What cone do I fire Raku glazes?

Generally Raku glazes are fired by sight and not purely by cone, because of the speed of the firing. But as a general guideline, most Raku glazes are fired to around ^06. Some glazes are fired a little hotter and some a little cooler.

As a rule I use a pyrometer to gauge the temperature. When it gets around 1500F I start visually checking the glaze until it has matured.

A glossy glaze at maturity will appear shimmery like water. A matte glaze is a little tougher to tell. It usually helps to include a piece with a gloss glaze as an indicator to determine when to unload the kiln.

Sometimes a different effect can be achieved by over-firing a glaze. For example a matte glaze can be made somewhat glossy by over-firing the glaze.

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