Corey Mitchell

In 2007 Corey was one of a small group working in Boyce Lundstrom’s research and development lab and kitchen, experimenting with cast glass.

He wanted to make glass cabochons with playa inside, the fine lakebed dust from Burning Man, to give away at the next event. He found that playa encased in glass works with borosilicate, 96 COE and Pyrex. The group later found it works with 90 COE and float glass too.

While they were working on the Kiln-fired Glass book, Boyce encouraged everyone to add copper to their pieces. That is when Corey discovered that playa reacts with copper and moisture to make a patina and color inside the glass. That discovery is what inspired Boyce to produce the Raku Glass book.

Soon after, Boyce was diagnosed with brain cancer, and in a very short time he was gone. As a gesture to their friend, his son Patrick gave Corey what was left at the warehouse: packaged products, a limited number of books, and the remaining marbles from Boyce’s time running the Peltier Marble factory. Corey and Dana now put those together as Raku glass kits.