oldmanteapot wrote:IPT wrote:Do you think that's wax? I saw it too, but to me it looked like a fresh surface tea stain, although I could be wrong.
Doesn't really look like a fresh surface tea stain to me. My main concern is the uneven pattern and patches of 'patina' that's on the surface. I've came across many of such teapots with a layer of 'wax' and they leave similar stains behind after you try to rub it with a wet cloth while the pot is still hot.
Cheers!
This is not always the case. With wax (it may be wax), you will usually see an even look to the skin. Some of it may have come off so you see an uneven skin. But, I have pots from the 80's that have uneven patina because more tea splashes on these surfaces than others over the years. One explanation cannot cover all the possibilities. This is why the owner must examine it carefully and tell us what he finds when the surface is cleaned more.
So many sharp eyes around here. Good to see the enthusiasm.
Another point about the staining of the inside of a pot with gaoshan. With good clay, the sides of the lid picks up the staining much faster and deeper than inside the pot. My pots from the 80's are dark on the side of the lids. They can be cleaned, and, maybe this pot was cleaned for resale, but, staining will not always give away the age of a pot.
With the red pot, I do think it is possible that the clay is zhuni. According to the sample pieces of clay that Houde shows on his site, hongni will not glow like that. Of course, there may be a way for skillful potters to do it. I don't know. For me, hongni was always duller but I may be wrong.
Then there is the mixing of clay, using a zhuni base. At that point, I am lost.