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Aug 29th, '08, 00:02
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What the heck is it?

by augie » Aug 29th, '08, 00:02

I bought a new yixing today. I stumbled into a teapot store in downtown Indy today. She had 3 yixing stacked in her window and some home-made tea in her shop. It's a very unique store, lots of antiquey stuff as well as new. Owner tells me her friends go to China and bring back some yixing every time. She kept calling it a "brown betty" for some reason . . . :? Anyway, after getting it home and looking at it better, it has a black-ish cast around the lid and bottom where the lid rubs against the pot and where the pot rubs against the counter. Anyone know what this is (I am hoping NOT lead! :shock: )

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I should go get a lead test kit for giggles anyway to test my other new Yixing. This isnt as pretty and buffed as the other new one I got a few weeks ago. I want to know before I go to the work of seasoning it. Thanks in advance for any thoughts/help. . . .

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Aug 29th, '08, 00:10
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by Geekgirl » Aug 29th, '08, 00:10

Augie, your pot looks like some kind of science experiment or State Fair Exhibit.

*COME ONE AND ALL, SEE the TWO SPOUTED TEAPOT!* :lol:

Don't know about the blackish stuff. Dye? Paint? Shoe polish? Does it rub off?

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Aug 29th, '08, 00:12
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by joelbct » Aug 29th, '08, 00:12

yah i thought i was seeing double... the teapot that grew up too close to the nuclear plant ;)

But it is actually pretty cool of course-

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Aug 29th, '08, 00:32
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by silverneedles » Aug 29th, '08, 00:32

:lol:
fill 2 cups at the same time
nice !!!

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Aug 29th, '08, 00:35
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by Salsero » Aug 29th, '08, 00:35

It looks gianormous. Will you feed tea to your DH as well as yourself from this? That store sounds like fun.

Aug 29th, '08, 03:49
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by devites » Aug 29th, '08, 03:49

Reminds me of the Simpsons

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Aug 29th, '08, 06:24
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by augie » Aug 29th, '08, 06:24

GGU: It's almost dusty, like maybe it was rubbing against the shelf. I'll see what happens when I season it next week. Her store is mostly antique and "fine experienced" teaware. About 75% teapots. Mostly english pots and cup sets. Tea was crap, she said she blended everything herself and all the herbs and flavorings were organically home grown. However, it smells just like the raspberry tea you buy in the grocery store.

She had 6 other yixing, but the really cool ones were green painted, I think. Painted INSIDE. Because the bottom of the lid and the bottom of the pot had paint rubbing off and the natural clay color was showing through. :( One was shaped like a dragon (a very squat dragon) with so many crevices it wasn't practical for use.

This one looks big, but it's probably 6 oz., serve 2 gong fu. It was unique, to say the least, and not green.

It's a tiny downtown store tucked in a hotel. Low ceilings, no A/C, HOT, and she is playing CDs of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or something (I'm more of a Stelllar Kart or Atomic Opera fan)

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Aug 29th, '08, 08:42
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by hop_goblin » Aug 29th, '08, 08:42

What is it? Definitely a "fast pouring" Yixing! :lol:

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Aug 29th, '08, 13:04
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by xine » Aug 29th, '08, 13:04

devites wrote:Reminds me of the Simpsons
That's what I was thinking too! :P It looks like an optical illusion.

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Aug 29th, '08, 13:05
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by chamekke » Aug 29th, '08, 13:05

xine wrote:
devites wrote:Reminds me of the Simpsons
That's what I was thinking too! :P It looks like an optical illusion.
Teawares for Blinky!

Image

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Aug 29th, '08, 15:33
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by betta » Aug 29th, '08, 15:33

Related to the fact that it is a fancy shape of pot, I think the dark green color on the brim is intentionally made to add the artistic touch into the pot.
I've no idea whether it is made by dipping those parts in paint or some other artificial colour agent. Not all paint contain lead so don't operate a horror museum before finding out the real problem. Some food grade paints are available at a reasonable price in the market nowadays :wink:

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Aug 31st, '08, 23:03
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by augie » Aug 31st, '08, 23:03

betta wrote: I've no idea whether it is made by dipping those parts in paint or some other artificial colour agent. :wink:
I didn't buy the painted pots, sorry. They were painted green inside and out so I left them at the store! I didn't know why I'd need the inside of a yixing painted.

This one isn't quite as nice as one that I mail ordered, not as smooth finish. However, the nicer one I bought from Tao of Tea had a glittery dust inside that disappeared when I seasoned it.

When I get back from the long weekend I am going to start the seasoning process by soaking it in water over night. I am interested in what happens to the "dust" around the rim.

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Sep 1st, '08, 00:21
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by Geekgirl » Sep 1st, '08, 00:21

I wonder if some of the mass produced yixing are smoothed by sandblast or some other type of sand polisher? I have two yixings that had none of the sparkly sand in them, and three that did. The two that did not have the sand are my nicer pots, so possibly handmade?

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Sep 1st, '08, 08:04
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by chrl42 » Sep 1st, '08, 08:04

GeekgirlUnveiled wrote:I wonder if some of the mass produced yixing are smoothed by sandblast or some other type of sand polisher? I have two yixings that had none of the sparkly sand in them, and three that did. The two that did not have the sand are my nicer pots, so possibly handmade?
What sand do you mean? If you mean the sparking evenly sand 'INSIDE' the pot, it's what's tossed to avoid the pot and the lid from glueing. Meaning the real Yixing.

Hand-made pots are very rare most of time they have a stamp on the wall and no stripes.

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Sep 1st, '08, 12:32
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by betta » Sep 1st, '08, 12:32

augie wrote:
betta wrote: I've no idea whether it is made by dipping those parts in paint or some other artificial colour agent. :wink:
I didn't buy the painted pots, sorry. They were painted green inside and out so I left them at the store! I didn't know why I'd need the inside of a yixing painted.

This one isn't quite as nice as one that I mail ordered, not as smooth finish. However, the nicer one I bought from Tao of Tea had a glittery dust inside that disappeared when I seasoned it.

When I get back from the long weekend I am going to start the seasoning process by soaking it in water over night. I am interested in what happens to the "dust" around the rim.
What I mean, the brim might have been applied with a paint or colouring agent.
It is possible considering the fancy shape of the pot.
If the color remains after cleaning and bleaching, it should be from something nonorganic substance, so.. good luck

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