A hairline crack

[GaoShan]

You could test if cooler water - less than 80 C, still leaks. If not - you could repurpose this as a water cooler for Japanese teas.

Or you can use it as a decanter for alcohol

I tested it with cool tap water and it did leak, though relatively slowly. It might still work as a water cooler.

I'm curious- how did you use the pot during your first session? Did you take this into consideration:

viewtopic.php?p=32294#p32294

I used method 3 in that list. I filled about half the pot with half-boiled water, let it sit, and then filled it with boiling water. However, I let the pot cool down to room temperature between steeps and then used about 195F water to make my tea. Maybe that did it?

Also, thanks for linking to that post. It will be useful for subsequent teapot purchases.

[Baisao]

GaoShan for cracked bodies, the only thing that will provide some stability, although it won't stop the weeping, are staples. This might hold off further damage.

But I don’t think there are enough staples in Home Depot for that pot

[GaoShan]

GaoShan for cracked bodies, the only thing that will provide some stability, although it won't stop the weeping, are staples. This might hold off further damage.

But I don’t think there are enough staples in Home Depot for that pot

Yeah, it's pretty bad. I just hope it wasn't caused by user error.

[Bok]

GaoShan for cracked bodies, the only thing that will provide some stability, although it won't stop the weeping, are staples. This might hold off further damage.

But I don’t think there are enough staples in Home Depot for that pot

Yeah, it's pretty bad. I just hope it wasn't caused by user error.

I doubt it. Taiwanese wood fired is usually not prone to cracking at all. I used to warm them up with boiling water directly. Never crack anything. I think the pot was faulty.

There is a lot of substandard woodfired Taiwanese pots out there. And at 160$ western retail I’m looking at the very low end segment.

[GaoShan]

But I don’t think there are enough staples in Home Depot for that pot

Yeah, it's pretty bad. I just hope it wasn't caused by user error.

I doubt it. Taiwanese wood fired is usually not prone to cracking at all. I used to warm them up with boiling water directly. Never crack anything. I think the pot was faulty.

There is a lot of substandard woodfired Taiwanese pots out there. And at 160$ western retail I’m looking at the very low end segment.

I'm glad to know it probably wasn't me.

Are there reputable potters making large cups with this style of drip glazing? I do think it's pretty, though not enough to buy another teapot.

[Bok]

Are there reputable potters making large cups with this style of drip glazing? I do think it's pretty, though not enough to buy another teapot.

There are probably dozens of potters doing this kind of thing in Taiwan… Yingge (pottery town close to Taipei) is full of it, but I haven’t paid enough attention to be more specific than that, it’s everywhere that stuff…

[Ethan Kurland]

You might try using teaware with drip glaze made where you live. I was happy using a locally made pot with drip glaze. I dropped it which broke its handle. I use it as a server now.

One can get attached to these pretty things we hold in our hands & admire with our eyes. I especially like irregular items (a.k.a. seconds). They are often affordable & sometimes more beautiful to me than "perfect" pieces.

I don't think I am missing much by my ignorance about differences, such as low-fired versus high-fired or ceramics baked by a wood fire v. other sources of heat. Buying finished pieces made by people enjoying their craft in the Boston area is fun. I take a bottle of water to sales. I don't want a bad pour or a bad taste. I haven't run into such a problem yet. "Ordinary" clay has worked fine.

[GaoShan]

You might try using teaware with drip glaze made where you live. I was happy using a locally made pot with drip glaze. I dropped it which broke its handle. I use it as a server now.

One can get attached to these pretty things we hold in our hands & admire with our eyes. I especially like irregular items (a.k.a. seconds). They are often affordable & sometimes more beautiful to me than "perfect" pieces.

I don't think I am missing much by my ignorance about differences, such as low-fired versus high-fired or ceramics baked by a wood fire v. other sources of heat. Buying finished pieces made by people enjoying their craft in the Boston area is fun. I take a bottle of water to sales. I don't want a bad pour or a bad taste. I haven't run into such a problem yet. "Ordinary" clay has worked fine.

Thanks for your reply. I'd be happy to buy locally made teaware. However, searching online has revealed that it doesn't seem to be available in Toronto. There are a few artists in Quebec, but at that point, it would be cheaper to buy online than to go in person. Maybe some people sell teaware at the Toronto Tea Festival in January, though I think COVID closed that down last year. How does one go about finding Canadian teaware makers?

For this cup/bowl/other small piece of teaware, you're right that the drip glaze is more important than the wood firing. I'm still a newbie when it comes to clay and would be happy with something pretty that's also more or less affordable. I'll save my clay-related worrying for teapots!

[Ethan Kurland]

I would not search for "teaware". I would look for places that teach people how to make pottery and places where potters share space & use of kilns. You might only find 1 or 2 such places; however, one source might have several master potters there & some advanced students.

[GaoShan]

I would not search for "teaware". I would look for places that teach people how to make pottery and places where potters share space & use of kilns. You might only find 1 or 2 such places; however, one source might have several master potters there & some advanced students.

Thanks. I hadn't thought of approaching it like this. This is obviously something that will require some research.

[debunix]

I can't see the interior cracks. On the outside it looks like crazing.

[GaoShan]

I can't see the interior cracks. On the outside it looks like crazing.

That would be a reasonable assumption. However, the cracks only occur on one side of the pot (I didn't include photos of the uncracked parts). Also, being able to feel water seeping through these cracks would indicate that the "crazing" has gone too far.

[YahYue]

You might try using teaware with drip glaze made where you live. I was happy using a locally made pot with drip glaze. I dropped it which broke its handle. I use it as a server now.

One can get attached to these pretty things we hold in our hands & admire with our eyes. I especially like irregular items (a.k.a. seconds). They are often affordable & sometimes more beautiful to me than "perfect" pieces.

I don't think I am missing much by my ignorance about differences, such as low-fired versus high-fired or ceramics baked by a wood fire v. other sources of heat. Buying finished pieces made by people enjoying their craft in the Boston area is fun. I take a bottle of water to sales. I don't want a bad pour or a bad taste. I haven't run into such a problem yet. "Ordinary" clay has worked fine.

Thanks for your reply. I'd be happy to buy locally made teaware. However, searching online has revealed that it doesn't seem to be available in Toronto. There are a few artists in Quebec, but at that point, it would be cheaper to buy online than to go in person. Maybe some people sell teaware at the Toronto Tea Festival in January, though I think COVID closed that down last year. How does one go about finding Canadian teaware makers?

For this cup/bowl/other small piece of teaware, you're right that the drip glaze is more important than the wood firing. I'm still a newbie when it comes to clay and would be happy with something pretty that's also more or less affordable. I'll save my clay-related worrying for teapots!

If you've been to the Toronto Tea festival than I'd bet you've seen https://secretteatime.square.site/s/shop. Though they specialize more in Japanese-inspired tea ware, from some of the commission work they've done I think you could reach out to them and discuss the particulars of your request. I own several pieces and the bowls and cups are remarkably well-balanced and handle nicely.

I know there is a London Potter's guild and a KW Potter's guild so I a believe I heard about a medium sized studio close to George Brown, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are many more. I've had smaller pieces commissioned by independent potters that I've found through Instagram, but that may depend on some sleuthing work.