Raising Bowls

Raising is a technique dating back to the 3rd century BC of taking a flat sheet of metal and raising the sides to form a vessel or bowl through repeated cycles of hammering and annealing. The process pushes the metal over a metal stake ( an unyeilding surface) and raises the sides with the height increasing as the diameter decreases. After about three courses, the large lumps are removed by bouging the surface. If the desired height is not obtained, more courses of of forging and bouging are carried out until the desired height or shape is as desired. The item is next planished to smooth and harden the object. The following short video shows a bowl being planished.