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Apr 24th, '13, 15:44
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I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by futurebird » Apr 24th, '13, 15:44

This time I did all of the steps that the "masters" do in my own awkward way and I'm just filled with joy with the result. I still need to burnish it and do more work on the base... but it looks like a teapot which is more than I can say for my first effort:

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OY VEH

let's move on!

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My arm got tired from smacking this mofo.

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This time I didn't glue the base all the way on, just on the edges. So, I can carve it out later like and intelligent person would.

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This is the scary moment when you make it an "egg of clay" and you have no idea what's going on inside ...

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The sealed egg... then it's time for more furious tapping. The masters must have big strong arms and very obedient children. :lol:

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tryinging to get it all in a row.

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One big issue is it gets roughed up as one works. I need to do a better job keeping in smooth, clean hands... don't rush...

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getting ready to cut out the lid.

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Not quite. The masters get it on the first try.

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almost perfect...

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yeah!

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So, issues... yeah, this teapot has some. I'm going to dissect them latter when I go back to burnish it. (I'm exhausted this took 4 hours)

For now, I'm just happy that I did all of the steps.

I think I'll watch the video again just in case I missed something.
Last edited by futurebird on Apr 24th, '13, 21:08, edited 2 times in total.

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Apr 24th, '13, 16:01
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly)

by Evan Draper » Apr 24th, '13, 16:01

Congrats! That is quite an accomplishment.

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Apr 24th, '13, 21:09
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by futurebird » Apr 24th, '13, 21:09

Thanks evan. I might just fire this one. Though, it has a few issues, it's a little... lopped sided if you look at in in the right way.

I just did the burnishing:

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Still a long way to go, but progress feels good.

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Apr 24th, '13, 21:41
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by jayinhk » Apr 24th, '13, 21:41

Congratulations, that's very impressive!

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Apr 25th, '13, 00:54
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by debunix » Apr 25th, '13, 00:54

Yes, that's looking like a pot, even with a bit of personality to it. Excellent progress from your recent beginning.

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Apr 25th, '13, 00:56
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by Teaism » Apr 25th, '13, 00:56

Excellent!

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Apr 25th, '13, 01:23
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by yalokinh » Apr 25th, '13, 01:23

Thats some fast progress!
Looks great

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Apr 26th, '13, 09:48
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by futurebird » Apr 26th, '13, 09:48

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm going to make another later today wish me luck!

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Apr 26th, '13, 12:55
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by nada » Apr 26th, '13, 12:55

Looks like you had fun! I'm impressed at your early beginnings - I think many of us take for granted how difficult it is to make 'perfect' looking pots.
futurebird wrote:(I'm exhausted this took 4 hours)
A small tip... most yixing potters tend to make pieces separately, let them dry for a day or two and then fix them together. Maybe that's the way to prevent your fingers from spoiling the surface the of the pot when working with it.

It's a bit harder to wait when you're just making one pot, but when you're making a few in one go, it seems more natural.

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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by tingjunkie » Apr 26th, '13, 15:51

I think you've really captured the feel of the funky Boogie-Down Bronx! Nice work. :wink:

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Apr 27th, '13, 10:04
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by everyman » Apr 27th, '13, 10:04

You are awesome. Keep a'going.

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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by gasninja » Apr 28th, '13, 20:00

Nice! I can't wait to see pot #2.

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Apr 28th, '13, 22:24
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Re: I think I did it! (mostly) Bronx-made yixing clay teapot

by futurebird » Apr 28th, '13, 22:24

I've made TWO since :oops: But, each had some ... lets say... issues. I'll show this one:

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Ugh... it's just too rough, and fugly. I think the problems is that I got a little ahead of myself and tried to work much too small too soon. I need to keep working at a larger sizes for now. Since my goal is to make *my personal* ideal teapot -- it's hard not to just focus on what I want. But, I need to remember that the teapot I will keep is not even born yet... it's not even an idea yet.

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That said, I've come up with a new way of making handles. Making handles is HARD, since this clay isn't plastic and will crack when bent. I'm having some good luck sculpting the handles from slabs:

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This show some bits in my "damp box" I'm trying to make a lot of pieces at once then just assemble them later. That way it is not required to make everything on the spot.

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I don't know if it will work, but it's worth a try.

This little workspace is my happy place!

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Though, my husband complains about the pounding some of the time. :oops:

Can't wait to post the next (passable) pot. The encouragement really helps too. Some days nothing works. But, that's just part of learning. I have become very critical of the work of others:

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/Two-Nice-Chines ... 232a5c14c2

I found these on ebay, and started listing the flaws as soon as I saw them. :lol: But, it made me feel better to see that others have struggled with the same things that I do... (lumpy spout, crooked handles, etc.) albiet they struggle much less... :oops:


I think I'll try to copy this teapot next:

its looks simple (deceptively simple :twisted: ) and yet I think I understand how to make it.

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http://www.ebay.com/itm/A-Small-Chinese ... 4ac3fc5b34

(FYI I have no idea if this ebay auction is a good price or even that great of a pot, I'm just using it for a visual reference, not saying it's worth bidding on!)


Back to the drawing board!

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