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Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2022 10:09 am
by debunix
I’d expect the oven self cleaning cycle might compromise the connection between spout and pot.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Tue Feb 01, 2022 9:26 pm
by Baisao
karma wrote: ↑Mon Jan 24, 2022 12:05 am
I’ve tried every method suggested in this thread to clean a musty-moldy-gross aroma out of a pot, including sodium percarbonate and clorox. I’m contemplating just putting this pot in the oven on self clean. The pot originally had what seems to be urushi lacquer spilled on the inside.
Anyone got any ideas?
Does the smell originate from the clay or metal spout? Does it still have the urushi on the inside?
Since you’ve tried the usual treatments (perhaps not addressing the urushi) you may try scrubbing the pot with dry wheat flour and even letting it remain immersed in it for a time. I’ve used dry wheat flour, followed by soap & water, to effectively remove cooking odors from my hands and arms.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Wed Feb 02, 2022 4:00 pm
by wave_code
@karma ahh, so you are the one who wound up with that one - sorry to hear its giving your problems. Its a really neat looking pot. luckily most CZ pots I've gotten were very lightly or even unused, but I recently had one that was also very stubborn. I think the more porous and sandy nature of CZ clay means things can be a lot tougher to get out if they penetrated really far in for a long time. I had one pot recently that wound up needing a continuous 3-4 hour simmer/boiling for oils/things to start showing on the surface that didn't show up in previous boilings. It still had some smells to it once it cooled down and fully dried, but I found at that point just a few rounds of making some strong tea in it and leaving it overnight took care of the rest.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:47 am
by karma
Figured I should post an update.
Sodium percarbonate started to make a dent and then after maybe 5 days of bleaching it was aroma free. I steeped the spout to confirm it was also aroma free and then reattached it.
However, at the tail end of a few good sessions when the steeps started to hit the longer 5-6min mark, the aroma was starting to linger in the brew so I decided to do another round of bleach soaking and boiling. This was a mistake, and the boil effectively reintensified the aroma and steeped the pot in the urushi. So I ended up boiling the pot at a simmer for maybe 8-10 hours, boiling out and destroying the last of the urushi. I ran out of sodium percarbonate and am now out of town, so hopefully both those things will address each other and when I’m back I’m in for another round of bleaching.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:20 pm
by Baisao
karma wrote: ↑Thu Feb 03, 2022 8:47 am
Figured I should post an update.
Sodium percarbonate started to make a dent and then after maybe 5 days of bleaching it was aroma free. I steeped the spout to confirm it was also aroma free and then reattached it.
However, at the tail end of a few good sessions when the steeps started to hit the longer 5-6min mark, the aroma was starting to linger in the brew so I decided to do another round of bleach soaking and boiling. This was a mistake, and the boil effectively reintensified the aroma and steeped the pot in the urushi. So I ended up boiling the pot at a simmer for maybe 8-10 hours, boiling out and destroying the last of the urushi. I ran out of sodium percarbonate and am now out of town, so hopefully both those things will address each other and when I’m back I’m in for another round of bleaching.
It sounds like the odor is coming from something fatty. If it were mine I would try a week long soak in high proof ethanol. If that didn’t work I’d try glycerin since some things will go into solution readily into it. Long boiling would be my last option.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2022 12:06 pm
by wave_code
Another urushi dilemma... I'm Cleaning this pot which i think is a reduction modern CZ, and it also has a little urushi repair on the lid, or what I am guessing is urushi? It was clear when it arrives but after boiling it turned white. The parts of it that got on the slurry coating come right off with a fingernail but if it gets in that porous clay it's really stuck in there. A dental tool might be handy or even a really fine narrow bit of sandpaper. Does urushi tend to turn white when boiled? It's not very old or smelly so might just leave it if it is, but if it might be some kind of other chemical adhesive i want to make sure I get it off any surface where it might make contact with the water and there's currently a bunch of little flecks on the lid underside and skirt.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2022 6:37 pm
by Bok
@wave_code I don’t think that is Urushi… it’s either some sort of filler used, which I have sometimes seen in white/off white, but no idea what has been used.
Or it’s just some industry epoxy which is the more likely explanation.
Urushi is dark brown, so I don’t see how it could ever turn this white, a greyish brown at most.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2022 4:03 am
by wave_code
thanks
@Bok, thats what I was afraid of. luckily it was just that little chip on the lid that was repaired and none of the white goo has made its way in to the body of the pot. hopefully I can get the bits off the lid without too much issue.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:33 pm
by DailyTX
I have used sodium percarbonate to clean vintage to modern Yixing pots. I am curious if anyone has tried to use it to clean shudei Tokoname pots?
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:53 pm
by Bok
DailyTX wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:33 pm
I have used sodium percarbonate to clean vintage to modern Yixing pots. I am curious if anyone has tried to use it to clean shudei Tokoname pots?
It’s all the same. Why would Shudei be any different? It’s just earth : )
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Apr 16, 2022 9:00 pm
by DailyTX
Bok wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:53 pm
DailyTX wrote: ↑Sat Apr 16, 2022 8:33 pm
I have used sodium percarbonate to clean vintage to modern Yixing pots. I am curious if anyone has tried to use it to clean shudei Tokoname pots?
It’s all the same. Why would Shudei be any different? It’s just earth : )
it is just fired earth haha. Thanks
@Bok for confirmation. Looking forward for this cleaning project
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 11:59 am
by Ackernym
I'm probably overworrying here, but does anyone know if putting paper towels on the bottom of a boiling pot will cause them to leach undesirable elements onto a teapot when cleaning it? I followed
@Victoria's instructions when cleaning my Kobiwako clay kyusu, using baking soda and vinegar, and each time I brought the water to a simmer I covered the bottom of the pot with paper towels. It was only after I finished cleaning did I find out that paper towels have adhesives and conditioners on them
Now I'm worrying that by cleaning my teapot this way, I ruined it by causing the adhesives to leach out of the paper towels in such a level that it would negatively affect the teapot
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 1:40 pm
by Baisao
Ackernym wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 11:59 am
I'm probably overworrying here, but does anyone know if putting paper towels on the bottom of a boiling pot will cause them to leach undesirable elements onto a teapot when cleaning it? I followed Victoria's instructions when cleaning my Kobiwako clay kyusu, using baking soda and vinegar, and each time I brought the water to a simmer I covered the bottom of the pot with paper towels. It was only after I finished cleaning did I find out that paper towels have adhesives and conditioners on them
Now I'm worrying that by cleaning my teapot this way, I ruined it by causing the adhesives to leach out of the paper towels in such a level that it would negatively affect the teapot
Paper towels are not ideal for the reasons you mentioned (as well as bitter lignins in paper) but it should be ok. Give it a gentle boil with some cloth on the bottom or simply pour hot water into and over it and let soak.
Baking soda and vinegar is a pointless cleaning exercise. It’s mere drama. All ‘sound and fury signifying nothing’. Use some sodium percarbonate instead. It’s soda ash and hydrogen peroxide so it’s very safe.
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 2:46 pm
by Ackernym
Ah thank you for alleviating my concerns
@Baisao! A simple boil or two with an actual cloth towel at the bottom is a simple fix
Oh and I think I wasn't clear. I didn't mean I combined the baking soda and vinegar and let it bubble. I just scrubbed the pot lightly with baking soda, then simmered it with baking soda and water, scrubbed it again, and then boiled it with vinegar and water to neutralize the baking soda. I didn't feel like it was dirty enough to go straight to sodium percarbinate
Re: Cleaning: Awakening & Resetting Unglazed Ceramics / Yixing
Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2022 3:15 pm
by LeoFox
Ackernym wrote: ↑Sat Jul 16, 2022 2:46 pm
Ah thank you for alleviating my concerns Baisao! A simple boil or two with an actual cloth towel at the bottom is a simple fix
Oh and I think I wasn't clear. I didn't mean I combined the baking soda and vinegar and let it bubble. I just scrubbed the pot lightly with baking soda, then simmered it with baking soda and water, scrubbed it again, and then boiled it with vinegar and water to neutralize the baking soda. I didn't feel like it was dirty enough to go straight to sodium percarbinate
Time is precious, vinegar is stinky and boiling is risky. I'd go straight to percarbonate
it is just fired earth haha. Thanks