Rust on the inside (Tetsubin)

[IPT]

I have a question I've wondered about for a very long time and figure somebody here can help. I often see aged tetsubin with rust on the inside and I was wondering if that was safe to use? Would it be better to remove the rust first, or can it be used without any issues?

Thanks for your time.

[JBaymore]

IPT,

MOst chagama (tea ceremony kettles) have a good bit of rust in them...... and they get usede all the time.

I've always been told NOT to clean it out. Use it all the time... and I'm not dead yet .

best,

...............john

[IPT]

Wonderful!

Thank you John.

[teaisme]

I've wondered this before as well and could not find any information telling me that it was dangerous.

I've always been told NOT to clean it out

Any idea why? Maybe since the rust adds more iron?

[Chip]

I would think it would be a more dangerous proposition if you were placing food stuffs into it. But plain old water and the fact you are boiling each time would present a minimal risk.

Some iron is said to enhance the brewing of teas. Thus the pop of banko for instance.

[tortoise]

I had a biology professor who was 83 at the time I had her class. She told us that her mother used to keep water in a gallon glass jar that also contained...a rusty railroad spike. She went on and on about how good this was for you because of the iron and she also thought the water tasted better.

I know that men have trouble getting rid of excess iron, more so than women for obvious reasons. So it may be a good idea to discontinue any supplements that contain iron if you are using a lot of iron rich water and/or eating a great deal of red meat. That is the conventional wisdom here, though I don't claim to have superior medical knowledge so take all this with a grain of salt. What I mean to say more directly is that I do not think a little rust will hurt as long as it isn't flaking off solids into the water.

[IPT]

Thank you everyone. I had completely forgotten about the rusty spike in the water. My grandmother did that and remembering it brought back a lot of memories. I used to drink it every day. Funny how memories work huh?

[tortoise]

Thank you everyone. I had completely forgotten about the rusty spike in the water. My grandmother did that and remembering it brought back a lot of memories. I used to drink it every day. Funny how memories work huh?

Wow. That's crazy. My professor was a European from the eastern block so apparently the railroad spike was practiced far and wide.

[Chip]

... were those "food-grade" railroad spikes???

[JBaymore]

".... this products is offered as a dietary supplement and the FDA has not evaluated the claims for this railroad spike and cannot........ "

[IPT]

Haha!

[tortoise]

".... this products is offered as a dietary supplement and the FDA has not evaluated the claims for this railroad spike and cannot........ "

exactly.