Does "high-fired" mean that a teapot can't be feed as much?

[futurebird]

Which yixing clays change most dramatically overtime? How does this relate to high and low firing?

Some really fine zhuni seems (from photos) so smooth that I wonder if it would change at all.

[Tead Off]

Duanni and zini clays really show a marked change quite quickly. Hongni also changes very well. I've noticed that many hongni pots are polished, preventing a noticeable change on the exterior. Probably it's an aesthetic choice that the potter will make. I don't think it affects the usability at all.

I am not sure about the firing temps. There are zisha that are both low, medium, and high fired that have matte exteriors. I'm also not sure about modern and old zhuni, whether modern mud will fire and leave a sheen naturally vs old zhuni. Some expert will have to answer those questions.

[futurebird]

So the smoothness is a result of burnishing either before or after firing?

[Tead Off]

So the smoothness is a result of burnishing either before or after firing?

I believe so.

[kyarazen]

So the smoothness is a result of burnishing either before or after firing?

nope..........

[Tead Off]

So the smoothness is a result of burnishing either before or after firing?

nope..........

Well, tell us...........

[Thé Addict]

There seems to be at least two different ideas here, namely smoothness and shine/glossiness. What is shinier may not be smoother.

From what I see (and I might be wrong), assuming that no burnishing is done, some teapots may end up smoother than others because of finer grain size and perhaps higher firing temperatures. I've also heard that it's possible for some teapots to gain a glossier appearance because they are fired twice.

Many pots do, nevertheless, seem to have at least slightly different textures inside and outside even though the teapot is made of a single clay. This could be due to burnishing and the teapots may appear smoother on the outside with burnishing. E.g. if we pour water over the interior walls, they get wet and stay wet for a while, but when we pour water over the exterior walls, it does not "hang" onto the exterior walls so well. (Sometimes this is due to wax on the outside, however.)

The original question of which clay changes most over time is then harder to answer because clay type is just one factor, and there are other factors like grain size (the same general clay type may have finer grains or coarser grains depending), firing and burnishing.

I do think that glossy-looking zhuni pots (at least whatever modern version I have) can change quite quickly in terms of taking on a deeper color even if they don't look shinier over time.

What I personally would like to learn about is how to roughly tell what sort of teas are suitable for a pot based on its clay type, granularity, and texture.

[wyardley]

I'm not a potter, but I think it's usually a mistake to try to guess how a pot was made.

I think of pots in terms of how they look, feel, and sound (more / less porous, more or less ringing sound, smooth or rough to the touch, and so on).

[Tead Off]

I'm not a potter, but I think it's usually a mistake to try to guess how a pot was made.

I think of pots in terms of how they look, feel, and sound (more / less porous, more or less ringing sound, smooth or rough to the touch, and so on).

Why a mistake? I think potters look at others work and do exactly that. It's just another of the many facets of exploring Yixing or any other pottery tradition.

[kyarazen]

I'm not a potter, but I think it's usually a mistake to try to guess how a pot was made.

I think of pots in terms of how they look, feel, and sound (more / less porous, more or less ringing sound, smooth or rough to the touch, and so on).

i might be potting soon attempting to recreate somethings

its fun though. having been inducted into certain schools of thought and interacting with people whom had been through the times and now piecing the jigsaws together, there are characteristics of pots from each era, each transition and modernization of manufacture methods, the lid shape, the knob shape, the pot shape, the pot base, the seal, the firing, the spout, the touching ups, the interior of the pot, the clay, the blend, the water exit point/filter type and method of creation, the lid lip, the overall curvature of the vessel.. and so much more.. these things change with the different eras of manufacture

will probably post a little more on instagram than writing about it since pictures are necessary...