Each piece of bisqued ceramic ware is put into a saggar for firing, along with natural elements - straw, seaweed, copper wire, and sawdust. A saggar is a closed container that is placed in a gas kiln. When fired, the combustible materials give off color to the ceramic pieces. Originally Chinese potters used saggars to protect delicate porcelain pieces from flames and flying ash in the wood fired kilns. In today's saggar firing, the saggar is used to contain the combustible materials.

No two saggar fired pieces are alike. Each bottle varies, depending on choice of materials, the position in the kiln, the size of the saggar, and even packing density of the kiln. Each firing is different, each producing unique pieces.

Clay pots are gradually heated in a gas kiln to about 2300°F (1300°C). Near the glaze melting temperature, the oxygen in the kiln is limited, by partially closing the air intake vents. The clay and glazes fuse in sometimes unpredictable ways creating the subtle glaze depth not found with electric kilns. The firing process can take up to 16 hours.

By spraying a sodium bicarbonate and soda ash solution into a reduction kiln, a different effect can be created. The sodium is carried by the flame throughout the kiln, reacting with bare clay and glazes to form a vitreous (glassy) layer. Where the soda vapor touches the clay piece, the surface is glossy; where the vapor misses, the surface is dry. Look for pebbled surfaces and other unpredictable touches on soda fired pieces. No two pots look the same.

The interesting crackle effects and exciting range of copper colors give Raku a unique look. Originally a Japanese technique, conveying simplicity of form, the modern American interpretation uses post-firing reduction.

Pots are heated to about 1800°F (1000°C) until the glaze melts. Using long tongs, glowing-hot pieces are taken from the kiln and placed in an air-tight metal container, with flammable materials like newspapers and sawdust. The flames in this reduction chamber turn the exposed, i.e. not glazed clay, black, from the carbon. The crackle effects come from the uneven cooling of the clay body and the glaze. Raku work is decorative, not functional.

Firing using electricity, instead of gas, produces much more consistent results over a wide range of temperatures.