Jackie Richards on sun 31 dec 00
Can you give me suggestions on how to raku some large or cumbersome pieces
that I would be unable to pull out of kiln for secondary reduction? I have
an Olympic Gas Kiln 28", that has 3 bottom gas ports and top loading lid. I
have two items, a very large smooth sphere, and a rather heavy but somewhat
fragile sculpture. Even on a ladder I would not be able to lift the
sculpture with tongs, and the sphere has nothing to grab on to! Has anyone
reduced directly in the kiln after the gas has been shut off? What could I
use? And what does it do to the kiln? And does it give any secondary
reduction? Thanks for all of your (what will be) very creative answers.
Jackie in Tucson, plowing through problems with clay while the rest of you
are plowing through snow.
Gayla Lemke on mon 1 jan 01
I am not sure how difficult it is to unload from a toploading raku kiln,
however, I have pulled large cumbersome pieces from a raku kiln where the
bonnet lifts off, and they could not be pulled with tongs. I borrowed a fire
retardant "jumpsuit" to wear, made sure my hair was stuffed under a leather
cap, wore raku gloves and used another pair as oven mits and pulled the
pieces by hand. I have also done this in regular clothes without the
jumpsuit. Don't know if pulling by hand will work with a top loader
though...seems that the heat would be "rather intense." I have heard of
reducing in the kiln but haven't tried it. Maybe if you had a couple of
people to help with tongs to get the piece up out of the kiln and then you
could grab it with your hands??? Good Luck!
Mike Gordon on mon 1 jan 01
Hi,
Try using some sheet metal thin enough to form into a circle and fixed
with wire to hold it in place and lower this around your piece, have an
assistant put lots of combustible in while you put a lid on. Mike Gordon
Anne Hunt on mon 1 jan 01
Hi, Jackie!
Reducing in the kiln would require closing off the burner ports, don't know
how you could swing that.
I regularly pull large pieces - platters, mirror frames, and "florals" -
that really need to be pulled with weight distributed evenly, so use the
long (16") barbeque tongs (sort of like lobster claws at the end). I get
the tongs at a restaurant supply place, and there about $3.00 each.
For the really hard picker uppers, including some of the above, I use Ken
Turner's trick of folding a newspaper section in 4 (medium-sized town, not
metropolis), saturating it in water, let it drip out, put a crease in the
the center and voila' a cheapo oven mitt that usually doesn't even singe.
Use 2.
Garb is a scarf on head and around neck, 2 layers long-sleeved top, leather
wrist to upper arm gauntlets ($20 at Clay Art Supply, Tacoma), women's
sized leather gloves, and the "must" is a clear plastic face-shield. The
shield can tilt downward and cover your neck. Mmm, wear pants and shoes,
too.
The newspaper mitts would work perfectly for your sphere. Needless to say,
the pull out of the has to be fast, then you could mosey to your reduction
can, irf you wanted. Only caveat is that your mitty hands could slip a bit
on a glossy glaze like a crackle, Dragonfly, Higby Water Blue, etc. Just be
prepared, the piece won't go anywhere, and there could be just the teeniest
bit of smear on the finished piece. Only you will know it's there.
Press on with pride,
anne & the cats, in sequim, wa, with no snow, sunshine, and it's almost
balmy. prosperous and deliciously happy new year!
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