Raku Revisted

Determined that raku wasn't going to be a one night stand, or should that be 'a one hit wonder' & that there really must be a secret to getting consistant results with it, I played a little further.
This time I actually made notes as I played....yes I did say notes!!

I know - the thought of me writing down things while at the torch is really quite terrifying ....fire, hot glass glass popping everywhere, caffeine fix to the left, kiln to the right, Wilbur in my ear & pen & paper at hand - not directly under the torch so to speak, but close enough that it could cause concern.

"Thulani"

I'm actually pleased with the results, even though these two are lacking the wonderful vibrant purple that seemed to pop on the tube bead I showed earlier.

"Manyara"

Lets be honest here anything would be a vast improvement on this poor baby.


For the record, taking notes didn't make a huge difference.... well, not after I absently put my pen in the water jar ;o)

You know you've had a good day at the torch

When Reichenbach 108 - Iris Orange (Raku) just behaves the way you want it too.

Of course this is helped when a person has shared their tips for getting that colour to pop after you have burnt it all out by overworking the bead.

I'm convinced this stuff varies from rod to rod (nevermind batch to batch) - & also reacts according to how the stars are aligned, the phase of the moon & the way one is holding their mouth at the time of working it. But needless to say I am pretty darn happy with this result.

"The Force"

Of course I also say that there is no substitute for natural daylight photography, & others say that studio lights intensify the colours - to that I say "bah humbug"!