You often ask me what my makes are made of, and whether they can go out in the garden. So here it all is in one place! First a little bit about clay, stoneware vs earthenware and raku, then how to care for your handmade ceramics once they’re home with you. I’m no scientist, so this is the plain version!
Stoneware vs earthenware, and where raku fits
Clay starts out soft and squishy, and it’s the heat of the kiln that turns it into ceramic. The big difference between clays is how hot they’re fired.
Stoneware is fired hotter. It comes out dense, tough and much less porous, so it doesn’t soak up much water. That’s why it copes with a damp garden or a watered plant pot.
Earthenware is fired lower. It stays more porous and it isn’t as tough. Terracotta flowerpots are earthenware, if that helps you picture it!
Raku is different again, because it’s really a way of firing. The pieces come out of the kiln red hot and go straight into a bin of sawdust and paper with the lid on. The shock crackles the glaze, the smoke and flames bring out smoky blacks and shiny metallics, and nobody gets to choose exactly what comes out! It needs its own gritty raku clay that can take the shock without cracking. Raku is fired cooler than my usual stoneware, so the clay stays a little porous, and raku pieces are for looking at. If you’d like the whole fiery story, I wrote all about my first raku pottery firing at Claire’s House Pottery.
What are my makes made from?
Nearly everything I make is stoneware, hand built one piece at a time. Each piece has a bisque firing first, then I decorate it with oxides, underglaze, coloured slips and glazes, including crystalite and crystal speckled glazes, before it goes back in the kiln for its glaze firing. Some get the odd touch of mother of pearl lustre too.
- Lava fleck is what most of my figures are made from. That’s most of my clay monster figurines, the Funguys, my cat ornaments, dog ornaments and owl ornaments, most of my ceramic animals and my fairy houses.
- White stoneware is a pale clay. A few of my monsters are made from it, along with the odd doggo and wheel thrown bowl.
- Lava fleck and white stoneware mixed together give my lettered trinket dishes their speckled swirls.
- Raku clay went into the three makes from my first raku firing.
- Earthenware has made just one appearance in the shop, a festive bauble, and it’s already found its forever home.
My ceramic pumpkins are hand built from white clay.
What is lava fleck clay?
It’s a speckled clay, and it’s every bit a stoneware, so everything on this page about stoneware goes for lava fleck too.
How to care for your ceramics
Can my ceramic ornament live outside?
Yes, if it’s stoneware! My monsters, my ghost figurines, the Funguys, Doggos, Owlets and the rest of my animals are all happy out in the garden. The raku makes are the exception. They stay indoors and dry.
Will it survive a frost?
It should be fine. Stoneware is tough, but there’s always a slight risk of the glaze cracking in a hard freeze. If you’d rather not take the chance, a windowsill indoors is the cosy option!
Can I put one in a plant pot?
Yes! Stoneware doesn’t mind a splash when you water the plant, which is why my ceramic mushrooms and toadstools love a houseplant pot. The Meowingtons can too, but just like real cats, they’d much rather be warm and dry indoors!
Are the trinket dishes food safe?
Yes! My trinket dishes and bowls are food safe, so a dish can hold a little dip or sauce as well as your rings and keys. My figures are ornaments, so keep those for the shelf.
Can I put a candle in a fairy house?
A tea light, in the ones made for it! Some of my ceramic fairy houses are tea light houses, and each house’s page says whether it’s one of them. The roof can get warm, so mind your fingers, and please never leave a lit candle unattended.
Are they OK for children?
My makes are ornaments, not toys. The Thumblings, my mini clay monsters, and the Mini Monster Moods are small, so they’re not really suitable for children.
How do I look after a raku piece?
Keep it indoors and dry. Raku stays a little porous, so it won’t hold water, and it’s for looking at rather than using. A dry shelf is the perfect spot.
How do I clean my makes?
They’re ornaments really, so a dust like anything else on your shelf is usually all they need. If one gets grubby, give it a hand wash in warm soapy water. They can technically go in the dishwasher, but hand washing is kinder and saves them from chips! The raku makes are the exception. Just give them a dust with a soft cloth, as they like to stay dry.
Anything else?
Got a question I haven’t answered here? Email me at hello@henroo.live and I’ll do what I can to help!