Yixing

[DailyTX]

Hi, as my first post on this forum I would like to share my favorite Yixing with you.

Welcome to the forum. It looks like a nice setup you got there. What type of tea do you brew?

[Teetrinker]

Welcome to the forum. It looks like a nice setup you got there. What type of tea do you brew?

Thank you. I only brew high mountain Oolong in this Yixing, and couldn't be more satisfied with my setup. Especially my shroom alike tray couldn't stop fascinating me.

[.m.]

Anybody else likes floral painted teapots?

[Bok]

Anybody else likes floral painted teapots?

Not too bad! They have a certain rustic charm.

[Andrew S]

I remember that, years ago, I read somewhere on the internet that zhuni is 'supposed' to have shrink lines.

But they don't seem to be very common or obvious in real life.

Does anyone else here have any nice examples of them?

(no, I don't believe that zhuni pots 'should' have any such shrink lines at all; I'm just curious to learn more)

Andrew

[Baisao]

I remember that, years ago, I read somewhere on the internet that zhuni is 'supposed' to have shrink lines.

But they don't seem to be very common or obvious in real life.

Does anyone else here have any nice examples of them?

(no, I don't believe that zhuni pots 'should' have any such shrink lines at all; I'm just curious to learn more)

Andrew

FWIW, my modern ones have them and my antique ones do not. I feel these so-called shrink lines are engineered into modern zhuni since they are more frequently found among them. I think they are lovely.

As an aside, I don’t think nice modern zhuni performs poorly with tea compared to antique zhuni. They are different but not nearly as different as other modern clays from their antique equivalents. Modern zhuni also has more consistency pot to pot than antique zhuni, or any other thing fired in a dragon kiln, so that’s another advantage.

Were you only wanting to see these lines on antique pots?

[Andrew S]

Were you only wanting to see these lines on antique pots?

All shrink lines (and comments thereupon) welcome.

Andrew

[.m.]

I remember that, years ago, I read somewhere on the internet that zhuni is 'supposed' to have shrink lines.

But they don't seem to be very common or obvious in real life.

Does anyone else here have any nice examples of them?

(no, I don't believe that zhuni pots 'should' have any such shrink lines at all; I'm just curious to learn more)

Andrew

Indeed, what are the famous shrink lines? I think, the wavy irregularities on the two pictures you show (lovely pots b.t.w.!) are not a matter shrinking but of how the pot is formed, shaped from a cylinder by tapping - this creates places where the clay is thicker or denser, sort of a memory in the clay, which becomes apparent after the firing. One can see those on hongni or zini as well, perhaps less pronounced. Actual shrinking, I'd expect to produce more cracks than wrinkles.

[Bok]

It’s a good question… same for me me, but on dozens of antique Zhuni, shrink lines have been the exception rather than the rule. It’s just marketing talk and has no effect whatsoever on the brewing itself. It indicates that high enough fire has been present, but it’s not mutually exclusive. It might exclude the possibility of it being another clay, but not necessarily.


So basically, like a birthmark: can be pretty, but pointless.

[Baisao]

I’m not convinced they are caused by actually shrinking. Pots undergo a lot in a kiln, not just simple shrinking.

I’ll see if I can get good enough light to photograph some on modern pots.

[Bok]

I’m not convinced they are caused by actually shrinking. Pots undergo a lot in a kiln, not just simple shrinking.

I’ll see if I can get good enough light to photograph some on modern pots.

That is true, basically they expand and shrink a few times(in general), Zhuni more extremely so. What I see in almost any old Zhuni is some kind of warping. You can be almost certain that the handle will never be straight.

[Baisao]

So-called shrinking lines on two pots I believe are 1990s. I enjoy how they look skin-like in person. They are generally more visible in person than in photos.

[wave_code]

I’m not convinced they are caused by actually shrinking. Pots undergo a lot in a kiln, not just simple shrinking.

I’ll see if I can get good enough light to photograph some on modern pots.

That is true, basically they expand and shrink a few times(in general), Zhuni more extremely so. What I see in almost any old Zhuni is some kind of warping. You can be almost certain that the handle will never be straight.

Interesting stuff to learn and nice to see more examples. Thanks for bring this up @Andrew S. Thinking about the 'shrink lines' in this way as a type of warping in the production process also brings to mind paper for me. With high end artist papers how often you can see the felts used to make the paper and while with some they still clearly have a hand made aspect to them they are still very regular in their texture while others aren't. I tend to favor the more organic papers where even if smoother the felts don't seem to have any kind of pattern or obvious regularity to them. Things that unless looked at closely you might not know what it is, but that make one thing look off or not a nice as another until you learn to see it. Then you see how these irregularities really affect how an image or object catches and reflects light or interacts with the rest of the surface and form, which really amplifies one thing looking better over another.

[Bok]

Long time no use for this 1958 Hongni Biandeng… stretch those rusty legs old man!

[LeoFox]

So-called shrinking lines on two pots I believe are 1990s. I enjoy how they look skin-like in person. They are generally more visible in person than in photos.

https://digitalfire.com/glossary/firing+shrinkage

As kiln temperature increases bodies densify (particles pack closer and closer). As temperature continues to rise, some of the particles begin to melt and form a glass between the others that pulls them even closer. Some of the particles shrink themselves, kaolin is an example (in the raw state particles are often loosely packed in layers, these pull together at temperature rises). These factors result in shrinkage of ware during firing.

Fired shrinkage (shrinkage from dry to fired) is a thus comparative indicator of the degree of vitrification
These shrinkages are not a product of temperature, but of the amount of flux present in a body to develop particle-bonding glass during firing. Fluxes are available at all temperatures, at higher temperatures feldspar is the most common, at the lowest temperatures frit is used.

Based on this, large, obvious wrinkling doesn't seem to make sense - why would it happen if it means the particles in the clay are being held closer by vitrification of other particles. The overall clay body should be relatively homogenous at this point. I wonder if these obviously wrinkled pots are from using some slip with different shrinkage properties- or some coloring agents on the surface that changes vitrification temperature just near the surface. By obvious wrinkles - something like this

https://yinchenstudio.com/collections/z ... apot-140ml