WTF
Flaming weird
Great Pottery Throwdown’s Freya burns sister’s DREADLOCKS and James burns BEARD hair in Raku challenge… and viewers are baffled
VIEWERS of The Great Pottery Throwdown were baffled when contestant Freya burned her sister’s DREADLOCKS in a glazing process.
Minutes later rival potter James threw in a handful of beard hair to improve the finish on his Japanese cups.
6
The weird moment cropped as the potters attempted to make a saké set, using the Japanese firing method known as Raku.
Presenter Sara Cox explained that the sets would be fired in kilns at temperatures of
over 1000 degrees before being transferred to bins full of sawdust and “their own choice of combustibles”.
Other contestants chose flowers, silver oxide and banana skins and one opted for ripped up beer mats.
But Freya went one step further and told Sarah she was burning “My sister’s dreads.”
Sara asked: “Did she cut them off specially.”
Freya told her: “She’s been planning to cut them for ages. I don’t know what this is going to go so it’s a bit of guess work but it’s going to absolutely stink though.”
6
James then revealed his “secret ingredient” – a plastic bag stuffed with beard hair – which he chucked at the set in the hope it would stick.
Viewers were mystified.
One wrote: “My sisters dreads & beard hair FFS!!! IDIOTS.”
Lucy tweeted: ‘Some random stuff being used as combustible materials!! Beer mats? OK. Flower petals. Nice. Sister's dreads?? WTF??”
Amy Andrews added: “A woman adding cut off dreads to enhance the glazing effect of a saké set is the most middle class thing I've EVER seen.”
Ryan – the show’s heartthrob – joined in the hair weirdness by using the tail of his grandma’s pony, setting it on fire and twirling it around the inside of his cups.
Sara explained the use of the “combustibles” in the glazing.
She said: “Once the lid is shut the burning combustibles starve the sake sets of oxygen in a process called reduction without oxygen.
“Carbon is created turning the unglazed areas black and created chaotic colours and textures where the pots have been decorated.”
6
And it turns out the hair-burning wasn’t as random as it seemed.
Although traditional Raku doesn’t use the method, a branch of the Japanese glazing technique called Horse Hair Raku uses the burning locks to create smoke patterns on the glaze.
Sadly the hairy moments didn’t help the trio, with Nam scooping the Pot of the Week prize and James – and his bushy beard – heading home potless.
6
RELATED STORIES
6
Meanwhile viewers were loving the continuing filth that characterises the show.
Ryan got plenty of attention for one comment about the size of his clay portions.
He said: "My balls are quite heavy because I've got big hands."
Stop it!
6
Topics