steanze wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:04 pm
chaeric wrote: ↑Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:50 pm
Thanks for the great info!
Regarding point two, someone had told me all modern yixing clay has additives, but I don't think that's true, correct?
You are welcome! Correct, not all modern Yixing has additives. But the vast majority does, and I would have a very hard time believing that a clay does not have additives unless it has been tested. Because I know of cases of people being told that the clay did not have additives, who then got it tested and found out that it did.
Ah, I found where I had read it (from another forum when I was looking up info on the subject).
"So the big turn around happened in 1980. Clay made before this time period was processed without the addition of BaCO3.
Stored clay experiences efflorescence which is when the salt content is expelled from a porous material and sits on the surface. Yixing clay has to be aged and without chemical additives will develop a salty crust. This doesn’t hurt anything it just has to be removed and worked before you can use it.
Barium carbonate prevents this and was solidified as an additive in processing in the 1980s. However many have said it compromises clay quality. (This is also just one of a couple modern accepted additives)
Yixing has not been “pure” since 1980. That’s why the early factory one stuff is so highly regarded.
How it effects it? Not really sure it’s all anecdotal . But the government is the only entity allowed to mine and process the ore, so once they switched production method in the 80s the clay is undoubtably different."
So I take it that the person who wrote this is mostly correct for the mass produced stuff but probably not for vendors who care (such as yourself) or handmade articles then?