In This Issue

* While the Smoke Clears

* How'd they do that?

* Water Logged Glaze?

* Smoking the Neighbors

* Raku in the News – William K. Turner

* Raku Links

* Workshops - Arizona

* Pottery Business Available - Utah

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

* Smoking the Neighbors

Given the dryness of my area, everyone gets nervous when

they see smoke. Any smoke. Apparently another reader's

neighbors are nervous as well. He writes, "I was wondering

if you have any ideas how I can contain my Raku smoke or

filter it somehow. My technique involves pulling the piece

from the kiln, then putting it in a metal trashcan. Then I

like to flash the pottery, so I'll put the lid on for a

bit, then I'll take it off until the flames start again,

and do that a few times, then finally I quench it with

water. This gives me the results I want. However, in this

same process I get a lot of smelly smoke. I've tried the

technique of just sealing the trashcan with damp newspaper,

and not quenching it with water, but I don't get good

results that way. The smoke upsets the neighbors."

There are a couple of techniques that can reduce the amount

of smoke you get during your reduction process.

1) You can use a sand pit. Just place the piece on a nest

of newspapers in a sand pit and then cover with a can. The

sand seals the lip of the can.

2) You can try spraying the piece with isopropyl alcohol.

This should cause a reduction on the surface. There will

much more flame but less smoke.

3) You can create a water lock. Which is detailed in Raku

Secrets  ( http://www.rakusecrets.com ). Basically you use a

large tub with a brick in the bottom. Then you fill the

tub with water keeping the water level below the top of the

brick. Then a piece is placed on the brick and another

can, with reduction materials in the bottom is placed over

the top of the piece. The lip of the smaller can sits in

the water and creates a "lock" that keeps the smoke in.

4) You could tell them you are just really lousy at cooking

on the barbecue.

5) You could invite them over to see what you are doing and

even give them a piece as a "please don't complain" bribe.

Hope this helps.

~-~-~

Discover the secrets to creating Hypnotic Auctions that get

more bids and higher final prices. If you sell on eBay or

want to, then join the fr.ee newsletter at:

http://www.hypnoticauctions.com

~-~-~