MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - El Tiki/Ben Wilson Wall Finished

mike the pendant is great, wow, what a combo!

Amy

Very cool stuff, MadDogMike! I like your colors too.

Bowana, Jason, Amy, Sam - thanks so much. Yep, I'm back - had fun while I was gone but is good to get mud under my fingernails. Bowana- the glaze pens work well for short strokes like writing, but I had trouble controlling them for long lines. Amy, looks like I missed the party of the year! Glad everyone had a great time.

I got a "commission" to make another Baining Fire Dance Mug (listen to me talk like I'm some sort of famous artist :lol: ) This mask is wider, extending past the sides as well as the top of the mug.

Also working on a PNG Kundu drum mug, I'll try to get some pictures posted tomorrow.

I'm really into the colors you chose for the Baining works, they give it just the right look.

that Baining is BANGIN!
Knew you'd create something awesome for the Swap!

Thanks Kinny & Robb. I'm in a PNG state of mind :) so here's an hourglass shaped Kundu drum inspired by Babalu's Birdman drum. About 8 inches tall, should hold a fair portion of jungle juice.

I just ordered some copper carbonate and red iron oxide, I plan to glaze the inside and then barrel fire the outside for a colored smoke finish.

to quote my good friend Kool-Aid...
OH YEEEEEAH!

lovin your artistic moxy...
think it and it can be done!
you rock,you know it!
:)

Really like the new baining mug Mike.
The first one is cool, but this one is even cooler
with the different dimensions. Sweet drum mug too.

Maddog, thanks for the comments on my thread the other day. I love all the
art in your thread man. Your PNG art swap stuff is amazing. Cant wait to
see some pics from your next project.

LLT, thanks, you always make my day :)

Jason - "The first one is cool, but this one is even cooler" - I learned that from you, Kinny and several of the other artist on the board - try to make each piece better than the last one. Thanks

Mikel, I was thinking about you yesterday and woke up this morning to a comment from you
( :music: cue theme from the Twilight Zone :music: )
I sent the same question as a PM, I figured you would see one or the other.

I like Raku and would like to try some in my electric kiln (I assume that's possible, it's just harder to get the hot pieces out of the hot kiln) My question is how do you get a food safe, uncracked interior surface? I made up some test tiles and plates to experiment with some barrel firing and chemicals (copper chloride and iron oxide). With smoke firing, you can glaze and fire the inside first, then smoke the outside and still have it food safe. With Raku, seems like you can't do that. Even if you glaze the inside with a regular glaze (non-raku), it's going to crack from the thermal shock. If you re-fire the inside after Raku, you fire out the carbon on the outside??????? Hope I haven't asked you to reveal any trade secrets :)

Mike, I really don't have any trade secrets, I'll share any info to help out.
That said, I'm not really a glaze expert...I love the carving part of clay.
I know crackle, crevice, pitt or even matte surfaces are places where bacteria
can start. I think if you want to use your Raku mug once a year its not a big deal.
Glazes with high metal content as you know will make you koo koo.
Personally, I think its ok some mugs are display only. I wouldn't worry about
food safe and just go for the magic Raku can create. I wish I had some real info for you.
Maybe a ceramics forum somewhere online. MP

Thanks MP. I like my mugs to be more functional, but I may have to mess with Raku a little. The Community College up the street has a Raku kiln I can get access to.

A recently bought "Alternative Kilns & Firing Techniques: Raku * Saggar * Pit * Barrel" (great book) and am hoping to barrel fire my Kundu drum with some colored smoke. I bought some Iron Oxide, Copper Carbonate, and rock salt. I made up some test tiles and test plates (my daughter wants some rooster plates for her kitchen). They say to expect some breakage but mine was 80%, 4 out of 5 objects broke :(

"Max's Paperclay" slump formed and pattern incised. Burnished, incised areas filled with glaze, fired to cone 04 and then barrel fired. After cooling, cleaned and buffed with paste wax.

EM347 slump formed and burnished, bisque fired to cone 04. There is no glaze on this, the rooster was painted on with a powdered slurry of Iron Oxide (rust) and water. I would like to make another plate like this with an iron oxide woodpecker (rusted pecker :) )

EM347 tiles incised pattern filled with various glazes to test the effect.

Possible solutions:
Use a Raku clay with better thermal shock properties such as Soldate 60.
The plates were set in a bed of straw, the chemicals sprinkled on, more straw, then chunks of wood. It made a rip-roaring & long burning fire, maybe too much fire. Will try again with just the straw and chemicals.

Now I need to make more tiles and plates, wait for them to dry, bisque fire, etc. I'm not a patient man! :x :lol:

Mike, I used to do raku back in the 90s. I had a medium sized basic electric kiln, and would raku in my backyard. I am no expert, but it seemed to me that all the action in the process took place in a very short time, say less than a minute. Sounds to me like part of your problem may be "the chunks of wood" etc in your firing container.
I used sawdust, wood shavings, dead leaves, shredded newspaper, etc. Quick burn stuff. When the raku piece was placed in the container, the combustibles would burst into flame, and I would slap the lid onto the container. That action would cut off the oxygen for the fire, which I was taught was a key to raku.
Also, I was only firing up to bisque temp for raku, I forget what cone that is. Maybe you're going too hot?

I've been wanting to get back into raku, so I'm hoping someone nearer to me (Babs!) might start doing it. :wink:

It almost knots up my stomach to see those pics....

Hey Mike,

Sorry you guys busted up. Here is a short little video that someone did...check out how easy it is to make a raku kiln.

Wheeler, I would love to build one of these at my house, but I fear that I might become the poster boy for the fire house right down the street. We should build one at your place - your kinda out in the sticks - yes?

http://www.5min.com/Video/Raku-Firing-Process-32283907

I've been really lucky so far - in almost a year, I haven't lost anything in the kiln (knock on wood :) ) I knew this was risky but they were really just big test tiles.

This isn't raku, it's smoke firing. The porous clay absorbs the smoke in swirls and flashes. Different chemicals and/or organic materials (seaweed, banana peels, etc) cause different colored smoke effects. The thing I like about smoke firing is that you can glaze the inside of a mug in the kiln first, then smoke the outside. The inside glaze remains intact and foodsafe.

Oh, I see what your doing...I always called this Sager Firing.

Here's a fun pit built kiln that could be done on the beach :-) If we can find a beach that will let us go crazy that is...

http://web.mac.com/codyo2/Site/Pit_fire_intro.html

Yes, pretty much. Technically, I think a Sagar is a container that you put a ceramic piece inside of to fire, like a larger clay pot or aluminum foil. Then you fire it either in a kiln or pit. With Sagar, you can put different chemicals and/or organic matter in each container and get varied results within the same firing. In a pit, everything is exposed to the same smoke/fumes and everything gets pretty much the same coloring.

Barrel firing is for lazy people like me, you just pile everything into a 55 gallon drum instead of digging a hole :)

Sorry to hear about the broken pieces!
Really liked the earthy look of them
with the line drawings. Guess Claudette's
not alone when it comes to exploding mud!
Better luck next time.

Finished my commission Baining Fire Dance Mug #2

Different shape and pattern than #1, I tried to make the fire look more realistic. I'm going to hate to see this one go, may have to make me one too :lol:

Here is a faux mosaic plate of the Vanuatu Jungle Rooster (gallus Gallus)

OK, it's really just a non-tiki rooster plate for my daughter's kitchen

Phenomenal!!! :o :o :o

Rising from the flames!

PNG mana! :D 8)

That new baining mug turned out wonderful.
You really took it up a notch from the first one.
Dig the non-tiki rooster too. Well done Mike!

The Fire dance Mug is WONDERFUL Mike! Fantastic work!

very nice!

Great work Mike, everything about the mug is too cool.

And you know the Latin name of a Vanuatu rooster? You're too much.

Blacksandz, Jason, Babs, Amy & Robb - Thanks so much for the kind words. Robb, I had to look up the Latin word, I'm not even sure that there is such a thing a the Vanuatu Rooster :P I have plans for Baining Mug III that will add some sculptural elements and really stretch my skills - move me out of my comfort zone.

I've been wanting to make a mold for some tiki bottles for homemade syrups and decided on a "Moai with Topknot" bottle. I figured that if wax was a good enough media for Squid's Cloud Rower, it was good enough for me so I carved my master out of a pillar candle and a votive candle. What's that you say? Squid uses high definition rigid tooling wax? Isn't that what candles are made of? Oh...well, I uh... Never mind, here it is.

Crappy picture but it's all white and hard to photograph. I busted off his nose moving him so I made a new one with sculpty clay and re-dipped him in hot wax to smooth everything out :D This is a very smooth master with no texture, I can texture the greenware later if I really want to.

Hope to make a plaster mold in the next day or so.

We can live beside the ocean
Leave the fire behind
Swim out past the breakers
And watch the world die.

[ Edited by: MadDogMike 2009-06-10 09:22 ]

I made my mold box out of foamcore board, re-inforced with duct tape.

I threw a shoe in the washing machine and used it on the spin cycle as a vibration table to get the bubbles out of the plaster :D

Ingenious... noisy, but ingenious. :D I can't wait to see the final results.

I threw a shoe in the washing machine and used it on the spin cycle as a vibration table to get the bubbles out of the plaster

Seems like you have everything you need at home! classic!
that second PNG mug is just as cool as the first!

Go man Go!

Thank you TikiMango & Kinny :)

I poured the other half of my Moai Bottle mold and need to let it dry for a while. It's kinda like a geode, you don't know what's inside until you bust it open.

Here's some more fodder for the smoke fire cannons. I had 80% breakage last time, going to make some changes and see if I can do better. The 2 mugs are glazed on the inside and the incised areas then kiln fired. Into the smoke barrel today or tomorrow.

This is almost like a live webcam :)

A layer of straw and a liberal sprinkling of Copper Carbonate & Iron Oxide.

More straw, some assorted wood and some fire

Last time I used a buttload of hot-burning hardwood in the fire, I'm thinking that may have contributed to the breakage. This time I used some soft palm wood that will burn much cooler and not as long. But will it burn hot enough to vaporize the chemicals? Time will tell.

Here's another smoke project I'm working on today, hmmmm, wonder what it is?

Your going off Mike! You've got killer drive. Love the tiki bottle.

Thanks Mikel. Lots of drive but so far not so much luck (or is it skill?)

The promise of glory

And the bitter taste of defeat

Both plates broke. The mug didn't break but it didn't really pick up any color either. They say you have to break some eggs to make an omelet... Back to the drawing board. I made the plates thicker and made the fire cooler but it didn't help. I guess I'll pick up some Raku clay and try again. The mug I'll wrap with paper towels soaked with the chemicals and dried, then wrap it with foil to keep the chemicals in contact the mug.

At least the Moai Bottle mold seemed to work out. Now I'll have to wait a week for it to dry so I can try it out. (I hate waiting!)

And the Chinese ribs were great :) I did a Chinese Five Spice dry rub on them, smoked them until the meat was falling off the bones, and glazed them with Char Siu Sauce (Chinese BBQ Sauce) Ahhh, smoked pork - the food of the gods.

The washing machine as a bubble-killer is a FREKIN' GREAT idea!!!!

Ribs are the ultimate argument to vegetarians - if you're not supposed to eat innocent big-eyed cute animals, how come they taste so good with Char Siu Sauce on 'em? Huh? Huh, ya skinny limp-necked vegan? Huh???

And I don't think the breakage has anything to do with the intensity of the heat, I think it's the ramp-up. You gotta build up the heat slow, Joe. I have no suggestions as to HOW to do it, but I remember some raku is simply done at the beach in a big pit. It can't be that hard. First year community college pottery hippies do it all the time. Are you using the right clay??

Hey, I think Big Mikester ("MP" on TC) is a glaze/firing monster pro and could advise you...

Mike, the mug, the plates, wow, you really have found your medium. Once you get the firing down we wont be able to keep up with your art!

Amy

Mike, if you want to try it a different way, here's how I used to do it.

Take the piece directly out of the kiln when it reaches cone 06
(or whatever cone you're firing to, we used 06 glazes)
using raku tongs and gloves
and place it it one of these.
The can has the straw inside like you've been doing. It'll burst into flames as soon as you place the piece in.
Slap the lid on tight, and let it smoke.
In a few minutes, take it out, it's done!
Some fresh straw and you're ready for the next piece.

Thanks for the encouragement guys. Raku and smoke firing are actually 2 different critters. Raku ware is glazed, put into the kiln until the glaze fuses then pulled out and placed in a closed container full of organic material (grass, paper, leaves, etc) Raku is characterized by cracks in the glaze that absorb the black carbon from the burning organic matter. Since the fire is snuffed out by closing the lid, the resultant reduction atmosphere (no oxygen) sometimes causes a metallic or iridescent sheen to the glaze. MP has done some awesome Raku pieces, his Green Marq is a classic example

Smoke firing uses bisqued but unglazed ceramic, usually burnished when the clay is leather hard. It is put in a barrel or pit with organic materials and/or chemicals and lit on fire. The porous clay absorbs the smoke in swirls and flashes. Different organic materials and/or chemicals leave different colored marks on the ceramic.

Hmm, this:
"Smoke firing uses bisqued but unglazed ceramic, usually burnished when the clay is leather hard. It is put in a barrel or pit with organic materials and/or chemicals and lit on fire. The porous clay absorbs the smoke in swirls and flashes. Different organic materials and/or chemicals leave different colored marks on the ceramic."
describes what I was doing pretty accurately, right down to the burnishing. Most of my stuff had no glaze, some had minor glaze highlights.
I mainly did the process to get the great carbon-black color on (in) the clay.
I could post a pic if you wouldn't mind the the hijack!
I just think you should consider a test of my quick way, it might do what you're trying to accomplish.
I did use some oxide solutions as 'glaze' to get a oil-film-on-water effect, which seems similar to your pic above. Maybe try applying it before a second fire, then use my process.
Mike, sorry if I'm coming across as pushy, but I just think the look you're after was the look I was getting. :)

Bill, you're spending an awful lot of time over here in "Other Crafts", don't you belong in "Carving"? :lol:

You're not being pushy at all and I would love to see the pics you are talking about. It's not a hijack, it's education! I love that the artists and craftsmen on TC are so willing to share the wealth of their knowledge. I've got a book on smoke firing so I know it can be done, I think I'm using the wrong clay. I did a successful smoke firing a few months back but it was with Soldate 60, a clay with more thermal shock capability than the EM347 I'm using.

Now I'm looking for the same effect but with red/tan/brown colors instead of the grays.

the only time I did Raku was the first time I ever took a clay class. It was the best glazes that I ever got (with stupid ease) and I have been disappointed with glazes ever since.

We bisqued fired and then added the glaze to were you wanted and then we had an old Kiln (shell) with maybe a hole and fed it propane with a blow torch type set up (maybe a mixing with O2). The pieces just got red hot. I mean this stone clay glowed red in the kiln and with leather gloves and tongs pulled out the hot pieces and threw into a dig pit with different things. Leaves, paper, sawdust, and motor oil. Covered with trash can lid. I remembered you even drop into cool water like a blacksmith does with steel with I would have figured would shocked it to pieces.

Okay, I'll take a pic tomorrow. :wink:
I'm no expert BTW, I just took a ceramics class at SD Community College 19 years ago. :lol:
I did eventually get my own kiln, and "raku-ed" at home. It's long gone, however.
Now I'm waiting for that Clysdalle guy to get a house with 220 in the garage! :roll:

"Raku ware is glazed, put into the kiln until the glaze fuses then pulled out and placed in a closed container full of organic material (grass, paper, leaves, etc) Raku is characterized by cracks in the glaze that absorb the black carbon from the burning organic matter. Since the fire is snuffed out by closing the lid, the resultant reduction atmosphere (no oxygen) sometimes causes a metallic or iridescent sheen to the glaze. -M.D.M."

Gad, did you eat an encyclopedia?

So Mr. Smarty-Book-Learnin'-College-Boy, why is yer stuff all cracked up?!

Just kidding. Actually, it's way more interesting when experiments don't work, then you know you're doing interesting stuff. By the way, the technical term for all this is "Trial By Fire".

Bummer Mike! And I thought velvet was difficult
and unpredictable. :) Keep pushing the envelope brother.
You'll master it soon!
MMMMMMMMM...Chinese BBQ ribs.

On 2009-06-10 12:37, MadDogMike wrote:
I threw a shoe in the washing machine and used it on the spin cycle as a vibration table to get the bubbles out of the plaster :D

Evil genius.

To;
teaKEY, thanks for the advise
Cammo, thanks for the harassment
Jason, thanks for the understanding
Bowana, thanks for the diagnosis
Bill, WHERE'S MY PICTURE!!!???

Going to put the smoking on the back burner for now. Will pick up some stronger clay tomorrow.

The mold for my little Moai Bottle looks like it worked out, but I'm afraid I may have made it too small. At 7 inches tall, I estimate it will only hold about 9 ounces. The big question is; did I do the math right? Will it shrink with firing enough that the spout fits snugly?

I tried something new with this mold, any mold makers out there can please give me an opinion. Instead of making a 3 piece mold to make the foot at the bottom, I made a 2 piece mold with a flat bottom. As soon as I pulled from the mold and while the clay was soft, I gently pushed the bottom in to create a foot. Is this legit?

Perfectly legal. Now as for that smoking.... :D

cool beans, mike. i don't know too much about raku, but it's pretty impressive that you're diving into it head on. i wonder if exotics give exotic color smoke? i really like your stuff. maybe we can trade stuff some time. keep up the work.

p.s.
i know a little about smoke. smoke and meat that is. me and my buddy took 17th out of 40 in our first bar-b-que competition a few weeks ago in a smoker i built. not bad, i'd say.

[ Edited by: pdrake 2009-06-17 00:29 ]