Cleaning Teapots
22 posts • Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by togei » Sep 27th, '10, 03:53
I just cleaned a Yixing teapot and would like to show before and after pictures.
First a little background.
I bought this teapot in a lot at an antiques auction in Japan. It came as one of many 10s of items in a box on which I bid on the box. As such I didn't attach a price to it and only looked at it after having it for a while. I at first mis-identified it as a water dropper for calligraphy because of all the black hardened ink on it. It was only after I joined this board and actually had a different Yixing teapot come into my hands through the same route I went back and took a second look at this one. After trying to sell it a number of times online unsuccessfully and reading about Yixing teapots here I decided to take a scorched earth approach and try to clean it. It was after all "free" and unusable in its dirty state.
To clean it I put it into a pot with enough water to cover it and then some. I then put in about a 1/2 cup of table vinegar and a couple large table spoons of baking soda. I then lit the burner and brought the whole mess to a boil. After it was boiling I went back to my day job, ceramics, for about 20 minutes, leaving the concoction on low heat, bubbling away. After 20 minutes I came back and using a soft toothbrush I brushed away, holding the piece with chopsticks as it was hot. This I repeated 3 times. Here are the results. It doesn't have a residual taste either.
Before
First a little background.
I bought this teapot in a lot at an antiques auction in Japan. It came as one of many 10s of items in a box on which I bid on the box. As such I didn't attach a price to it and only looked at it after having it for a while. I at first mis-identified it as a water dropper for calligraphy because of all the black hardened ink on it. It was only after I joined this board and actually had a different Yixing teapot come into my hands through the same route I went back and took a second look at this one. After trying to sell it a number of times online unsuccessfully and reading about Yixing teapots here I decided to take a scorched earth approach and try to clean it. It was after all "free" and unusable in its dirty state.
To clean it I put it into a pot with enough water to cover it and then some. I then put in about a 1/2 cup of table vinegar and a couple large table spoons of baking soda. I then lit the burner and brought the whole mess to a boil. After it was boiling I went back to my day job, ceramics, for about 20 minutes, leaving the concoction on low heat, bubbling away. After 20 minutes I came back and using a soft toothbrush I brushed away, holding the piece with chopsticks as it was hot. This I repeated 3 times. Here are the results. It doesn't have a residual taste either.
Before
- 324-342 131.jpg (47.91 KiB) Viewed 263 times
- 324-342 132.jpg (68.42 KiB) Viewed 263 times
- 324-342 134.jpg (73.38 KiB) Viewed 263 times
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togei - Posts: 169
- Joined: Aug 26th, '
- Location: Nara Japan
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by togei » Sep 27th, '10, 03:54
Here are pictures of the same pot clean.
- Clean Yixing teapot 002.jpg (42.81 KiB) Viewed 263 times
- Clean Yixing teapot 003.jpg (35.33 KiB) Viewed 263 times
- Clean Yixing teapot 004.jpg (34.5 KiB) Viewed 263 times
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togei - Posts: 169
- Joined: Aug 26th, '
- Location: Nara Japan
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by Chip » Sep 27th, '10, 09:29
Great job, Togei! Hard to believe it is the same pot.
I moved this to Teaware and Accessories where I think it will be more at home. (for now I left a "shadow topic" under misc)
I moved this to Teaware and Accessories where I think it will be more at home. (for now I left a "shadow topic" under misc)
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Chip - Moderator
- Posts: 20899
- Joined: Apr 22nd, '
- Location: Back in the TeaCave atop Mt. Fuji
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by RaynBeatle » Sep 27th, '10, 12:50
I just rinse it with boiling water. Usually I just leave it alone.
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RaynBeatle - Posts: 114
- Joined: Sep 10th, '
- Location: Hallandale, Florida
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by hyakuraiju » Sep 27th, '10, 18:12
I use a Mr clean magic eraser on some pots. Then dry them with a microfiber towel or shamwow to prevent them from getting that rusty iron smell.
- hyakuraiju
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sep 24th, '
Re: Cleaning Teapots
by theory » Sep 27th, '10, 18:38
hyakuraiju wrote:I use a Mr clean magic eraser on some pots.
I guess those things really do clean everything 
Love it!
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theory - Posts: 80
- Joined: Sep 1st, '1
- Location: Oregon
22 posts • Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
