Tadpole wrote:Oooooooo. Tadpoles are patient. I will wait for your pics! Custom made you say? Does the artisan normally do custom bamboo items? Sell a line of his own stuff? Would he refinish existing sort of damaged bamboo trays? Have a website? A phone number? Sorry...*simmers down*...tea drinking tadpoles are also somewhat neurotic when excited.
He doesn't do custom stuff. He owed me a favor. Honestly though refinishing an existing tray would cost a lot more in shipping alone, than a new tray would cost. Bamboo trays work well here because it's very humid, so they don't crack, but when you have central heat and air, they tend to always split. You can repair them, but they'll just split again. If you could find a bamboo tray with a plastic tray on the inside, it would work, but otherwise, they will eventually leak. You can find wooden tea trays that are quite nice with plastic trays for about the same price as bamboo ones. The plastic trays slide out the side, so that you don't have to remove all of your tea ware. You can just slip it out, empty it into a container next to you, slip it back in, and continue brewing. It works very well when you have guests. There are also trays that have a hose that drains directly into a container, but I don't like them. The hoses are clear and you can always see the mold that grows in them and it's kind of yucky. Plus, they always make a slurping sound.
I'll try to remember the photos. If I don't get them to you, please resend me a note. I'm getting forgetful in my old age.
