This particular glaze is very reactive to how it is handled in the Raku kiln as well as it's post-reduction in the small can.
We use old towels to serve as gaskets for the post-reduction can's lid, giving us the best seal to keep the smoke in.
White crackle is my favorite glaze.
To get good crackles we post-reduce for about 2 minutes, take it out to listen for crackles, put it back in the can, then repeat maybe two more times until we can see our results.
It's fun.
The vine pattern is Balsam Apple which is the wild varitety of Bitter Melon.
This technique is called "naked" Raku because there is no glaze on the pot.
After the piece is bisque fired, a slip is applied before placing in the Raku kiln. The slip dries on the piece like cracked mud. When the piece gets hot enough, it it placed in the post-reduction can full of shredded paper. The carbon penetrates through the cracks in the slip. Once the pot has cooled, the remaining slip is chipped off leaving these striking patterns of black and white.
This technique is Horse Hair.
The piece is taken out of the Raku kiln while it is still quite hot. Almost 1000 degrees F.
Strands of horse hair is then placed on the hot piece, and the carbon from the burning hair becomes a permanent design on the pot.