Kenneth J. Nowicki on fri 1 nov 02
glazes")
Hi Lee,
I am in complete agreement with you on this one. I too gave up quenching my
raku vessels during the post firing reduction process many years ago. It
seemed to me like an unnecessary step that only resulted in more structural
cracks due to the extreme thermal shock. Personally, at least in my
experience I don't believe that quenching a pot in water "holds", "freezes",
or "locks in" any metallic lusters created by PFR.
As far as stopping the oxidizing of those same surfaces, I don't think there
is much you can do about it. It's nature taking it's course. Of course one
could spray some type of sealant or lacquer type product on the piece later.
There has been quite a bit of discussion here about this before. I haven't
personally tried it yet, but very well may in the future.
I've discovered that I like the way my glazes come out by leaving them in the
reduction containers for extended periods of time. Depending on the piece,
the combustibles used, and the effect I'm trying to achieve... I've left
pieces smoking in the containers from anywhere to 20 minutes to overnight
(BTW, I usually fire at night... neighbors don't notice the smoke a much!)...
but I'd have to say the average for me is around an hour or so.
If you'd like to see an example of the results I've gotten using this method,
open up your Nov./Dec. issue of Clay Times to "The Gallery" section
(shameless plug, I know... hahaha).
All the best,
Ken
Kenneth J. Nowicki
10 Madison Street
Port Washington, NY 11050-3208
RakuArtist@aol.com
.............................................................................
> How did it ever get cast in stone that you had to quench raku pots in water
> for whatever purpose? I fire hundreds, or thousands of them, every year,
> gave up on the water quenching 10 years ago and haven't noticed a
difference
> other than reducing the amount of lost pots shattered during the quenching
> process.
>
> Lee Burningham
> Pottery teacher
> Box Elder high school
> northern utah
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