breaking teaware

[jbenenson]

I think that I have set some kind of record: I broke two of my gaiwans on separate occasions within one week. Has anybody else achieved this? (Breaking more than one at a single time doesn't count).

[Proinsias]

My cats equaled your record a few years ago. One very nice cup and a yixing within the space of of a few days.

[Mary R]

I broke two Bodum Pavina cups within three days of each other...and in the exact same way. I learn nothing from my mistakes.

[JadeKitsune]

I have one precious glazed clay teacup left of the original set of 4 I bought from our local Asian market. The rest met with separate accidents, so I can't claim to beat your streak of tragedies.

I do need to re-up desperately. I bought a set of cast-iron cups... which was a terrible mistake. They get hot so quickly I can hardly touch them till the tea is cold.

On the note of destructible tea ware:
I know this will sound like sacrilege to most of you, but my hubby has an unbreakable metal teapot with a lovely round shape and curvy spout.

The thing pours like a dream, and never gives out. I love it so!

~Jess

[kymidwife]

I finally found some Bodum glassware when I was visiting Dallas last month... bought the giant teacup and a small 5 oz glass.. not the pavina, but nice anyway. I actually got them both home in my suitcase safely... and happily enjoyed a huge cup of hot tea in the large cup... and then broke it immediately. I've managed to not break the small one yet, although I am less likely to used it since I've experienced how fragile they are.

So... sacrilege, I know... but in addition to my small handfull of teacups, I have several Tervis Tumblers... double-walled, clear plastic... keeps hot things hot and cold things cold... one of my favorite containers for tea.... practical and utilitarian, if not in keeping with tradition.

Sarah

[chamekke]

I know this is only a single item and therefore OT for this thread, but... I bought my first gaiwan from Hou De (a beautiful classic gaiwan by Eilong, the "crystalline emerald" a.k.a. Blue Pearl).

Had it about a week, and then suddenly a large crack appeared in it! I don't even know how this happened, something must have clattered against it in the cupboard or something like that. I didn't even have time to photograph it in action

So I'm currently trying to source a new one. Hou De is out of stock and doesn't know when (if) they will get new ones in. No one else even offers it, although I'm trying to persuade TeaCentre to consider it. Given how gorgeous this particular gaiwan is, I'm astounded that more people (= anyone) doesn't carry it. {pout}

[hop_goblin]

No Comment

[Mary R]

Damn! I have that same gaiwan, but have only used it once. I'm going to go unpack it and use it for the next few days to see if it develops a spontaneous crack. It happens, you know.

[Bubba_tea]

I broke my precious pee-pee boy from Dr. Tea in Beijing on the plane trip home.

Have you seen it? Thank God for Youtube, presenting pee-pee boy!

[chamekke]

Damn! I have that same gaiwan, but have only used it once. I'm going to go unpack it and use it for the next few days to see if it develops a spontaneous crack. It happens, you know.

Please let me know if it does... I've been trying to source a replacement (and will buy TWO if I can find a supplier), but if this is characteristic of this type, I'll probably give it a pass.

Incidentally, if you should break either the lid or the saucer, we may be able to assemble one functioning gaiwan set between us

[bearsbearsbears]

I've been trying to source a replacement (and will buy TWO if I can find a supplier), but if this is characteristic of this type, I'll probably give it a pass.

Hi chamekke! I posted about this to a pottery group, and these are the responses I received. I hope they're useful:

"This sounds like a stress fracture and has more to do with the materials used than the technical handling of the clay. The clay and glaze do not fit each other, or the clay contains too much silica. There is a slight possibility that it cooled down too fast in the kiln, but I think the breakage would have appeared earlier in such case." --A. Badenhorst

"Possibly the piece was subjected to a physical shock....hit against another piece, dropped or some sharp strike against the sink...or??...ie, The piece looked okay, but then, when subjected to thermal shock, it broke. Porcelain will usually ring when lightly tapped with a spoon. If it 'thuds' or 'clanks' ...ie. does not ring, there may be a break somewhere that is almost invisible to the eye. My 2 RMB." --R. Swenson

"Sounds like thermal shock to me. Probably your friend's cup had a
hidden flaw, and use caused it to split." --J.

Back to me:
I don't think it's a glaze fit problem; the items are mass-produced, and I'm sure they would have fit the glaze properly. It seems more likely that some hidden flaw caused either in the production process or from being banged around in shipping caused it to break when hit with hot water. I hope it's just an unfortunate anomaly!

[chamekke]

Thank you very much for that, bears!

I agree that responses #2 and 3 seem more likely than the first one. My own suspicion is that I may have clattered the cup against something (the danger of overcrowded kitchen cabinets). Certainly I would hope that thermal shock alone wouldn't do the job, since these gaiwan are supposed to be able to handle hot liquids (and in any case I've been pouring water into them that is no hotter than 90 degrees C).

Well, if I do buy a replacement gaiwan, for sure I will be keeping a very close eye on it. If this happens again (spontaneously, that is - not because I break it through my own clumsiness!), that's it for that line, I'm afraid...

[cheaton]

I finally found some Bodum glassware when I was visiting Dallas last month... bought the giant teacup and a small 5 oz glass.. not the pavina, but nice anyway. I actually got them both home in my suitcase safely... and happily enjoyed a huge cup of hot tea in the large cup... and then broke it immediately. I've managed to not break the small one yet, although I am less likely to used it since I've experienced how fragile they are.

So... sacrilege, I know... but in addition to my small handfull of teacups, I have several Tervis Tumblers... double-walled, clear plastic... keeps hot things hot and cold things cold... one of my favorite containers for tea.... practical and utilitarian, if not in keeping with tradition.

Sarah

While it may be taboo to drink tea from plastic becuase of tradition reasons... i would also suggest to you that this may be a bad idea biologically. Plastics (even those which are "designed" for hot and cold) have the potential to leech out nasty stuff when exposed to extreme heat and cold. Some even leech out chemicals at room temperature. Among these chamicals that may leech out is melamine... which you may recognize as the chemical which was at the center of the huge pet food recall last year or the year before. Just my 2 cents....

[Grubby]

This is my advice for not breaking stuff:
1. Be careful
2. Don't worry about breaking stuff

It has worked for me, i didn't break anything in a long time (knocks on wood).