Raku Birds

This is the peephole in the raku kiln I use at school.  Look carefully and you can see a little bird in there.

The pieces are taken out hot and put in a container filled with something that will burn so as to make an oxygen reduction when covered up.  I don't get to barbeque any more - funny how grills just aren't allowed on an apartment balcony - so this is how I get to do the Guy Thing of Fire.

 

 All my work at school is supervised by the Peacock Teaching Assistants.

 



Once that fire goes out the pieces are carefully lifted out with tongs.  They'll look interesting then ...

...or the smokey residue can be rubbed off off.

The reduction firing can affect the structural integrity of the pieces and make them very subject to breaking, which is why there are 6 birds before I started rubbing on them. And 5 birds when I was finished..