Raku Pottery Glaze Recipes

Raku pottery is a Japanese style of pottery most often used in tea ceremonies. Raku ware uses exclusively monochromatic black or red glazes as an expression of the subdued aesthetics of Wabi. In this way, the simplicity of the design combined with the handmade-quality of the tea bowl contributes to the enjoyment of the tea ceremony.

Western Raku

While traditional raku glazes were made of lead, modern Japanese raku glazes are made of non-lead Frit. Western potters may use any number of glazes. Additionally, western potters classify most pots that have been put through a post-firing production while still red-hot from the kiln as raku. Western raku has a more characteristically colorful glaze, and the ingredients in the glaze help to contribute to the colors that the finished pot takes on. For a basic raku glaze, mix a ratio of eight parts gerstley borate to two parts feldspar.

Color Glaze Recipes

For a creamy yellow raku wash, mix a glaze of eight parts gerstley borate to two parts titanium dioxide. Mix with water and pass through a sieve.

For a volcanic ash glaze that will appear buff red when applied thinly or yellow-green when applied thickly, mix 26.9 percent volcanic ash with 7.5 percent colemanite, 7.5 percent magnesium carbonate, 19.4 percent nepheline syenite, 16.1 percent whiting, 17.2 percent kaolin and 5.4 percent flint.

For a glaze that can appear coppery with blue and red tones, mix 45 percent of frit 3134, 40 percent gerstley borate, 7 percent flint, 8 percent EPK Kaolin and six percent copper carbonate.

A satin glaze using baby powder includes 13.86 percent baby powder or talc, 72.28 percent frit 3124 and 13.86 percent ball clay. Add colorant to this glaze if you want to color your raku pottery.

For a green-brown glaze, 15 percent whiting, 15 percent Kentucky ball clay and 70 percent Albany slip. You can make this glaze appear deeper brown by adding 1 percent red iron oxide. For a semi-clear base glaze that can be altered to achieve a number of different colors, start with 19 percent whiting, add 73 percent Custer feldspar and 8 percent flint. To this mixture, add 3 percent bentonite and 1 percent GMC gum. To achieve color variations, add red iron oxide in the following amounts: for celadon, add 1 percent red iron oxide; for pale green, add 1.5 percent red iron oxide; for olive green, add 5 percent red iron oxide; and for a runny brown shading to black color, add 10 percent red iron oxide.

References

• Pottery the Art
• Raku Glaze Recipes
• Raku For You

Resources

• The Raku Museum
• Raku-Yaki
• Ceramic Arts Daily