Tetsubin

[DailyTX]

Anyone who is familiar with the Kunzan Tetsubin lineage can help deciphering this chop? Thanks.

[Roku3724]

This is the lid of my tetsubin. The interior looks fine and only slight red spots as I expected, but my lid keeps getting redder and redder. It had the lacquer on it like the exterior has. And yes, the interior is not coated. I also make sure to leave it to dry and i always check to make sure it isnt still wet once im done. Is this rust, or is this just the regular red spots I'm told not to worry about?

[DailyTX]

This is the lid of my tetsubin. The interior looks fine and only slight red spots as I expected, but my lid keeps getting redder and redder. It had the lacquer on it like the exterior has. And yes, the interior is not coated. I also make sure to leave it to dry and i always check to make sure it isnt still wet once im done. Is this rust, or is this just the regular red spots I'm told not to worry about?

Looks like rust to me. I would clean it up, and use one of the methods for outer tetsubin maintenance to coat the raw iron. The simplest method is to use a cloth to lightly rub food grade oil (a few drops are good enough). Heat up the tetsubin with water, allow the iron lid to absorb the oil, and then let it cool down. It should be good to use next round. Make sure to dry the lid completely after each use. Good luck!

[Roku3724]

This is the lid of my tetsubin. The interior looks fine and only slight red spots as I expected, but my lid keeps getting redder and redder. It had the lacquer on it like the exterior has. And yes, the interior is not coated. I also make sure to leave it to dry and i always check to make sure it isnt still wet once im done. Is this rust, or is this just the regular red spots I'm told not to worry about?

Looks like rust to me. I would clean it up, and use one of the methods for outer tetsubin maintenance to coat the raw iron. The simplest method is to use a cloth to lightly rub food grade oil (a few drops are good enough). Heat up the tetsubin with water, allow the iron lid to absorb the oil, and then let it cook down. It should be good to use next round. Make sure to dry the lid completely after each use. Good luck!

Thank you. Do you have a guide or instruction I can follow to treat it? Also, do you know of a good tetsubin care guide? I've been following a few, but the case with my lid has left me wanting a proper care list

[Victoria]

Thank you. Do you have a guide or instruction I can follow to treat it? Also, do you know of a good tetsubin care guide? I've been following a few, but the case with my lid has left me wanting a proper care list

Welcome to TeaForum @Roku3724. Because your lid was previously enameled, the iron hasn’t been heat sealed in the same way the interior of your tetsubin has been. Using oil could vaporize back into your heated water, so I’d recommend just using tea to oxidize the rust. The rust isn’t harmful as long as chunks aren’t falling into your water. You might consider following these instructions;
viewtopic.php?p=11593#p11593

[Roku3724]

Welcome to TeaForum @Roku3724. Because your lid was previously enameled, the iron hasn’t been heat sealed in the same way the interior of your tetsubin has been. Using oil could vaporize back into your heated water, so I’d recommend just using tea to oxidize the rust. The rust isn’t harmful as long as chunks aren’t falling into your water. You might consider following these instructions;
viewtopic.php?p=11593#p11593

Thanks. Is there a way of doing this for just the lid? The interior of my kettle seems just fine, but I'd be willing to do so for proper maintenance. Also, is there a specific type of tea I should use and how do I remove them from the kettle once im done? And I'll make sure not to use an oil

[Victoria]

Welcome to TeaForum Roku3724. Because your lid was previously enameled, the iron hasn’t been heat sealed in the same way the interior of your tetsubin has been. Using oil could vaporize back into your heated water, so I’d recommend just using tea to oxidize the rust. The rust isn’t harmful as long as chunks aren’t falling into your water. You might consider following these instructions;
viewtopic.php?p=11593#p11593

Thanks. Is there a way of doing this for just the lid? The interior of my kettle seems just fine, but I'd be willing to do so for proper maintenance. Also, is there a specific type of tea I should use and how do I remove them from the kettle once im done? And I'll make sure not to use an oil

Since it’s small, I’d just stick your whole lid in a tea bath. Any loose (junky or not) type of tea leaves should be fine, including ones already steeped once.

[i_viter]

Hello people!
After 2 years of missing here, returning with a picture of one of my "morning sanity recover" sessions - with my vintage tetsubin that gives really good water and luckily has good and even pour.
Love that old piece of iron (have another one - an older and heavier sculptural piece but it makes my water too heavy as well).

Cheers!

[Victoria]

Hello people!
After 2 years of missing here, returning with a picture of one of my "morning sanity recover" sessions - with my vintage tetsubin that gives really good water and luckily has good and even pour.
Love that old piece of iron (have another one - an older and heavier sculptural piece but it makes my water too heavy as well).

Cheers!

Such a moving and evocative image. Thank you for sharing and welcome back .

[i_viter]

Hi everyone!
To boost the topic a bit - sharing my latest acquisition from an online thrift store, and really happy to revitalize this one. To my joy, the exterior is in excellent condition - just a bit dusty, but rust occupied it all from the inside, so a solid piece of work is to be done to cure it.
Also, the chunks of cast iron, that were "glued" with a mixture of iron powder and urushi to the center of its bottom, fell off, so I will try to set them back with a similar mixture, will see how it works. Did someone stumbled upon a similar task during a tetsubin renovation?

Anyway, I'm happy to bring life again to this old noble piece of cast iron.


Cheers!

[Baisao]

Hi everyone!
To boost the topic a bit - sharing my latest acquisition from an online thrift store, and really happy to revitalize this one. To my joy, the exterior is in excellent condition - just a bit dusty, but rust occupied it all from the inside, so a solid piece of work is to be done to cure it.
Also, the chunks of cast iron, that were "glued" with a mixture of iron powder and urushi to the center of its bottom, fell off, so I will try to set them back with a similar mixture, will see how it works. Did someone stumbled upon a similar task during a tetsubin renovation?

Anyway, I'm happy to bring life again to this old noble piece of cast iron.


Cheers!

Beautiful tetsubin! I think that is the first time I've seen chunks of cast iron glued to the bottom of a tetsubin and yet I have a vague memory of it. It is definitely time for it to have some really tannic assam boiled in it.

[i_viter]

Beautiful tetsubin! I think that is the first time I've seen chunks of cast iron glued to the bottom of a tetsubin and yet I have a vague memory of it. It is definitely time for it to have some really tannic assam boiled in it.
[/quote]


Oh thanks!
And apologies for missing here...
The kettle is almost on the final stage of its revival - the rust is defeated, and I still need to boil water in it several times to make it clean and smooth. Several years ago, I asked one Taiwanese tetsubin collector about the meaning and purpose of those flat iron chunks placed inside - and he said that they were used to enforce the weakest spot of a bottom (the place from where all the mold was filled with cast iron and to provide better and smooth boiling.
And about the method of "glueing" it with a paste of urushi lacquer and iron sand powder - I saw it in Hokujo's (if I remember it correctly) video about tetsubin making, and also the same way is described in the book about iron kettles that I have. The same paste was used to repair occasional casting cracks or small holes and two technical holes from mold-fixing rods that were usually in a kettle's bottom after iron casting. Will try it later, when a proper moment comes.

[.m.]

@i_viter Beautiful piece with plenty of character. I love the "simplicity" of it.