~1 hour raku firing with commercial glaze. I'm also using locally dug clay and there's been a lot of trial and error with time, temperature, tempering additives (sand, grog, kyanite) getting things not to crack. My early experiments were with a wood-fired kiln made of some patio paving bricks and I did manage one reduction firing where I dumped saw dust down the chimney at the end and then buried the kiln in dirt until it cooled. Got a perfect black finish from the reduction without using any glaze, so now you've got me thinking about how I might do something like that again.
@@kencoxdesign that is essentially what i am doing, I didn't show much of the prep and bisque in the video but the glaze was applied to bisqueware. I have found that if the bisque ran a bit low I can still glaze and fire and it works out but there are still two firings
Not sure if there's one on that torch or not, good call. I know they're most important on acetylene torches, and less of a concern on propane, but it'd still be a good idea to grab one 👍
Haha thanks, yeah it's using a raku kiln, but not using the reduction process here. We have another true raku video that we tried after this one, check it out! Definitely more to come as well. Thanks for watching! 💚
The ceramic fiber must be coated with furnace cement or similar. Using it as is forces a blast of fibers into the air. This material is particularly dangerous to lungs and spreads far 0:06 .
Wow very important sharing thanks 🥰 but pls could you tell me what it name the white aroud it. I really want to make it because my country don't have kiln sell 😌
The white stuff is ceramic fiber insulation. Check the insulation link in the description for specifics on it even if you don't have amazon, that will help you figure out what type of Insulation I got.
It takes me 45-90 minutes depending on what temp I'm aiming for and how fast I ramp up. If I'm doing a glaze fire for example I'm aiming for 1850⁰ish it took about 75 minutes last time I fired.
i would imagine that these would not be useable for putting food in due to it really only being the equivalent of biscuit fired tempeture and your colours only being added after firing so they would not be reslient , only decorative, but it looks nice the end result
Good question! For this first firing, we didn't have a temperature gauge, so it was kind of a guess and check method. Not ideal. We also gauged it based on the color the heat was emitting what the temp was. However it's much more accurate to get either a high temp Infrared laser or a Thermocouple setup. We opted for a Infrared laser for our next firing and we're really happy with it. I added a link to the one we got in the description. Happy firing! 💚
I've never ever heard of that, we were super careful while installing and i don't breath the fumes while burning since there's off gassing and whatnot from clay and glazes as well. Can't get better ventilation than open air. Will do a bit more research but im not super worried since we are careful and the insulation is rated for the high temps
I'm experiment with burnishing now, haven't gotten the pieces to the kiln yet but seems like it's a big improvement. also looking into terra siggelatta, that's suposed to make it nice and smooth as well but seems like a hassle to make 😅
Hi, I don't know anyone else has mentioned but when you use ceramic fiber you need to add a hardener also called regidizer because without it, over time and use the blanket will release fibers and the fibers are very very bad health, they are very incompatible with life (Sorry for the bad englis)
True raku is not food safe but you can make lots of decorative stuff, get to know clay and see if you like it enough to drop a couple grand on a standard kiln 😀
Lol, it really is quite safe if you take the proper precautions (dousing the surrounding area with water, heat proof gloves, safety glasses, check for propane leaks, keeping the kiln away from overhangs or other flammible objects, regularly checking on it, etc.) Thanks for watching! 💚
To avoid breakage due to direct burner contact, use fire 4 brick, laid on edge, under your shelf. Place the first two in a "V" pattern, about 1 1/2" apart in front were they face the burner hole. This allows a portion of the heat to travel strait across, a portion to travel sideways. The other two at 10 and 2 o'clock, parallel to the kiln wall.
Then flame on!
Thanks for the tip, I will have to try that!!
@@BrevaCreative Have fun!
@@danconnolly980 oh we will! 😁
great info, thank you for sharing your process 😊🙏🏽
its fair to say that your kiln is made from a lot more than just a barrel with some fire.
HI, dont know if its mentioned here but you can use your fiber cutoffs to form an insulated 'button' to clamp your firewool securely without costing out for heat resistant wires. Simply bind some into a ball or rod, tie with any wire but wrap the whole lot to form a button them pull against wall to seal off from inner atmosphere and fix in place with another outside tie off system.
That's a great idea!
I love the final product! You are inspiring me! Maybe I'll try it here!
Awesome!!!
I'll have to try and make one. Thanks for the tutorial!
Go for it! ❤️
Awesome!
Cool horsehair tip!
Very cool! Thanks for sharing
Thank you! 💚
"because gravity" I died
🤣
I anxiously awaited the famous line and 😂😂 also, makes sense haha
Just made a kiln out of a drum from a retired clothes dryer. This is my second kiln and I used 2" insulation this time, as well as some brush-on rigidizer to keep it from escaping into the air (or me) later. I had to make a bottom out of a piece of 1/16" steel sheet, and I also added some legs out of angle steel and some handles for carrying.
My first kiln was a "lift off" style made from 1" insulation and wire fencing that worked well but is now proving too small. I was able to get it up to 2000F with a weed burner / BBQ propane tank. Top loaders seem more convenient for keeping the remaining pieces warm as they're taken out one at a time. With the lift-off kiln it was a mad scramble to get the pieces processed.
That's so cool! With this one it is still a scurry to get everything in the burn buckets but the top load does buy more time! I like the idea of legs and handles this one is tough to move.
Did you use a ridigizer spray? I just purchased some fire blanket for my raku kiln and i was told by the supplier that its nit needed as its Super wool low bio persistent
I did not use a rigidizer, it's held up fine for me with just the buttons but it's possible material from different brands or suppliers would behave differently
Nice work! Have participated in very many raku firings. We used to use this horsehair method - but with the addition of a ferric chloride spray (DO NOT BREATHE!). Takes a while to figure out, temp-wise, like the hair, but makes very nice effects. If you're sporting, you can make the ferric chloride from many different iron sources (steel wool, cast iron frying pan, etc.) which just adds to the fun. Then you're a short step from making Prussian blue pigment... Anyway. Keep up the good work! Aloha
Haha the spray idea is interesting, I've seen sagar firing that turn out beautifully. I'll have to google about the Prussian blue (beautiful color), regrettably I didn't pay much attention in chemistry. 😀
@@BrevaCreative Haven't done the sugar before. Am wondering about dissolving it in water and using a spray bottle?? Try different concentrations. And different finenesses of sprays. Maybe a mouthful spurted from your lips? Or flung from your fingers, or from a brush? Makes me wanna try! 😆
@@pashaveres4629 haha, yeah, sounds interesting! I will have to try that sometime 😄
Had these pots been bisque fired first?
No , this is essentially straight out of a quick raku bisque that the horse hair is applied.
@@BrevaCreative Thanks for your response, could you tell me how long the firing took to bisque?
@@gazzo12345 it took about an hour but will depend on your torch, insulation, weather, etc. I just kept an eye on the pyrometric cones and waited for them to start deforming. A promoter could also be installed to help gauge doneness
@@BrevaCreative Wow... I'd never tried doing a combined bisque/raku. I don't have an electric kiln, so I'm using my gas raku kiln to do a ~3 hour bisque, then a separate ~1 hour raku firing with commercial glaze. I'm also using locally dug clay and there's been a lot of trial and error with time, temperature, tempering additives (sand, grog, kyanite) getting things not to crack.
My early experiments were with a wood-fired kiln made of some patio paving bricks and I did manage one reduction firing where I dumped saw dust down the chimney at the end and then buried the kiln in dirt until it cooled. Got a perfect black finish from the reduction without using any glaze, so now you've got me thinking about how I might do something like that again.
@@kencoxdesign that is essentially what i am doing, I didn't show much of the prep and bisque in the video but the glaze was applied to bisqueware. I have found that if the bisque ran a bit low I can still glaze and fire and it works out but there are still two firings
Do you use a flashback arrestor with your torch?
Not sure if there's one on that torch or not, good call. I know they're most important on acetylene torches, and less of a concern on propane, but it'd still be a good idea to grab one 👍
hi very useful vidéo. doe's it work with Enamel ?
I have not used enamel so I'm not sure, it gets really hot but controlling exact temperature is difficult so it depends on what is required for enamel
@@BrevaCreative thank you ❤️
ah such a great video !
Thank you!!!💚
not really raku but great video and pottery. I loved the horse hair effects.
Haha thanks, yeah it's using a raku kiln, but not using the reduction process here. We have another true raku video that we tried after this one, check it out! Definitely more to come as well. Thanks for watching! 💚
The ceramic fiber must be coated with furnace cement or similar. Using it as is forces a blast of fibers into the air. This material is particularly dangerous to lungs and spreads far 0:06 .
Wow very important sharing thanks 🥰 but pls could you tell me what it name the white aroud it. I really want to make it because my country don't have kiln sell 😌
The white stuff is ceramic fiber insulation. Check the insulation link in the description for specifics on it even if you don't have amazon, that will help you figure out what type of Insulation I got.
@@BrevaCreative 🥰🥰 Thanks
I love this video. A thousand thanks.
How long can cooking take? For how many hours?
It takes me 45-90 minutes depending on what temp I'm aiming for and how fast I ramp up. If I'm doing a glaze fire for example I'm aiming for 1850⁰ish it took about 75 minutes last time I fired.
@@BrevaCreative Thanks
i would imagine that these would not be useable for putting food in due to it really only being the equivalent of biscuit fired tempeture and your colours only being added after firing so they would not be reslient , only decorative, but it looks nice the end result
That's correct, you can't create pottery that holds water or food with raku firing. These are all decorative. Thanks for watching!
Great video. How much ceramic fibre did you need for this project?
The double layer used a little less than 20' of the 24" x 1" roll, linked in the description. So I have a bit over 5' leftover.
Well done. A lot of hassle though
Yeah, worth it if you're willing to spend the time and you like the look of raku 😄
Thx, but how you are sure it‘s hot enough?
Thx!
Good question! For this first firing, we didn't have a temperature gauge, so it was kind of a guess and check method. Not ideal. We also gauged it based on the color the heat was emitting what the temp was. However it's much more accurate to get either a high temp Infrared laser or a Thermocouple setup. We opted for a Infrared laser for our next firing and we're really happy with it. I added a link to the one we got in the description. Happy firing! 💚
Thx!!! 👌
Just one thing: Where I do find the link to the infrared Laser?
Thx again!!!
Burkhard
@@burkhardkutschenreuter8134 I just added it to the video description below the video. It's the last Amazon link in the list! 🙂
Thxxxx! 👍🏻
That insulation has to be treated before use doesn’t it. I work in a hospital as a respiratory therapist and I would hate for you to damage your lungs
I've never ever heard of that, we were super careful while installing and i don't breath the fumes while burning since there's off gassing and whatnot from clay and glazes as well. Can't get better ventilation than open air. Will do a bit more research but im not super worried since we are careful and the insulation is rated for the high temps
If you were to burnish your pots you might well get a better finish
I'm experiment with burnishing now, haven't gotten the pieces to the kiln yet but seems like it's a big improvement. also looking into terra siggelatta, that's suposed to make it nice and smooth as well but seems like a hassle to make 😅
Hi, I don't know anyone else has mentioned but when you use ceramic fiber you need to add a hardener also called regidizer because without it, over time and use the blanket will release fibers and the fibers are very very bad health, they are very incompatible with life
(Sorry for the bad englis)
So why wear a mask if you're not going to use the filter?! Without it, it's basically a funnel directing hazards into your respiratory system.
Because I completely forgot to... 🤦♀️
Thank you for doing the videos! I also forget things sometimes...@@BrevaCreative
But, it's not safe for food....
True raku is not food safe but you can make lots of decorative stuff, get to know clay and see if you like it enough to drop a couple grand on a standard kiln 😀
Buy a kiln 😂
We actually made our own kiln in a later video 👍
Wow so glad people are getting rich enough to be this flippant about it. Assholes
Some people don’t have the luxury of making an open fire to do Raku firing. Buy a kiln.
And some people, like us, don't have a 240v outlet that we can plug a kiln into.
horse hair must stink
Can't say it's pleasant! 😅
Looks safe. Sign me up.
Lol, it really is quite safe if you take the proper precautions (dousing the surrounding area with water, heat proof gloves, safety glasses, check for propane leaks, keeping the kiln away from overhangs or other flammible objects, regularly checking on it, etc.) Thanks for watching! 💚
Raku is not food safe.
Didn't say it was.