The secrets of Raku Revealed - Page 19

Nitadee · #**541** 2009-11-22, 4:02pm

Oh yes Madiline just sneeze all over that bead LOL!!!!! I only have 104 glass to use it with, so about the other I just couldn't tell you, however maybe someone with more knowledge than I can chime in.
Feel better soon ok????
Nita

MadelineBunyan · #**542** 2009-11-22, 4:33pm

when I went looking for said chunks, they were in a box of reichenbach (the non 104 kind) rods that I forgot I even had...dur! I labelled it in a big fat permanent marker in inch 1/2 high letters as well! I will blame it on the cold...it has fuzzed up my brain!

its not so much the sneeze on the bead but the ceasing of a nice even turning of mandrel....

just had a huge workshop tidy-up, dad built me a whole wall of shelves for my glass and stuff!cant find a thing of course!haha

oh...and cause I was working bottle glass last...my desk is practically clear(apart from frit!)...which means I can get out a different COE....I know what I'm playing with next!!

Llama Girl · #**543** 2009-12-01, 5:08pm

Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your knowledge with us! I finally figured out how to work with the Raku...

These are all Raku large frit over Moretti black...an order for bookmarks for a friend's reading club

nancyinvermont · #**544** 2009-12-01, 5:12pm

You did a beautiful job with those beads, llamagirl!! I have tried and tried and still have not been able to get that kind of color from raku.

mini · #**545** 2009-12-01, 6:31pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Llama Girl

Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your knowledge with us! I finally figured out how to work with the Raku...

These are all Raku large frit over Moretti black...an order for bookmarks for a friend's reading club

They are gorgeous!! But how on earth would you make book marks out of them?

angelique_redhead · #**546** 2009-12-02, 6:49am

The easiest way is to run a ribbon though them and tie a knot above and below the bead. --O-------- There are metal bookmarks you can add a bead to though.

Angelique

Quote:

Originally Posted by mini

They are gorgeous!! But how on earth would you make book marks out of them?

angelique_redhead · #**547** 2009-12-02, 6:58am

Here is a search I did for the bookmarks for Fire Mountain. http://www.firemountaingems.com/sear...skw=book+marks

Angelique

Nitadee · #**548** 2010-01-06, 10:06pm

Getting closer and closer all the time

Thanks to Madeline, I go some really wonderful raku chunks and this is what I made today, and I like it alot

Nita

Gham · #**549** 2010-01-06, 10:38pm

These are beautiful! Now I am going to need to research about raku. Is it something that can be used with coe 104? I am getting more and more hooked by the minute.

nancyinvermont · #**550** 2010-01-06, 10:52pm

Nita, great work with the raku! Lovely lentils. Raku still eludes me, darn it.

MadelineBunyan · #**551** 2010-01-07, 1:58am

yay nita!

BarbC · #**552** 2010-01-09, 6:00pm

I'm given Raku another try!

Mitosis Glass · #**553** 2010-01-09, 8:55pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Llama Girl

Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your knowledge with us! I finally figured out how to work with the Raku...

These are all Raku large frit over Moretti black...an order for bookmarks for a friend's reading club

You mean these were made with 104 Raku?? I have such a bugger of a time getting anything but various shades of poop from 104. The 96 is only slightly better for me. (and yes, I have read Dawn's tips earlier in this thread but I still can't seem to make a go of it....)

Well, your friend will make some very awesome bookmarks! I hope she loves them.

ElementalsDesign · #**554** 2010-01-09, 9:06pm

Although I still haven't tried it (haven't wanted to waste it before I know how to use it), what I've gotten after all the threads and tutes I've now read on raku is pretty much the definition of ironic.
You see, I knocked myself out to find raku frit with the same COE as all the glass that I have.. 104, naturally.
What I am getting from every thing I've read is that it's the hardest of all COE's of raku to get any color out of.. any words of encouragement and/or advice to the contrary out there?

Rachel the firekat

Fru Babsan · #**555** 2010-01-18, 5:41am

I've been struggeling with raku for two year. Not all the time ofcourse, but now and then. And I really have trouble bringing those colours out.

This thread helps a lot, though, and I want to show you a bead I'm actually quite proud of:

Ruby fish

RydersRelics · #**556** 2010-01-20, 7:26am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Llama Girl

Thank you, Dawn, for sharing your knowledge with us! I finally figured out how to work with the Raku...

These are all Raku large frit over Moretti black...an order for bookmarks for a friend's reading club

Where are these "tips" that you spoke of?

mini · #**557** 2010-01-20, 8:41am

Quote:

Originally Posted by angelique_redhead

The easiest way is to run a ribbon though them and tie a knot above and below the bead. --O-------- There are metal bookmarks you can add a bead to though.

Angelique

Sorry I missed your reply
That's actually brilliant!!

& thanks for the link.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RydersRelics

Where are these "tips" that you spoke of?

All through out this thread, but you would do well to start with page 14 post #405.

angelique_redhead · #**558** 2010-01-20, 12:41pm

I hope it helped. One of the reasons I like book marks like that is they are thinner and can be made to fit a specific book without damaging it (as long or as short as needed) and you can replace the ribbon when you need to.

Angelique

[quote=mini;2845398]Sorry I missed your reply
That's actually brilliant!!

& thanks for the link.QUOTE]

glasser · #**559** 2010-01-26, 6:45am

I sat the Sunday night and read this whole thread. Could hardly sleep that night. Soon as I got up I was on the torch, trying to apply Dawn's principles of raku. All I can say is thank you, thank you, Dawn. Due to your unselfish sharing and support it was finally possible for me to coax some pretty colors! Used iris orange frit I made, over Moretti black, and encased. Which is a challenge for me but that seemed to make the colors pop!

Cathie · #**560** 2010-01-26, 7:15am

This thread rocks, I am going to play with raku today, I hope I get some great beads !!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dawn >^..^<

It's been a while since I've been on this thread and wanted to thank everyone for such nice compliments!

I have a new camera that can take videos too, and I'm hoping to do some short little video clips for different raku techniques. Sometimes I know what to do, but don't know exactly how to put it into words, so I thought a short video would be really cool.

In the meantime, let me say this about raku on the subject of Encasing -vs- Not Encasing.

Step one - This is the most important step! You need to do this whether you plan to encase or not. If you don't get this right, nothing you do after it will help. Make your bead in a neutral flame and apply your raku frit or stringer work and melt it in. Don't even think about color right now, just make the bead like you would any other bead as long as you have a neutral flame and don't let it reduce. Once you have the final shape of your bead with the raku melted in, let the bead cool to loose it's glow and to harden a bit in the center. The raku will probably be pale and brown at this point. Turn your propane / gas down real low and super heat the surface of the bead so close to the head of the torch that the flame candles lick the bead. (If you see a metallic film, you still have too much propane....you do not want to reduce it! Either turn your gas down more or crank up your oxygen.) If you turn your bead slowly in this hot, oxygen rich flame you will see a cloud like effect start to flow across the bead where the raku is starting it's shifting process. It's not colors you will see at this point but just the raku on the surface turning clear. Now that you have a good even super heat to the surface of the bead, take the bead out of the flame. If you're using a press, press it now while it's hot. If you're not using a press you can lightly marver it or just blow on it until the glow starts to go away, and then flash it back through the flame. The raku at this point should turn really dark, almost black. That's a very good thing! If it doesn't get dark, you didn't heat it enough to make it shift. Let it cool and try the super heat again. You only have a few tries on this before you burn the color out so try to get it hot enough the first time.

Step Two for Encased Beads - If you're going to encase the bead, DO IT NOW while the raku is at it's darkest! The heat from the clear glass you encase with will develope the colors for you! Don't wait until you have great colors showing to encase because the clear will only make the raku pale and you will loose those vivid colors. While your heating your clear rod to encase with, just waft your bead in and out of the flame about 4 inches from the torch....just enough to keep it warm enough to not crack, but don't let it glow or the colors will start to develope before you get the clear on! Once you have the clear on you can heat it as much as you need to to melt it in and do your final shaping. As the bead starts to cool you will see the lovely colors, and it will look even better when it comes out of the kiln.

Step Two for Non-Encased Beads - To develope the colors without encasing, you need to put your bead back in the flame just until it starts to glow red just like you' do when you flame polish. (Not a white hot glow) Then take it out of the flame and watch the colors develope as the glow starts to go away. This first attempt usually gives me reds and purples. For blues and greens, do the same thing again and bring the bead to a red glow and take it out of the flame and watch it. Once you have the colors you like, give the bead some nice even heat out in the middle of your flame, but don't let it glow again. This is just to make sure it's warm and happy before you pop it into the kiln.

Now go give it a try and don't forget to post some yummy raku photos!

glasser · #**561** 2010-01-26, 8:13am

Quote:

Originally Posted by Locococo

Dawn.........thank you so much for the great help on the secrets of Raku.

Elke

OMG these are to die for! Are these encased also? Is that zoozi's shield press? I love it!

Locococo · #**562** 2010-01-29, 2:30am

Thanks for the compliment.
Not encased, just Effetre Black & Raku Frit, made with a german press.

Elke

Gillianbeads · #**563** 2010-01-29, 6:29pm

Just a simple set of spacers from me tonight...sometimes Raku makes me smile.

mini · #**564** 2010-01-29, 7:48pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gillianbeads

Just a simple set of spacers from me tonight...sometimes Raku makes me smile.

Bravo!!!

glasser · #**565** 2010-01-29, 8:33pm

It amazes me the totally differnt looks you can get with this cameleon glass. And no, I would not call those "simple". Well maybe simply gorgeous!

MadelineBunyan · #**566** 2010-01-30, 1:06am

simply gorgeous indeed! well done

Gillianbeads · #**567** 2010-01-30, 6:59am

Thanks for your kind words...

Raku does amaze me. All those beads were made on a black base, at the same sitting, and put in the kiln at the same time, together.

When it works, it really works...other times it can be elusive.
I do like it over black the best.

glasser · #**568** 2010-01-30, 7:33am

DId you encase the black with the raku then encase with clear?

Gillianbeads · #**569** 2010-01-30, 6:22pm

I made a base bead of black, then a wide stripe of Raku rod, and melted it in, getting it really hot.
...then encased in clear
...then added 4 black dots, with Raku on top, and melted it all in
...then swirled the glass

...hot oxidizing flame setting

SL Beads · #**570** 2010-03-03, 2:38pm

I hope Dawn will come back to this thread. If not I welcome suggestions from anybody. My problem with Raku is shaping. While super heating my bead till I get white glow, bead holes become totally thinned out. In order to reshape the bead holes, I start bringing the bead back to the flame and marvering many times. So of course, as a result, I get yackey poopy color and what can I do? I reheat my bead and lose the bead hole, again and again. I would like to know how you people end up with beautiful colors and beautiful bead shape at the same time. To me that seems impossible. Am I heating the bead too much? Sachiko L.