Yixing

[olivierd]

Maybe one more pic can clear the topic :

onem_1.jpg (111.8 KiB) Viewed 3545 times

[steanze]

Maybe one more pic can clear the topic :

yes, it was already pretty clear zini inside. 70s hongni never has those brown parts

[Bok]

Maybe one more pic can clear the topic :

That clears it up... that’s clearly the inner Zini core coming through, uneven Hongni glazing. So it’s probably a green label Neiwailinjiang.

Which is ok, just probably only half worth of what an early 70s Hongni would be.

[olivierd]

Thanks everyone for the insight.
I have never had this clay, does it act like zini or hongni or a in-between ?

[Benjamin]

Thanks everyone for the insight.
I have never had this clay, does it act like zini or hongni or a in-between ?

With presumably green-label hongni being the clay that's in contact with the tea, I imagine it would brew similarly to other hongni from that time, but I've never used a 內外淋漿/neiwailinjiang before so that's just a guess on my part.

[Bok]

Thanks everyone for the insight.
I have never had this clay, does it act like zini or hongni or a in-between ?

Sort of. A bit like Hongni, but not quite, as the heat retention properties are different.

Usually these get a nice patina quite fast.

[LeoFox]

As I was warming up my modern ruyi pot, i noticed a stream of bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot near the middle. There is no obvious leak. Is this a sign of a crack? The stream of bubbles make a slight buzzing noise.
Not sure if it has been like this for a while. I only use the pot for shou and I don’t drink that often.

[Benjamin]

As I was warming up my modern ruyi pot, i noticed a stream of bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot near the middle. There is no obvious leak. Is this a sign of a crack? The stream of bubbles make a slight buzzing noise.
Not sure if it has been like this for a while. I only use the pot for shou and I don’t drink that often.

I can't speak for the bubbles but I've definitely cracked a zhuni pot with too hot of water and it hissed for a while before fully cracking. Usually the heat exacerbates some pre-existing hairline on the pot and the noise comes from that, but if it isn't leaking I wouldn't worry.

One test however is to fill the pot with water and then rub the outside of the pot with your fingers - if there is any small leak the water will show up on the outside despite there not being a crack visible to the naked eye. Had one pot like this that I was able to use for quite some time with no issue.

[LeoFox]

As I was warming up my modern ruyi pot, i noticed a stream of bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot near the middle. There is no obvious leak. Is this a sign of a crack? The stream of bubbles make a slight buzzing noise.
Not sure if it has been like this for a while. I only use the pot for shou and I don’t drink that often.

I can't speak for the bubbles but I've definitely cracked a zhuni pot with too hot of water and it hissed for a while before fully cracking. Usually the heat exacerbates some pre-existing hairline on the pot and the noise comes from that, but if it isn't leaking I wouldn't worry.

One test however is to fill the pot with water and then rub the outside of the pot with your fingers - if there is any small leak the water will show up on the outside despite there not being a crack visible to the naked eye. Had one pot like this that I was able to use for quite some time with no issue.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

There doesn't seem to be any leak based on the rubbing test. Also just now as i washed the pot in boiling water after my session, I noticed the bubbling and the noise have stopped. Maybe the tea plugged it?

[Bok]

@LeoFox high porosity. Have this with a few pots when not used for long and completely dry. In regular use the bubbles stop.

[Youzi]

As I was warming up my modern ruyi pot, i noticed a stream of bubbles rise from the bottom of the pot near the middle. There is no obvious leak. Is this a sign of a crack? The stream of bubbles make a slight buzzing noise.
Not sure if it has been like this for a while. I only use the pot for shou and I don’t drink that often.

I can't speak for the bubbles but I've definitely cracked a zhuni pot with too hot of water and it hissed for a while before fully cracking. Usually the heat exacerbates some pre-existing hairline on the pot and the noise comes from that, but if it isn't leaking I wouldn't worry.

One test however is to fill the pot with water and then rub the outside of the pot with your fingers - if there is any small leak the water will show up on the outside despite there not being a crack visible to the naked eye. Had one pot like this that I was able to use for quite some time with no issue.

Thanks for sharing your experience!

There doesn't seem to be any leak based on the rubbing test. Also just now as i washed the pot in boiling water after my session, I noticed the bubbling and the noise have stopped. Maybe the tea plugged it?

It's a hairline crack, plus the pot being dry. After the inner porosity of the teapot is saturated, it won't bubble and tickle anymore. At least for yixings, this is how it works.

So usually I fill and prewarm my ticking teapots with hot tap water and shake them a bit under the tap, while being full with hot water. (make sure to have a really steady grip, and cover all part of your pot with your one hand)

That usually solves the issue, so for when i start to preheat it with kettle water, it doesn't bubble anymore.

[LeoFox]

Thanks guys! It's true I haven't used it in a while

[olivierd]

Possible someone used a tool to grind it off on this pot? Or maybe staining on plaster residue. Maybe this it what vendor meant “ run-in trace of the lid”?

Just as a follow up I had the pics sent to a well-known trustworthy pot expert that informed it is a wear down trace. That is something that happens in Taiwan at some occasions for better lid fit. Just sharing the information.

[Bok]

@olivierd not sure why that would be a Taiwan-specific phenomenon... ?

It’s just simply the Hongni coating wearing off due to use. The lid will always grind around the body when in use.

Some of these Neiwailinjiang are also sloppily coated, sometimes they forget to cover parts.

Grinding down for better fit you’d normally do if the lid is too tight, but factory pots do mostly have the opposite issue of too loose fitting lids. Not that the fit matters, just saying.

[olivierd]

Just sharing the information as it came to me for those who might be interested.
I was told Taiwanese customers at some point wanted a perfect lid fit, hence the wear down. True the fit is tighter than other F1s I have.
I’m keeping the pot anyway, it will do the job I believe. It sounds high fired and looks quite well made.
For fun, I have plenty of those 90s pots from unknown sources, I’ll try to grind one and see how it looks like.