Yixing Clay Breakdown

[bagua7]

Why do you think hong ni doesn't have iron content? How do you think it gets its color?

Lol, I suppose. I was wrong...corrected.

[needaTEAcher]

What about Huini? Babelcarp translates it as "Ash Mud".
http://www.yunnansourcing.com/store/pro ... oduct=1275

Is this a type of Duanni?

[bagua7]

Graphite/grey clay. Yes it is a mix of duan ni/zi ni with certain oxides to achieve the colour of the traditional qing hui ni clay. If you are lucky to come across a pot made using the old clay make sure you carry with you a briefcase loaded with "goodies".

[Tead Off]

Graphite/grey clay. Yes it is a mix of duan ni with certain oxides to achieve the colour of the traditional qing hui ni clay. If you are lucky to come across a pot made using the old clay make sure you carry with you a briefcase loaded with "goodies".

You can tell all of that by the photo?

[needaTEAcher]

I think Baggy is talking about the genre of clay that is represented here in YS.
Back to the whole, can't help but feel like the YS pots can't really be what they say they are, or at least nowhere even close to pure. Either that or everyone else is charging WAAAAAY to much, and my understanding is fundamentally flawed...

[bagua7]

The description I gave was in relation to QHN clay.

Here's an example of a pot made using that clay:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71721845/st ... ing-hui-ni

[Drax]

No, I have one of those YS QHN pots. They are far from being that clay, just the average "greenish" looking duan ni.

The description I gave was in relation to QHN clay.

Here's an example of a pot made using that clay:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71721845/st ... ing-hui-ni

However I am not sure about that clay being the old QHN because that price is still too low as we are not talking about one but three pots.

Hrm, that's Nico's etsy page. He might still be around to answer a Q on the origin... but haven't really heard from him here after he moved a number of months ago!

[needaTEAcher]

That's a nice lookin' pot there Baggy. Gonna pull the trigger on it? I wish I had the cash now to get it!

[sriracha]

Hrm, that's Nico's etsy page.

Yeah, what happened? Still waiting for that shop to reopen...

[Drax]

He moved with his family to Leipzig. The old thread he had for pottery is here -- the potter is his wife's uncle.

[needaTEAcher]

Anyone want to buy the set for me? It is for a good cause!!!!

[hopeofdawn]

Sadly, it doesn't appear that you can get pots through him anymore--I inquired a few months back about buying one, and he e-mailed me back and stated that he'd pretty much gotten out of selling yixing. It's too bad, too--I'd really fallen in love with the pot in question, and I've never seen another like it.

[chrl42]

Clay-expert Zhu Ze Wei wrote a book about Yixing clay in a more deep and detailed form.

From I've learned, knowing the mines of Yixing clay is more important than knowing the names of Yixing clay. Because clay names don't have trustful sources of where they came from. Plus, earlier than 90's..Yixing clays didn't names as we have now.

Yixing clay, characteristics differ by the mines and period..Qing dynasty's clay and modern clay are different. Modern Yixing clay's mines don't go lower than mine #4.

Mine #4 was mined and used during 7~90's by goverment-factory called Factory-1. That mine was located in the basement so contained many irons..its clay is more tender than mine #5.

Another famous mine is Taixi which is exposed mine unlike #4. It's 90's mine, at that time clay-making condition improved so you won't see 'dirty' processed skin like old clays.

The other mine is Mt. Bao mine, which is close to Mt. Qinglong. This mine has been used since Ming dynasty..it's one of the oldest clay/mine.

Other mines aren't important as the mines above. Given the statement 'old clay is better'..then we should look for rather dirty-processed clays, which is pre-70's..

[needaTEAcher]

Any recommendations on where to find more info in the English language? I am reading a textbook on puerh by the guy from cloudsteacollection.com, and it is really nice, but I haven't been able to find the same on Zisha. Help?

[needaTEAcher]

Check out Babelcarp as an easy resource for all of your tea-related Chinese terms. 朱 is done as 'vermillion' but either way likely refers to the *color*, not necessarily the specific chemical composition that is cinnabar (which would include mercury sulfide).

I can't speak for Chinese, but Japanese cinnabar tends to have the symbol 丹 (red earth) in the mix as well (such as 丹朱). Would definitely need to get a native speaker for better clarification on that one...

Just landed in Hong Kong, and babelcarp is blocked?!?!?!?!?!? Anyone know if it is still up everywhere else? Is it just HK?