1. Home
  2. Tea Connoisseur's Forum
  3. black substance on Yixing teapot

black substance on Yixing teapot

Last year, I bought some Yixing teapots from someone in Canada. His mother kept Chinese herbs in each pot. The teapots are stamped on the bottom and each one represents nature (a log, a rabbit nest with a rabbithandle, a lotus, etc.) Each had some black stuff on the outside which I thought was grime from sitting somewhere on a shelf. I cleaned off the pots as well as I could and then thought maybe it was put there on purpose to show depth in some of the reliefs. I cleaned one up and it almost looks worse. Has anyone come across this?

Reply to
Judy Konopka
Loading thread data ...

A friend of mine in Taiwan gave me one of his late fathers' teapots, and it had a black substance on it that came off fairly easily. I asked and he said it was to make it look older and therefore more expensive. Kind of makes me hesitant to use it for tea... I worry about lead and that sort of thing. I'd be curious if anybody else has more information.

Reply to
Ryan Zimmerman

Judy Konopkax7wZe.1$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr22.news.prodigy.net9/25/05

07: snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net

If you were able to clean the spots up as you describe, I suspect shoe polish or its equivalent. You were not thinking of using these pots, were you?

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

The black was put on to look older (as described by the previous post), or give the clay more depth. It's only on the outside. Gee, I hope it's not shoe polish...I have been using the pots!

Reply to
Judy Konopka

Judy Konopka%uYZe.157$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr19.news.prodigy.com9/26/05

16: snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net

Judy,

Here's the deal: Use a cheap new pot without spots a lot and it will indeed get that old look. Stop using these faked up pots and treat yourself to a cheap new one that you like. Anyway, that's my opinion of the matter. I am quite sure btw that any pot that has purposely placed spots on the outside that you can actually rub off -- not spots from use and tea -- than that pot was not meant for use in the first place. Sorry to be the bringer of bad news. Besides, others might disagree.

Michael

Reply to
Michael Plant

DrinksForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.