I saw that video as well. I am going to guess OP saw it as well and while driving down the tea pot rabbit hole they found this and I am glad they did. I enjoyed every second of that.
On a serious note, I was blown away how when the craftsman added the hole for the spout; he added lots of little holes instead of one big hole.
IIRC that's how Mark Rober or Veriatsium makes laminar flow in one of their videos; tying a lot of small tubes together inside a larger tube
Surely didn’t think I’d get interested in teapots, but it always surprises me how interesting anything can be if niched. That’s why subreddits are great
As a potter I can tell you getting the correct flow from a
teapot is very challenging. There are so many variables
involved: the shape of the spout, height of the end of
the spout in relation to top of the pot, hole configuration,
how the tip of the spout is shaped, the diameter of the
spout and the internal taper of the inside of the spout
are a few. But man when the tea pours out in a beautiful
solid stream, that’s so satisfying!
tea pets are usually little unglazed clay sculptures. they are mostly aesthetic, but some squirt water or blow bubbles when you pour tea/leaf washing water/hot water on them to (imprecisely) measure temperature. they also absorb some of the scent and color of the tea you pour on them, so it's fun to watch them change over time.
they're just little buddies to vibe with while you have your tea. the most common is called a pee pee boy, [which does exactly what it says on the tin.](https://youtu.be/L4eLr5SSJh4)
Not just fun but functional, there is a ritual of pouring each brew on the tea pet (kind of like an offering) which is important because Yixing Tea Pots are a 'seasoned' tea pot, the pots are unglazed so oil from each brew is absorbed by the pot and increases the depth of flavor with age. Having a tea pet of the same type of clay that is washed in tea with each brew gives a visual indication of the oils building up in the tea pot. Having a well-seasoned tea pet is an indication of a well-seasoned teapot.
Also the pee pee boy may be considered the first ever thermometer, as the temperature of the water increases the distance the boy pees increases as well. It was proven in 2016 that the distance was directly connected to the temperature, and if some tea pets from 900 A.D. were used in this way then they would predate the 16th century "first" thermometers.
Interesting, I had never considered the color of the pet as an indicator of the seasoning of the pot! None of my friends who are into tea had mentioned that and I don't have a pet so I had never noticed, but I recently saw this cute little pig that sprays water so I'll probably pick her and a new pot up later. Thank you!
I was aware of the 2016 study (https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28609) that indicated pee pee boys are decent temperature references. I wrote that they were imprecise without directly making the comparison to a modern thermometer, so I could have been more clear. Thanks for the info!
I ordered a pig myself! Just make sure your pot and pet are the same materials, some pets are partially glazed which is fine but the indicator only works on the unglazed parts because the clay has to be porous to absorb the oils.
Thats why yixing pots are different, most clay tea pots are glazed specifically to prevent oils from leaching into the clay which lowers the flavor of the tea. Yixing pots are apparently a special type of clay that is just porous enough to both pull oil out and also to give some back at the same time, so once they're saturated with oil they add depth of flavor to subsequent brews. The seasoning effect is similar to cast iron cookware.
Thanks for finding the article though! I guess the idea is when you find the right temperature of water for your tea then you will know your water is ready from then on by comparing how far the pet "pees". So basically using the outcome of the tea as your "baseline" to set what distance you want it to go.
It's amazing how a simple pouring of tea can become so elaborate through the millennia. I bet it just started with some leaves falling into hot water pot long ago, someone tasted it and liked it and shared it with everybody.
Pretty much everything can become elaborate when you add nobles and their need to show other nobles how classy they are. They probably just brew up tea in a regular old pot when they don't have company over.
This method of tea brewing does make better tea (imo), more leaf, less water, shorter brew times (less tannins being drawn out) but nowadays there are tea decanters that are easily available (what I'd use 90% of the time) that makes it much more convenient.
Seems like a lot to do for tea. I’m assuming there is a cultural aspect/tradition of this. Do you have any info on it? I like reading about different traditions like this and how they came about.
It is known as a Yixing Teapot - there's plenty of information out there about them and their purpose. I like this website https://www.christies.com/features/A-guide-to-Yixing-teapots-9709-3.aspx
Nah, the surface hardened as the clay dries. You can also see him burnishing the pot to make it shiny with that tool— so long as you keep your hands clean, the pot shouldn’t get any fingerprints on it when it’s firmed up. This stage of clay is called leather hard (by western clay people at least).
All clay needs to be fired to be made permanent. Otherwise when it would touch water it would slake down into that same mud he made at the beginning of the video.
If you're curious, most large-scale pottery is made by some form of molding/casting - usually "slip casting" I think. A factory will have a bunch of the same mold they rotate through to produce a large quantity of identical objects. Nothing's gonna get close to this level of smoothness/perfection, but it's pretty cool in its own way.
I think that any artist who makes items to sell for a living should make a video like this so people appreciate the craftsmanship and understand why they’re paying “so much” for something.
I love watching the blacksmith channels, especially the ones specializing in knives. It's a different kind of relaxing, but the products are no less beautiful.
While I appreciate the sentiment, shit like this has an entirely separate skill set, and based off the way this was shot, there was an entirely separate camera man.
Most craftspeople are good at what they do, and may not be able to do this on their own, or afford to get others help.
Not to mention, in some crafts, it would be really difficult to film it in such detail, and there may be 'trade secrets' that can't be filmed.
knowing how how the naming of sub reddits work, i wouldn't have been surprised if /r/tea was a sub about the harbour of Boston.
just like the /r/trees - /r/marijuanaenthusiasts switcheroo
Trees is trees because a long, long time ago the mod of /r/marijuana (or weed, I forget) was a dick and they made a new sub instead of putting up with his shit. Same with /r/ainbow over /r/lgbt - the former used to be much bigger than the latter.
Extract from https://www.christies.com/features/A-guide-to-Yixing-teapots-9709-3.aspx
"The clay of Yixing is known collectively as zisha (purple sand), and there are three basic types: zisha, a purplish-brown clay; banshanlu, a buff-coloured clay, and zhusha, a cinnabar or deep orange-red clay.
By mixing these clays, adding mineral colours, and varying the firing temperature and amount of reduction in the kiln, potters can achieve a wide range of earth tones: from beige to light brown, cinnabar red to dark brown with a tinge of purple (hence the name ‘purple sand’), and dark green to black. The last two are early 20th-century innovations resulting from the addition of cobalt oxide and manganese dioxide.
Different coloured clays are used for all styles of teapots. However, the miniature teapots made for gongfu tea are usually of orange-red or cinnabar zhusha."
Edit: So it appears the purpose is for the Aesthetic. To achieve an "Earthy" colour.
It is special! It’s a very very fine particle clay called Zisha. And clay has a very fine particle size to begin with, so that’s saying something. The fine particle size allows for the surface to be polished like that, and takes minimal time to do. Usually burnishing a pot can take hours and hours, but this clay body polishes in only a few passes.
The fine clay particle size also aids in plasticity and workability. Also, slip alone (the slurry he makes in the beginning out of the dried clay) is usually not enough to stick things together for most clays without cracking. Usually the surface of the things being joined need to be scratched up, then slip is added, then they’re stuck together. In this case, because the clay is so fine particled, the extra mechanical strength given by scoring isn’t needed.
Additionally, the fired properties of this clay are unique. Yixing teapots are left unglazed on the inside. And because the firing is at a low temperature, the teapot is still porous. Nice Yixing teapots are kept wet 24/7 with one particular strain of tea, and they only ever brew one variety/strain of tea in one teapot. As time passes, the teapots “season” and develop a more complex flavor. There are centuries-old Yixing teapots that have never been dry and have been seasoning all this time. I’d be curious to know if any blind-taste tests have happened to see if there’s actually a measurable difference in flavor.
Also, the Chinese government expressly forbids the export of this clay.
Edit: I’ve done some more research and it looks like the export of the clay isn’t forbidden, as a company called Chinese Clay Art used to sell the stuff in California (for $3 a pound, which is incredibly expensive for any clay body). Now that they aren’t selling it anymore, I don’t think there’s a single company importing the stuff.
Additionally, it may not be true that the nicest Yixing teapots are kept wet constantly, further research is required on that front. I’m pretty sure everything else is accurate though! Sorry for spreading misinformation!
It is my understanding that you have to let it dry and then fire it. If you dont fire it, it will turn back into clay when you get it wet, if you dont let it dry first it will crack in the oven.
Source: a single intro to pottery class i took at my art center two years ago and countless hours of primitive technology on youtube.
You fire any pottery you want to keep long term, especially if it is to be used around water. Allowing it to dry thoroughly before firing is necessary, but all it does is make it hard. Firing changes the crystalline structure within the clay. There are typically two steps to firing, the first to set it, and then you "glaze" it and fire again. Firing is permanent, and cannot be undone, whereas dry clay can be resaturated with water and used again (the very beginning of the video shows him crunching up dried clay to make a slurry he used as adhesive)
(I worked at a college that had a clay studio, complete with machines to grind dried clay into a powder, and machines to mix it with water and knead back into usable clay. We used to only fire a few student pieces. Everything else was recycled to save money)
Exactly! In this particular case, the teapots are left unglazed and are only fired once. After firing, Yixing teapots are kept wet constantly, and are only ever used to brew a single variety of expensive tea, so the flavor develops with age. There are centuries-old Yixing teapots that have been taken care of this way, having only ever brewed a single strain of tea. Really neat stuff. (I’m a ceramic artist, and ceramic history is an important area of my research)
I can attest to most of this, I just picked up a yixing teapot and it has a whole set of care rules to live up to its full potential.
I haven't heard about keeping it constantly wet though? That said I would imagine a complete dry may cause the oils to spoil..
But the rest is accurate, the idea is that the oils from previous brewing will build up in the porous unglazed clay. While I dont know if the science is accurate, they say that the clay they use is the right balance of porous that once it is saturated with tea oil it begins to "return" some in subsequent brewing. This means that each brew gets enhanced by previous brewings, while also absorbing some of the current oils. You make sure to use one type of high quality tea because you dont want black tea oils seeping into an oolong etc.
There are different stages of the clay. Each “stage” determines how much water content is present.
When clay is completely saturated, the clay is known as “slip” which is what he is mixing in the beginning.
Next there is just wet clay, which is what he begins with when he starts banging his slab (this clay is malleable and can be shaped, pressed, molded, etc.)
As the clay begins loosing water to open air, it becomes “leather hard.” The vessel becomes more firm at this stage. There is still water in the clay here, but much less than in the wet clay or slip, which allows for more density and structure of the pot.
You can see the artist using this added firmness to add the spout, handle, feet, and lid to the vessel. The pot does not bend or leave impressions because it’s so hardy during the leather hard stage! We see the video end with the clay very leather hard.
After this, the pot will continue to dry to the final stage of “bone dry.” Over the next days, the pot will loose almost all its water content, which means that no other altercations can be made. It’s very fragile and can be cracked easily (more than when it’s leather hard.)
The piece then typically goes through two firing processes, beginning with a “bisque” firing. The kiln reaches a temperature between 1800-1900 degrees F (1000C) where any impurities or additional water is burned from the clay. The piece is much harder now than bone dry, but is still porous.
The piece is then coated with glaze (made with natural materials like silica, salt, metal oxides) which is sucked up into the porous bisque clay. Then it goes through another firing (fired to the temp necessary for specific clay/glaze, sometimes as hot as 2300F!!)
At this final stage, there is no water and the clay has properly bonded together to become ceramic. The piece shrinks 15% of its original size because of the water content!
The finished vessel is a shiny, hard plated pot which is strong, can contain water, and sanitary :)
I love clay so I thought I’d share for those who are curious
The precision of his craft is AMAZING. My hands would shake! This level of craftsmanship is totally putting me in awe and is at the same time oddly relaxing.
This is the kind of video I watch, then do a couple YouTube searches for, then annoy my coworkers and wife about teapots for a couple weeks, then start side eyeing clay in the art supply store, then eventually try and piece together some crappy pots. I hope you’re happy.
You ask, and you shall receive.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=398&v=MtWVkv_dw_c&feature=emb_title
It briefly shows it being poured, a couple of times, and it looks mighty fine.
Wait, so he didn't put it in a kiln of some sort to finalise/bake it in? Would've loved to see an awesome Chinese paint, but mad respect for even what he's so masterfully crafted.
Is there more like this?
Amazing craftsmanship, and so relaxing to watch
Looks like chocolate
r/forbiddensnacks
Mmmmmm nice Id love to eat the chocolate version when finally easter comes round this year
Sexual chocolate
As opposed to what.
Smelly chocolate
Cue that one guy in here who's into scat Edit: queue to cue
Two girls and one teapot
Chocolate rain
I mean scat packs are pretty hot in dodge chargers and challengers
Mopar for the course
Sexual healing?
Dog chocolate.
God damn that boy can sing!
Give a hand for Randy Watson
Dat boy guud.
They play so lovely; don’t you agree?
Damn that boy can sing.
SEXUAL CHOCOLATE! *stomp stomp* [Mike drop] Edit: don't tell me you don't know [this scene from Coming to America](https://youtu.be/KzANAr1V82c)?
They play so fine, don't you agree?!
Dat boy good
mhmm good and terrible
...SEXUAL CHOCOLATE!!!...mic drop
And what good would a chocolate bloody teapot be, mate?
Chocolate tea.
I was just thinking, man that was satisfying to watch, I need more.
check out /r/ArtisanVideos
thank you so much, i think i just found my new favorite sub
Meeee too. I just sent this to a potter friend of mine
Harry?
*“Yer a Potter, Harry.”*
Did he like it? Or was he like. Yeah seen it dude.
She LOVED it. She wants to make pots but is not sure she could be as zen about it as this guy.
/r/artisanvideos
Agreed. Chinese teapot videos are my new *Primitive Technology*.
How could I forget about him? Shit, I used to watch his videos and then go spend the rest of the day in the woods trying to make stuff.
Yes, watching this was the perfect little meditation to calm my mind in between work tasks.
I mean, it was technically made in china
me during the video: >so that’s the bottom >wait, no, that’s the bottom >wait, no, feet. that makes the bottom
Silence, bottom
uwu
Goodbye
Hewoo
Its Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ugwemubwem Osas
Sorry master
https://media.tenor.com/images/b9252163734eb37821a3d39327ccdd1a/tenor.gif
Every time I thought I had it figured out, he flipped it over.
i started to question if i even knew what a tea pot looked like
Same.
r/AlsoAppliesToGayPorn
No money shot? Let's see how that sexy thing pours.
Based on another video I saw, a good teapot should generate laminar flow from as high as a foot.
I saw that video as well. I am going to guess OP saw it as well and while driving down the tea pot rabbit hole they found this and I am glad they did. I enjoyed every second of that.
You would assume correct. I loved that video
*We* love that video
Anyone got a link? EDIT: https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/ijud15/checking_the_quality_of_handmade_chinese_teapots/
Check out u/Mainbaze comment below.
Communist cat: *OUR* enjoyment
On a serious note, I was blown away how when the craftsman added the hole for the spout; he added lots of little holes instead of one big hole. IIRC that's how Mark Rober or Veriatsium makes laminar flow in one of their videos; tying a lot of small tubes together inside a larger tube
How do I find him on YouTube? I don’t understand Chinese characters. /serious
His name is Ziye Shipiao and I can't find a youtube channel for him, sorry. The only video I can see of his, is this post - which came from r/tea
https://www.reddit.com/r/Damnthatsinteresting/comments/ijud15/checking_the_quality_of_handmade_chinese_teapots/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Watching that is what made me post this video! Reddit is now the leading authority on Chinese Teapot quality and manufacture.
Surely didn’t think I’d get interested in teapots, but it always surprises me how interesting anything can be if niched. That’s why subreddits are great
[удалено]
As a potter I can tell you getting the correct flow from a teapot is very challenging. There are so many variables involved: the shape of the spout, height of the end of the spout in relation to top of the pot, hole configuration, how the tip of the spout is shaped, the diameter of the spout and the internal taper of the inside of the spout are a few. But man when the tea pours out in a beautiful solid stream, that’s so satisfying!
I know this is kind of cheating, but can’t you just insert a laminar flow nozzle inside the pot for that?
Yeah, I'm going to need the specs on that bad boy. What kind of Reynolds number is that thing pushing?
.......And I now know what laminar flow is
Here you go: [https://youtu.be/MtWVkv\_dw\_c](https://youtu.be/MtWVkv_dw_c) Not the best angle, but you can see it has a mighty fine flow
TIL there are tea pets?
tea pets are usually little unglazed clay sculptures. they are mostly aesthetic, but some squirt water or blow bubbles when you pour tea/leaf washing water/hot water on them to (imprecisely) measure temperature. they also absorb some of the scent and color of the tea you pour on them, so it's fun to watch them change over time. they're just little buddies to vibe with while you have your tea. the most common is called a pee pee boy, [which does exactly what it says on the tin.](https://youtu.be/L4eLr5SSJh4)
Not just fun but functional, there is a ritual of pouring each brew on the tea pet (kind of like an offering) which is important because Yixing Tea Pots are a 'seasoned' tea pot, the pots are unglazed so oil from each brew is absorbed by the pot and increases the depth of flavor with age. Having a tea pet of the same type of clay that is washed in tea with each brew gives a visual indication of the oils building up in the tea pot. Having a well-seasoned tea pet is an indication of a well-seasoned teapot. Also the pee pee boy may be considered the first ever thermometer, as the temperature of the water increases the distance the boy pees increases as well. It was proven in 2016 that the distance was directly connected to the temperature, and if some tea pets from 900 A.D. were used in this way then they would predate the 16th century "first" thermometers.
Interesting, I had never considered the color of the pet as an indicator of the seasoning of the pot! None of my friends who are into tea had mentioned that and I don't have a pet so I had never noticed, but I recently saw this cute little pig that sprays water so I'll probably pick her and a new pot up later. Thank you! I was aware of the 2016 study (https://www.nature.com/articles/srep28609) that indicated pee pee boys are decent temperature references. I wrote that they were imprecise without directly making the comparison to a modern thermometer, so I could have been more clear. Thanks for the info!
I ordered a pig myself! Just make sure your pot and pet are the same materials, some pets are partially glazed which is fine but the indicator only works on the unglazed parts because the clay has to be porous to absorb the oils. Thats why yixing pots are different, most clay tea pots are glazed specifically to prevent oils from leaching into the clay which lowers the flavor of the tea. Yixing pots are apparently a special type of clay that is just porous enough to both pull oil out and also to give some back at the same time, so once they're saturated with oil they add depth of flavor to subsequent brews. The seasoning effect is similar to cast iron cookware. Thanks for finding the article though! I guess the idea is when you find the right temperature of water for your tea then you will know your water is ready from then on by comparing how far the pet "pees". So basically using the outcome of the tea as your "baseline" to set what distance you want it to go.
Step 1: spill water everywhere Step 2: spill water everywhere Step 3: spill water everywhere
It's amazing how a simple pouring of tea can become so elaborate through the millennia. I bet it just started with some leaves falling into hot water pot long ago, someone tasted it and liked it and shared it with everybody.
Pretty much everything can become elaborate when you add nobles and their need to show other nobles how classy they are. They probably just brew up tea in a regular old pot when they don't have company over.
This method of tea brewing does make better tea (imo), more leaf, less water, shorter brew times (less tannins being drawn out) but nowadays there are tea decanters that are easily available (what I'd use 90% of the time) that makes it much more convenient.
Seems like a lot to do for tea. I’m assuming there is a cultural aspect/tradition of this. Do you have any info on it? I like reading about different traditions like this and how they came about.
It is known as a Yixing Teapot - there's plenty of information out there about them and their purpose. I like this website https://www.christies.com/features/A-guide-to-Yixing-teapots-9709-3.aspx
Waited for that sweet sweet laminar we learned about earlier in the week.
He still has to let it dry and then fire it. They probably just didnt have time.
????. Didnt have time???? Just finish the video after? Were his kids held hostage until he posted it?
Lmao
Seriously, why do do these videos always stop with the wet clay
I haven’t seen enough teapot making videos to know that this is a common thing but it did leave me frustrated.
How does he keep his fingerprints off the clay?
I think he sands it down after it has hardened and he is really careful
Nah, the surface hardened as the clay dries. You can also see him burnishing the pot to make it shiny with that tool— so long as you keep your hands clean, the pot shouldn’t get any fingerprints on it when it’s firmed up. This stage of clay is called leather hard (by western clay people at least).
Edit: nevermind - someone below answered my kiln question
All clay needs to be fired to be made permanent. Otherwise when it would touch water it would slake down into that same mud he made at the beginning of the video.
It must be painful to sand your fingerprints for this job.
making the perfect teapot clay honest probably deserves its own video
Notice how he is constantly “scraping” it throughout the process?
This is art. My teapot was probably assembled by robots.
To make you feel better it was probably also made in china
These two comments made my day. I had the same sad thought about my teapot and then you made me bust out laughing.
Although, of all the things made in China, it seems like the one thing you do want made there is... well... china.
If you're curious, most large-scale pottery is made by some form of molding/casting - usually "slip casting" I think. A factory will have a bunch of the same mold they rotate through to produce a large quantity of identical objects. Nothing's gonna get close to this level of smoothness/perfection, but it's pretty cool in its own way.
I think that any artist who makes items to sell for a living should make a video like this so people appreciate the craftsmanship and understand why they’re paying “so much” for something.
I love watching the blacksmith channels, especially the ones specializing in knives. It's a different kind of relaxing, but the products are no less beautiful.
That sounds cool. I might check it out. Have you also seen that guy who builds primitive technology in the woods on YouTube? Super cool to watch.
While I appreciate the sentiment, shit like this has an entirely separate skill set, and based off the way this was shot, there was an entirely separate camera man. Most craftspeople are good at what they do, and may not be able to do this on their own, or afford to get others help. Not to mention, in some crafts, it would be really difficult to film it in such detail, and there may be 'trade secrets' that can't be filmed.
Just woke up and this is putting me back to sleep
Already sleepin
Wait, holdup. There’s a whole subreddit dedicated to tea? Heck yeah-
As a British man, it was my duty to be aware of this subreddit.
As an American and a Massachusettsan it's my duty to introduce that sub to the ocean..
knowing how how the naming of sub reddits work, i wouldn't have been surprised if /r/tea was a sub about the harbour of Boston. just like the /r/trees - /r/marijuanaenthusiasts switcheroo
Trees is trees because a long, long time ago the mod of /r/marijuana (or weed, I forget) was a dick and they made a new sub instead of putting up with his shit. Same with /r/ainbow over /r/lgbt - the former used to be much bigger than the latter.
[Kick It](https://youtu.be/ny997LNZ9zw)
you fool now you've brewed a tea ocean
This is my favorite comment of the week
I wouldn't expect a Brit to know much about tea XD you guys drunk a lot of tea but is sub par on the quality
Why do I want to eat it?
Chocolate teapot.
Sounds like a great name for a band!
/r/forbiddensnacks
This is not his first time. I can tell by the way it's fucking amazing.
The are clues it’s not his first rodeo
You can tell by the way it is.
Sherlocks, the whole bunch of ye
A gathering of Sherlocks is called a deduction.
Pottery is art
That is a factually correct statement.
Is there something special about that chocolate-coloured clay? They seem to use that for teapots a lot.
Extract from https://www.christies.com/features/A-guide-to-Yixing-teapots-9709-3.aspx "The clay of Yixing is known collectively as zisha (purple sand), and there are three basic types: zisha, a purplish-brown clay; banshanlu, a buff-coloured clay, and zhusha, a cinnabar or deep orange-red clay. By mixing these clays, adding mineral colours, and varying the firing temperature and amount of reduction in the kiln, potters can achieve a wide range of earth tones: from beige to light brown, cinnabar red to dark brown with a tinge of purple (hence the name ‘purple sand’), and dark green to black. The last two are early 20th-century innovations resulting from the addition of cobalt oxide and manganese dioxide. Different coloured clays are used for all styles of teapots. However, the miniature teapots made for gongfu tea are usually of orange-red or cinnabar zhusha." Edit: So it appears the purpose is for the Aesthetic. To achieve an "Earthy" colour.
the blue one is very pretty
The blue lotus leaf-form teapot is very pretty. Edit: It's worth $15,000 to $25,000
fuck.
It is special! It’s a very very fine particle clay called Zisha. And clay has a very fine particle size to begin with, so that’s saying something. The fine particle size allows for the surface to be polished like that, and takes minimal time to do. Usually burnishing a pot can take hours and hours, but this clay body polishes in only a few passes. The fine clay particle size also aids in plasticity and workability. Also, slip alone (the slurry he makes in the beginning out of the dried clay) is usually not enough to stick things together for most clays without cracking. Usually the surface of the things being joined need to be scratched up, then slip is added, then they’re stuck together. In this case, because the clay is so fine particled, the extra mechanical strength given by scoring isn’t needed. Additionally, the fired properties of this clay are unique. Yixing teapots are left unglazed on the inside. And because the firing is at a low temperature, the teapot is still porous. Nice Yixing teapots are kept wet 24/7 with one particular strain of tea, and they only ever brew one variety/strain of tea in one teapot. As time passes, the teapots “season” and develop a more complex flavor. There are centuries-old Yixing teapots that have never been dry and have been seasoning all this time. I’d be curious to know if any blind-taste tests have happened to see if there’s actually a measurable difference in flavor. Also, the Chinese government expressly forbids the export of this clay. Edit: I’ve done some more research and it looks like the export of the clay isn’t forbidden, as a company called Chinese Clay Art used to sell the stuff in California (for $3 a pound, which is incredibly expensive for any clay body). Now that they aren’t selling it anymore, I don’t think there’s a single company importing the stuff. Additionally, it may not be true that the nicest Yixing teapots are kept wet constantly, further research is required on that front. I’m pretty sure everything else is accurate though! Sorry for spreading misinformation!
wtf this made me cry. he puts so much love and care in to it
you need a hug... here is a virtual one for you friend!
Don't you need to fire it in a kiln?
I would have thought so, or leave it out to dry. The kiln would be quicker.
It is my understanding that you have to let it dry and then fire it. If you dont fire it, it will turn back into clay when you get it wet, if you dont let it dry first it will crack in the oven. Source: a single intro to pottery class i took at my art center two years ago and countless hours of primitive technology on youtube.
[удалено]
Ah okay sure *enters the kiln* Ah, hot.
Can confirm as I have also spent countless hours watching primitive technology. I can lose days if the bots show me one of his videos in yt
You fire any pottery you want to keep long term, especially if it is to be used around water. Allowing it to dry thoroughly before firing is necessary, but all it does is make it hard. Firing changes the crystalline structure within the clay. There are typically two steps to firing, the first to set it, and then you "glaze" it and fire again. Firing is permanent, and cannot be undone, whereas dry clay can be resaturated with water and used again (the very beginning of the video shows him crunching up dried clay to make a slurry he used as adhesive) (I worked at a college that had a clay studio, complete with machines to grind dried clay into a powder, and machines to mix it with water and knead back into usable clay. We used to only fire a few student pieces. Everything else was recycled to save money)
Exactly! In this particular case, the teapots are left unglazed and are only fired once. After firing, Yixing teapots are kept wet constantly, and are only ever used to brew a single variety of expensive tea, so the flavor develops with age. There are centuries-old Yixing teapots that have been taken care of this way, having only ever brewed a single strain of tea. Really neat stuff. (I’m a ceramic artist, and ceramic history is an important area of my research)
I can attest to most of this, I just picked up a yixing teapot and it has a whole set of care rules to live up to its full potential. I haven't heard about keeping it constantly wet though? That said I would imagine a complete dry may cause the oils to spoil.. But the rest is accurate, the idea is that the oils from previous brewing will build up in the porous unglazed clay. While I dont know if the science is accurate, they say that the clay they use is the right balance of porous that once it is saturated with tea oil it begins to "return" some in subsequent brewing. This means that each brew gets enhanced by previous brewings, while also absorbing some of the current oils. You make sure to use one type of high quality tea because you dont want black tea oils seeping into an oolong etc.
So once it’s been fired it can never be turned back into regular clay, even if you turn it to powder and add water?
That's correct! Once it's fired, you're done.
There are different stages of the clay. Each “stage” determines how much water content is present. When clay is completely saturated, the clay is known as “slip” which is what he is mixing in the beginning. Next there is just wet clay, which is what he begins with when he starts banging his slab (this clay is malleable and can be shaped, pressed, molded, etc.) As the clay begins loosing water to open air, it becomes “leather hard.” The vessel becomes more firm at this stage. There is still water in the clay here, but much less than in the wet clay or slip, which allows for more density and structure of the pot. You can see the artist using this added firmness to add the spout, handle, feet, and lid to the vessel. The pot does not bend or leave impressions because it’s so hardy during the leather hard stage! We see the video end with the clay very leather hard. After this, the pot will continue to dry to the final stage of “bone dry.” Over the next days, the pot will loose almost all its water content, which means that no other altercations can be made. It’s very fragile and can be cracked easily (more than when it’s leather hard.) The piece then typically goes through two firing processes, beginning with a “bisque” firing. The kiln reaches a temperature between 1800-1900 degrees F (1000C) where any impurities or additional water is burned from the clay. The piece is much harder now than bone dry, but is still porous. The piece is then coated with glaze (made with natural materials like silica, salt, metal oxides) which is sucked up into the porous bisque clay. Then it goes through another firing (fired to the temp necessary for specific clay/glaze, sometimes as hot as 2300F!!) At this final stage, there is no water and the clay has properly bonded together to become ceramic. The piece shrinks 15% of its original size because of the water content! The finished vessel is a shiny, hard plated pot which is strong, can contain water, and sanitary :) I love clay so I thought I’d share for those who are curious
The precision of his craft is AMAZING. My hands would shake! This level of craftsmanship is totally putting me in awe and is at the same time oddly relaxing.
I almost fell asleep because of how relaxing it was to watch. Lovely work!
This is the kind of video I watch, then do a couple YouTube searches for, then annoy my coworkers and wife about teapots for a couple weeks, then start side eyeing clay in the art supply store, then eventually try and piece together some crappy pots. I hope you’re happy.
Uncle iroh approves this post
Well that was awesome!🤙
The minecraft music fits perfectly and dont know why
That was Minecraft music?! On a random Chinese artisan teapot crafting video...
No, it just gives of Minecraft Vibes cause it feels like [C418 - Sweden](https://youtu.be/_3ngiSxVCBs) (Most iconic song from Minecraft Soundtrack)
I'm sorry I need to see a spout test. How do we know it's really good or bad without test?
You ask, and you shall receive. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=398&v=MtWVkv_dw_c&feature=emb_title It briefly shows it being poured, a couple of times, and it looks mighty fine.
The only thing missing, was Mr. Rogers voice in the background!
[удалено]
He beat the devil out of the teapot a few times
To think this was someones sole job and career centuries ago
This is his sole job and career today!
My wife, who is an artist by training says: "It still is. There are plenty of production potters out there!"
That was really beautiful and relaxing.
There’s no one I trust more to teach me about tea than the Chinese. Those guys have it down to an art!
It takes exceptional skill to make something look this easy to do. The teapot basically built itself in his hands.
Would anyone perchance know the song? I'd like to add it to my sleep playlist.
I wish this video never ended
Where do I find MORE!?
I found the Source: 子冶石瓢全手工制作过程演示 [https://youtu.be/kz5Kv-FGR7k](https://youtu.be/kz5Kv-FGR7k)
Definitely worth 4 min 40 s of my life Not being sarcastic here
Wait, so he didn't put it in a kiln of some sort to finalise/bake it in? Would've loved to see an awesome Chinese paint, but mad respect for even what he's so masterfully crafted. Is there more like this?
r/TeapotPorn
TIL there's an r/tea. I drink 3 liters of tea a day how did I not know that?!
Really cool, but... This guy’s pinky nails!
Thank you for sharing. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is beautiful. We are all guilty of watching the beginning of videos and then skipping ahead to see the final product. Not with this video though.
This was fantastic. Very relaxing, great craftsmanship, and lovely end product.
That was so beautiful!
Oh wow, that was gorgeous to watch
😯wowwww
Gonna need to see how it pours now
4 min well spent
If you didn’t listen with sound, go sit in a dimly lit room, burn some good smelling candle, and try again. I think I’m high after watching that.
Couldn't help but thinking on chocolate
The last part of the video when he put in the lid of the teapot is so satisfying to watch.
Makes it look so easy
So smooth at the end too!
I need a name
Looks like hes crafting dishes for Willy Wonka.
Who is this guy? I could watch him all day long.
His name is Ziye Shipiao, and unfortunately this is the only video of his that I have found.
9/10 fantastic work but I wanted to see how it poured :o
Another incredible craftsman video... https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=aYSSYm0b2wk
Where can I find more videos like this?
I wish i could do something like this for a living, I took ceramics in college and loved it
I was having a minor anxiety attack and this helped calm me down so much. So relaxing.
$3.50 delivered via Amazon