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I have this black kinsai pot made by Junzo Maekawa that I’m quite fond of. I like the clay and the appearance. The problem is that the base is too small and the pot has a strong tendency to tip toward the quadrant with the handle and spout. I put a small towel on the tray but the pot still tips so I roll up another cloth and wrap it around the front of the pit to prop it up. It spoils the appearance of the pot so I’d like to find something that’s got a concave surface to set the pot into. I’ve owned the for enough years that I can’t complain to the vendor.

Any ideas?

Maybe a piece of loofah cut lopsided?

LeoFox wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 23, 2022 7:01 pm

Maybe a piece of loofah cut lopsided?

I was just going to suggest this.

Yet another alternative would be a cloth wound into a tight roll and formed into a circle, similar to the gas ring that holds a wok.

Grossly out of proportion here, but a ring like this:

Similar to @Baisao suggestion, I often use a rush trivet when I’m not on a forgiving surface like wood. May work well for what you’re dealing with.

Baisao wrote: ↑

Wed Mar 23, 2022 7:05 pm

Yet another alternative would be a cloth wound into a tight roll and formed into a circle, similar to the gas ring that holds a wok.

I was thinking about something donut shaped too, but my association was the singing bowl cushion. I suspect they are not going to deal well with lots of water though, so brewing technique would have to fit that. I find the fabrics rather loud, but given the amount of these on etsy and elsewhere I imagine they must be easy to make and that you might be able to find someone who can make one with materials that are more appropriate for spillage and personal aesthetics.

Folded towels work well enough. A thin "tea towels" would look neater; but thicker face towels steady uneven teaware better..

I have a teapot that has excess clay on the bottom which I use as a server. I use that ridge of excess clay to sharpen knives. The server gets less & less rocky from the sharpening but still benefits from being steadied by a towel. The tea stains on the towel are somewhat like tie-dyeing.

I’m using a small towel now but I want something that doesn’t detract from the appearance of my tea ware. The rush trivet is an attractive and traditional solution but it’s difficult to figure out the appropriate size since I’d need to know the the height as well as the diameter.

I can make a washable singing bowl cushion - maybe 2 so I have one for my singing bowl.

As I look at the image I’ve posted Im considering buying or hemming some new napkins for the tray.

Shim under the tray so the tilt counteracts the pot's tipsiness