Nuka Glaze
"Nuka" is a wood ash glaze that has been used historically by Japanese and Korean potters for thousands of years. Potters traditionally used rice hull ashes and fired pottery to temperatures upwards of 2500 degrees F. I have spent years studying and practicing pottery glaze chemistry, adapting my Nuka glaze recipe to melt on Stoneware clay, when firing in my electric kilns with solar power.
Wood ashes are harvested locally from my friends and neighbors, who burn wood stoves using deadfall trees to heat their homes here in Minnesota, US. Woods include oak, pine, poplar, maple and more.
Nuka has a light, cream palette that feels rustic, with drips and textures from the wood ashes. Color additions also appear bright and complex, which is why I accent my Nuka pottery with designs using small amounts of raw earth elements:
- Iron: Brown
- Copper: Green and Grey
- Cobalt: Blue (I only use in small amounts becuase of human rights issues associated with Cobalt)