Preparation of earth and minerals:

Clay :

We put it one week in the water to dilute it. After we sieve it on sun dryers. Clay is blend by hand with skims minerals. Clay's preparation without machines is a very hard works.

We don't have any raw materials suppliers in Cambodia. All minerals (feldspath, ochre, magnesite, ash, sand, ...) are extract by the NCKCR staff, sort out, grind and sieve by hand. Our budget don't give us opportunity to mechanize this stage, who represent an enormous work.

Potter wheels workshop:

Potter wheels workshop is setup with three electrical and one Khmer traditional potter wheels. Three potters works in this workshop, one potters is available for our visitors who want try the clay art. We need to setup more potter wheels (5) to adapt our capacities for potters vocational training. Those potters are complete artists, they handle, of course, the throw but also engraving and carving of each pieces.

Drying is a very important stage and very delicate in Cambodia, we must negotiate with very dry and very wet atmospheres. The drying duration, following shapes and size of a piece, can vary from few days to one month. Some pieces are dried in potter wheels workshop, others immediately on firing shelves in kiln. We use this technique as solution through shelves lack.

Workshop is setup with one potter wheel, in order to throw pot to 70 centimeters high. Bigger potteries are coil made. Our kilns limit us to a maximal height of 1,60 meter. Many potteries studio don't made big size ceramics, because it needs a complete mastership of ceramic techniques. Also big size ceramics can easily breaks than more reasonable size ceramics during fabrication process The fabrication of a big size ceramic takes around three month and don't let you any chance of mistake.

Prototypes :

All our designs are even Khmer Antic Replicas or self designed, with don't practice copy tradition. Our designs are Contemporary Khmer Ceramic Art, it seems important to insisted, because this art is too rare in Cambodia and around the world, we aim the revival of this art.

First firing (bisque) :

Aim of the first firing is solidify the bisque and given it porous. This help, in his storage and to glaze it. Firing reach "only" 800°C.  See a bisque firing.

Workshop in perpetual evolution, research and production. An important part of the work is consecrate in experiment on Antiques Khmer glazing. Following needed effects, glazing can be apply by soak, brush or spray gun. All glaze are made from Cambodian minerals, prepared in the center.

Glaze are fired at stoneware temperature (1280°C). Kilns and insulate bricks are made in the centre; with kaolin from Bantey Srey, Wood firing needs a long apprenticeship, there's many parameters to control. The 1500 liters kiln is fired to 1280 C in 10 hours and then cooled during 5 to 6 days regarding the size of fired potteries.

See firing in 220 liters kiln.

See firing in 1500 liters kiln.

See pit firing.

See a Raku firing.

Each pieces are controlled, defects are not tolerates. However, smooth differences of size, shape, colors are not considerate as defects, but are proof of handicraft and the signature of an unique piece.

A place to present our works. You can take a walk in our creation, Khmer antiques replicas, Raku, Wabi Sabi, ...Our shop is valuable incomes source for the NCKCR. Product of our sales are use to handing trainings, perform development and research.