Saturday, June 15, 2013

Magic Fabulous Raku Bead Cage

well, here's some fun!!
And our NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH>>>
Dave's Magic Raku Bead Cage! 
which has changed my life for the better!!! 
Before this, we all had to make some kind of holder for beads for the raku kiln that could tolerate nearly 2100 degrees and be picked up with tongs at a safe distance from the firing kiln.
 THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED!!
 With Dave's Bead Cage, you can load lots of small pieces, and grab them out with one easy lift!!!
Boring bisqued clay pieces just look like nothing!
 One must IMAGINE the results!


Now glazed, but still boring!!

The small pieces have been loaded onto Dave's Raku Cage. Dave, the genius, specially designed this expanded steel cage for the raku kiln. The entire size is about a 6" cube. The 1" steel handle is easy to grab with your tongs and throw into your flammables pail.  On the left of the picture is Dave's Tiny Tent for firing smaller loads of buttons or beads. It is just 4" tall and wide, very nice if you need to separate your little bits but don't need anything larger.

This is 20 or 25 small pendants, one piece bracelets or three-piece
 bracelets loaded onto
Dave's fabulous magic
 raku bead cage.
Each piece is loaded individually onto the
 frame with care to keep separate so the glazes don't glue everything together.
The high-temperature wire has been bent especially for this load,
 and will need to be unbent to get everything off. When cool.

WOW! Red-hot 2000 degrees!
 Going into a flaming hot flammables pot!

OOOOH! Our first glimpse of the gorgeous iridescent glazes!!
Dan holds the still-hot cage! Great results! No flaking, no changes except blackened! We're hopeful that the cage will not be weakened by the firing process!!
As of now, it has only been through 2 firing in one day.
I will add updates as we continue to fire this baby and check for changes!
No guarantees yet, but by the end of summer, THE Original will have been used at least 6 or 8 more times. Consider ordering a BEAD CAGE for YOUR use!

Before Dave's Magic Raku Bead Cage, we only had these little trays with a grabber loop on the top made of regular clay. They would survive 6 or so firings, depending, cracking, discoloring. But now, with, Dave's Raku Cage, you can load MANY more objects, and can glaze both sides, (just not into the hole--you don't want the glaze to adhere to your wire).


Dave's Raku Cage available NOW
 custom-made for you!
E-mail your contact info to:
cindigoblue@gmail.com
with the cube size YOU desire (4", 6" or 8")
 or the size of YOUR largest pieces
 or consider the inside measurement  of YOUR kiln.

Or: if YOU just want a small tent, tell me the height of YOUR largest pieces,
 and we can design a good size and shape for YOU!
 and if YOU need a top handle or not
(not for regular kilns, not raku).

We're thinking about $40 for 4" cages, $50 for 6"
(but that may change a little with steel availability
 and pricing changes) plus shipping from south-eastern Wisconsin.

I'm loving this little cage, it has certainly changed my life for the better! For the last 20 years, I've used an assortment of mediocre tools for firing little artworks, but since DAVE can weld me anything I design, desire and NEED and he improves it to the point to where it can actually be made, HALLELULIA!!

SOOO mush faster and easier with DAVES RAKU BEAD FIRING CAGE!!
Obviously , it can be used for anything with a hole for the 
heat-resistant wire to hold it inside the cage.
If there are creations YOU have wanted, but couldn't figure out a way to fire in the raku kiln, 
YOU CAN NOW!!