Expert: Leisha Hiester - 4/21/2010

Question
To get a smooth finish on the inside of a rustic piece made from racu clay,can I wash the interior of the green piece with porcelain and fire it at cone 6 ?

Answer
Dear Yates,

When you Raku fire you heat the pot up to about a cone 05 to 06. Cone 6 temperatures are between 2165   2232   2269. That's quite a difference. Raku clay is designed for Raku. Combining Raku and Porcelain may/may not work. They're two completely different clay bodies.

I'm never one to discourage any new idea. My mantra is; test, test, test. Try out your idea on a test piece first. Here's a link and book that may be very helpful to you;

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/daily/features/successful-tips-and-techniques-for-ra...

Hope this helps.
Leisha