Firing Raku Pottery in the Microwave Oven: The Paragon Kiln Operation Series 

I learned in community college using your Hands in Clay book and I still have it 20 yrs later

I AM AMAZED! even if you can only do small things, its perfect for people who don't have the facilities for small projects. would be great for ceramic jewelry and figures

Oh my God, im very happy with that tutorial, because in short time you show a lot. i want to learn make ceramic, and i was making some searching to see how much cost a kiln oven , but when i saw the prices, i was in shock, is a lot of money, and i didn't know yet about ceramic, but with your tutorial i was in shock because i have a little kiln like that for fusing glass, but some time i was curiosity to know if that can work to fire ceramic, and its work, im very, very happy, God bless you so much for that video. i want to make ceramic beads, because 10 years ago i bought a book about ceramic beads, and the book is very interesting, so i have the book on a cabinet for all those years and know i want to learn to make ceramic beads. thanks so much, and very sorry about my english, i don't know to much. thanks.

i looked up and the guy was different. freaked me out!

this is cool but why are they firing a thimble

this is freaking amazing!!!! i was looking into making a kiln and how much that would cost... granted this is only about a 3 inch space but i can only imagine how much this can help firing in general using waves to fire instead of firing for 8 hours

OMG I love this. One way to Start and finish.

OMG - you shouldn't have shown me this... :) I have a regular electric kiln, but I never thought to do small raku pieces in a small coffee can. I don't drink coffee, but I collect cans for various crafts and I have several waiting to be used. Now you have me thinking about jewelry pieces...let's hope I don't burn my house down. :)

Looks like it can work for bisque and raku (both done usually at low temperatures), but this will not allow for impermeable ceramics (1200 degrees Celsius and above)

I appreciate that you have developed a way to fire pots in the microwave, but what's the point if you can only fire such small things?

I can not find the kiln from paragon help please as I want to fire and glass small creatures and have no space for larger kiln

that is absoulutly amazing that you can fire a peice in the microwave

Any way to make it food safe?

You could look at it that way, or there are people who like making jewelry which would make it worth their while. I will be trying enameling in the next week with mine.

why they're so sad?

Would it work for a mug sized pottery? His piece seems so small. I wonder how many extra minutes would be required for a mug?

can you fire porcelain in a microwave kiln

Why is the second fire only 15 minutes like the first?..is that a low fire glaze? Is it able to fire cone 10 glazes?

j'aime beaucoup la poterie merçie pour votre demonstration

What size and wattage microwave is recommended for efficient raku firing time? thanks

Can you underglaze before the bisque?

what is the best clay to us for the mold. Can you use Sculptey? Great tutorial, Thanks for sharing.

isn't the smoke toxic to have in a home though?!

All My Paranoid Mind Heard Was.... Pottery Piece: Small Bit Of Water Left Inside Because Of Glaze. Microwave And House: *+BOOM!!!!+* I Think Its Safe To Say Ill Do This OUTSIDE. Like Id Just Buy A Simple Microwave....Keep It Out On The Back Porch In A Tote. And Use THAT When I Want To Fire Up That Kiln And Keep A Bucket Of Water Near By. Cause....No Way....Im In An Apartment With A Way Small Kitchen. That Is WAY Too Much Of A Death Hazard To Be Inside Here. I Honestly Dont Even Think I Could Use That Since I Wanna Make My Own Semi-Japanese Styled Matcha Tea Bowls. And Whats The Point Of The Fire Can? Is THAT Neccessary To Set This Clay? Cause That Burned Style Is NOT What Im Aiming For....

Nice job. Good to see videos from Leslies Ceramics, a great place for all things pottery and ceramics with knowledgable staff. One question, for the preheat in the oven to dry the clay, what temperature was used? A

yeah this is great if you want to make pottery for ants

Can you use mid fire clay in a microwave kiln?

Where can I buy this raku kiln placed into the microwave oven?

i bet that would melt metal for casting

Thanks for this video, I want to try this soon! Are there specific clay bodies that you have to use like low fire clays, or can you even use porcelain? And also, any specific glazes?

you should use welders glasses. shouldnt look directly at that white hot heat.

dude, isn't that a recirculating vent hood? Blowing those fumes right back into your hairdo! Sweet kiln though.

Hello could you please tell me what music you use for your intro?

what kind of glaze did you use?

cool and simple technology. YES!

is it extactly the same hardness and quality as a ceramic done in a traditional kiln for like 10 hours.?

where can i buy one...

does the vent whole have to be on the top or can you vent on the bottom with a shard of terracotta pottery?

Can I leave the kiln in the microwave to cool?

great, i like to try it!! interesting video, thank you!

Hi - this is great for small pieces like jewelry components. :)

So would you be able to glaze they item and make it food safe?

Is this a glass fusing kiln?

Excellent, thank you. Can you tell me what material the oven is made of? Since I see that they filled it up. I apologize for my translation in English. I speak Spanish. And ¿how many minutes did you leave it in the igloo oven ceramic? excelente, gracias. Me puedes decir de qué material está hecho el horno? ya que veo que lo rellenaron arriba. Disculpa mi traducción en inglés. Yo hablo español. ¿Y cuantos minutos lo dejaste en el horno igloo con la cerámica

Interesting!

If you take that kiln out without the lid being secured and it's 1200 degrees, what would happen if that lid tilted off? Wouldn't you suffer terrible burns?!

Hi I was wondering if the MagicFuse for glass is the same one for ceramics ?

Now your house smells like burnt newspaper Viola!

What about firing something larger like a bellarmine jug in a microwave? I want to make a bellarmine jug.

Do they still make this microwave kiln? It is hard to find.

What will you do with that tiny bowl?

Please, help me! I don't know where I'm making a mistake :( First works great, everything ok. Suddenly I started to have problems with the glaze. Baked, bubbles and a different color than before. I don't know what's going on? I shortened the time, I thinned the glaze, still nothing. Maybe a problem in the microwave?

So, let me get this straight; 30 minutes to dry 15 minutes to bisque, 30 minutes to cool, 5 minutes to glaze, 30 minutes to dry, 15 minutes to fire, 10 minutes in the reduction, & presumably a few minutes to cool. 2 hours & 15 minutes total. I could set up, fire, & tear down a full sized raku kiln in that time, & have a dozen full sized pieces, and not have a can fire inside my house. P.S. the fan on the microwave just recirculates air back into the room. It doesn't vent or filter fumes out.

Hi, thanks for this video :). My English is not really good lol, i didn't understand wich temperature in the oven for dry pièces. during 30 mn but wich degrees ?? thanks :)

kick ass! awesome.

Ha, ha. Very good guys. Yes, Raku WILL explode if it's not 100% dry before bisque-ing. I was a little unsure of why you put your finished sake cup into the burning paper. The finish, I know, but wouldn't it look just as good with a nice shiny glaze? I realize this is an old video and you may not still be doing this.

I want that you make a video ,making a beads with the technique. what is sawdust for raku, what thats mean?

Do they still sell these?

alguien lo puede traducir? Gracias

you have a point

for a minute i thought you where serious

I put a raw egg on a saucer and covered it with a coffee cup and then placed it in the microwave on high. After a few moments of watching M TV an explosion occured and violently the microwave door gaveway. Eggs and ceramic flew through the apartment, I felt like a squirrel being blasted by a small game load from a 12 gauge shotgun. The glass table was cracked in half.

Pottery for ants! :O

cool!

This is very dangerous. Do NOT do this indoors in your kitchen. Ceramics causes toxic fumes and you don't want to be breathing that in and eating out of the same appliance. Cool idea for a garage workshop and a secondary microwave. Wear goggles to protect your eyes from the light inside the kiln, and a respirator if you're working with raku. Do the research and you'll see what I mean. :)

maybe upside down

Or jewelry pieces...

he seems nervous

for sure that wee ball of fired clay would look way dinky on any high class mantlepiece and was definitely worth the five tons of carbon in emissions it created to produce.

For some reason this video saddened me . All that heritage , mystery and skill , of process being an integral part of the aesthetic seems to have become meaningless .

You telling me a rice fired this pot?