Teapot design advice

2 cents. It's an interesting idea. I don't really understand how the ball and string hold the pot together and yet come sufficiently loose to remove the body. If the ball could come completely off, then the design simplifies into an elegant plastic cup and lid. You could sit the kettle upright with the spout (lid) part off, fill up the glass with tea and water, attach the lid, bring the string down and secure the ball into a groove and then put the pot horizontal to enjoy the show. The problem still is how do you secure hot glass when attaching the lid? Maybe the answer is connected to the question, How do you know how much water to put in without overfilling the teapot and having hot water spill out when you put it sideways? Maybe widen the area where you would hold it on the inside so heat transfers more slowly there? It's a stop gap solution, I'm very obviously not a designer I like the idea of seeing the teas without a nasty filter in the way.

2 cents. It's an interesting idea. I don't really understand how the ball and string hold the pot together and yet come sufficiently loose to remove the body. If the ball could come completely off, then the design simplifies into an elegant plastic cup and lid. You could sit the kettle upright with the spout (lid) part off, fill up the glass with tea and water, attach the lid, bring the string down and secure the ball into a groove and then put the pot horizontal to enjoy the show. The problem still is how do you secure hot glass when attaching the lid? Maybe the answer is connected to the question, How do you know how much water to put in without overfilling the teapot and having hot water spill out when you put it sideways? Maybe widen the area where you would hold it on the inside so heat transfers more slowly there? It's a stop gap solution, I'm very obviously not a designer I like the idea of seeing the teas without a nasty filter in the way.

Hi Jacqueline, Thanks for taking the time to share your design ideas. What you describe is actually very similar to the design I had for Sorapot about a year ago: the spout section would be like a threaded jar lid that would screw onto the glass tube. I found that having a single metal arch was simpler and looked better, but your idea is a good one, especially if the ball and wire is used instead of the threading that my original design called for.

The ball and wire clamping works because of the silicone o-ring's ability to compress. When you're moving the ball into the locking position, the arch actually becomes tighter right before the ball falls into position than it will be when sealed. This tighter stage prevents the ball from slipping out of its indent by accident, but can be overcome with purposeful force when you want to remove the tube.

On another note, the March meeting in NYC is coming together well. I'll make a section of my site that lists details once these become more concrete- I'm still very interested in venue suggestions. Thanks again RFDT!

Joey

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