Raku Safety?

So I bought a couple of raku tea bowls and then stumbled across some stuff on the internet saying that raku ware isn’t food safe. Even if there isn’t lead in the glaze, the concern seems to be from the cracked surface. Hmmm….no one seems to mind the crackling of celedon or ru kiln right? I am going to ask the person who made the bowls, but would like to get some opinions here. But with Yixing pots and other crackle grazes, porous tea ware doesn’t seem to be a problem. Assuming no lead, can I enjoy my bowls or will I die a horrible, hideous death the instant after I sip from them?

7 Replies

In regards to crackle glaze, I assume it’s safe provided you are just using tea in it. I imagine stuff like milks/sugars/etc could jam up in the cracks or the porous material and do some funky stuff.

But yeah, some glazes aren’t food safe due the chemicals needed to make that colour. The crafter should know as it’s a pretty common concern and marked on the glaze they use.

Thanks Oolong Owl. I got a reply from the crafter and the glaze is food safe. Now to fill the bowls up with tea!

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I was discussing raku glazing with a potter-friend last weekend. The problem is not whether the glaze is safe or not, but that the clay isn’t fully cured and can leach into the tea.

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Speaking as an artist that’s worked with Raku, yeah, I wouldn’t use it for foodstuffs unless the company you’ve ordered with has said they’re safe (even then, tread with caution, glazes in ceramics do have lots of chemicals that, if ingested, can do a lot of damage).

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Gotta say I’m torn and confused now. The crafter did say they were food safe, but the worrying side of me is coming out now. I do love the bowls even if I don’t drink from them so I’m not too sad.

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AllanK said

What does Raku glaze look like?

The ones I have have a very cracked glaze on the inside, but otherwise look pretty normal. The exterior is rough and darkened from the (I assume) plunge into the organics as it’s removed from the firing. Some seem to have metallic looking accents, but mine don’t. There seems to be a lot of variability. (And I’m a complete novice about this sort of pottery, and pottery in general. I’m more of a ‘oooh – pretty!’ type of buyer.)

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