Porcupine Ceramics -

Square Plate Small

Square Plate Small

Square Plate Small

Earplug - 10

PORCUPINE RAKU-FIRED CERAMICS
SOUTH AFRICAN ARTWORKS

The manufacturing of every individual Porcupine Ceramic artwork is a labour intensive, hand-made process. Here’s a brief explanation on this process.

Steps in the Making Process:
1. Press Moulding
The process begins with a mould being made from an initial piece, conceptualised in solid clay. The moulds are made out of plaster of Paris, the complexity of the piece dictating how many parts are required to make up the mould.

2. Mould Pouring
We use three methods of moulding: press, pour and drape moulding. In the case of a one or two piece mould, press moulding is preferred.
Plates are drape moulded, the balance of the items are pour moulded.

3. Mould Open
This entails pouring a liquid casting slip into the mould, and leaving it to cure inside for a couple of hours. The excess slip is poured out of the mould, leaving a hollow form inside. The plaster mould is then carefully removed from the form.

4. Fettling
Newly moulded pieces require fettling after moulding with design detail and quality being checked before decoration can begin.

5. Decoration
Decoration is achieved by the airbrushing of under-glazes, coppers and cobalt oxides onto the products, followed by hand-painted detailing.

The first firing is a bisque firing and takes place in ordinary electric kilns.
A combination of matt black & high gloss is obtained by applying a wax resistant coating onto specific areas before the final glazing.

6. Glaze Cleaning
Any residual glaze on waxed areas is fastidiously cleaned off before items are placed in the "Raku" kilns for the final "Raku" process.

7. Raku
Raku Kiln: A technique of firing ceramics to reach a temperature of 980 degrees Celsius in order to melt & mature the glaze.
Raku Pit: At temperature the atmosphere inside the kiln is starved of oxygen to convert the copper to metallic.

After the reduction process, the pieces are removed from the kiln and placed immediately into a sawdust pit. This process imparts an excitement of glazed crackled surfaces, flashed with metallic and blackened by carbon.

At the end of this process, each piece has its own unique markings and character for you to enjoy.