Mastering Raku: Making Ware, Glazes, Building Kilns, Firing

Mastering Raku is Steven Branfman’s practical guide to the art and technique of raku pottery. This PDF edition contains the full 2009 Lark Books first edition and is available for instant download after purchase. It is designed for both beginning potters and experienced ceramic artists.

From selecting clays and glazes to building kilns and completing firings, this book covers the entire raku process with clear instruction and thoughtful context.

Book Overview

Mastering Raku is a practical and creative guide to raku pottery. Steven Branfman covers the full process, from choosing and formulating clays and glazes to building kilns and conducting firings. The book also addresses health and safety, advanced firing techniques, related methods such as naked raku and horsehair raku, and ways to finish and repair ware.

Branfman has taught raku since 1974, and he wrote this book to support both newcomers and experienced potters. The text includes recipes, technical explanations, and photographs of work by contemporary raku artists.

What You’ll Discover Inside

• The history and aesthetics of raku, from Japanese tea ceremony ware to contemporary Western practice.
• Studio design, ventilation, protective wear, and other health and safety concerns.
• Guidance on selecting commercial clay bodies and formulating your own clays and glazes.
• Instructions for building top-loading, fiber, electric, wood-fired, and saggar kilns.
• Step-by-step coverage of the firing cycle, including post-firing reduction and successive firings.
• Advanced firing and post-firing variations for experimental surfaces.
• Related techniques such as naked raku, horsehair raku, sawdust firing, and saggar firing, plus finishing and teaching raku.

Why This Book Matters

Raku asks the potter to take part in every stage of the firing, and Mastering Raku reflects that hands-on approach. Branfman emphasizes experimentation and creativity while providing the technical foundation needed to work safely and successfully. The book includes contributions from many of today’s raku artists, making it a rich reference for ceramic studios, classrooms, and independent makers.

Book Details

Device Compatibility

This is a digital download, so there is no physical shipping. After purchase, you can access the PDF through your account and open it on compatible devices. The file works with Kindle apps, tablets, desktop computers, mobile phones, and standard PDF reading apps.

FAQ

How do I receive the book? The PDF is available for instant download after purchase. You can access it from your account on the site.

Will a physical copy be shipped? No. This listing is for a digital edition only.

What devices are supported? The PDF can be read on computers, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers with PDF support, including Kindle apps.

Add Mastering Raku to your digital library and explore the techniques, materials, and creative possibilities of raku firing.