You have just purchased a new purple clay pot. In addition to opening the pot to check the mud, you should also check whether there are any cracks or damage on the pot body or lid. At this time, many people will find that the lid and mouth of the pot have some traces of being polished? Don’t worry, these marks may not actually be flaws. What is the reason? Let’s watch it together!
The wear marks come from one process: whole mouth
In the pot-making process, there is a step called "mouth shaping", which involves grinding the lid that was intentionally made larger during the pot-making process so that the lid fits the mouth of the pot. When the purple clay pot is fired, the master who is responsible for the whole mouth will use emery or sandpaper to polish the spout and lid so that the lid can cover the purple clay pot. This is why when we inspect the purple clay pot, we will find that there is a mark on the spout and lid. A series of fine wear marks.
"Full mouth" is part of the modern pot-making process, so the wear marks on the mouth of the pot can help us initially distinguish whether it is a modern pot or an ancient pot. The polishing technology in ancient times was immature, so there were no traces of the entire mouth of the ancient pot. The pot maker needed to make a good lid when making the pot. To a certain extent, making the pot requires a high degree of accuracy.
(Picture source: Zhuangzhuangai Zisha)
Why is the whole mouth process needed?
The purpose of "full mouth" is to make it easier for the lid to cover the pot body smoothly. Because in addition to the different shrinkage ratios of each purple clay material, the shrinkage rates of the pot body and lid are also different. When making the pot lid, it is difficult to estimate whether the size will fit the pot body after firing. If the size of the lid has already matched the pot body when making the pot, the lid may be smaller than the pot body after firing and shrinkage, and the lid may even be loose and wobbly.
So is it a good thing or a bad thing if there are wear marks on the spout and lid?
In fact, the wear marks left by the whole process are not considered flaws and will not affect the tea making, so this is not a bad thing. Some people may think that the purple clay teapot that has been repaired will not be as good, and that the pot-making skills are easier, and the technology is not as advanced as the purple clay teapot that has not been repaired. This statement may not be completely accurate. It is indeed difficult to make a purple clay teapot that does not require a whole mouth, and requires a high degree of precision. However, the judgment of whether the pot making skills are exquisite depends on whether the lines of the pot body are smooth and symmetrical, and whether the decoration process of the pot body is exquisite and similar. Rather than just looking at whether there are wear marks on the spout or lid.
In fact, before going through the whole process, making a purple clay pot still requires a good grasp of the shrinkage ratio of the pot body and lid. This is a factor that needs to be considered when making any purple clay pot. If the shrinkage rate of the purple clay pot is ignored and the lid is made too large, the entire process will not be able to make the lid fit the mouth. Therefore, it is not advisable to judge the value of a purple clay pot solely based on whether it has gone through the entire process.
(Image source: Sohu Media Platform)
In summary, the main purpose of the finishing process is to make it easier for the lid and spout to be inserted. The finished pot actually does not hinder tea making, so it is not considered a defect. As long as the wear marks do not affect the appearance and the marks are not deep, the purple clay teapot can still exert its advantages.
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