My Tetsubin water burner. I bought this a few months ago at a Japanese store. After the first use, the top part - water container started to rust. I was quite disappointed. At this time, I can only use it to warm Sake. Perhaps there is a way to re-glaze the interior to prevent rusting, which must also be non-toxic as well. Any suggestion is welcome.
4 comments:
Imen,
This is by far the tea accessory I prefer from your collection! It looks very much like Tang dynasty ware... I have seen a picture in a Japanese magazine of one of a very similar shape... that was made of gold! (Lu Yu recommended using gold or silver, which conduct heat very well).
But I'm like you: I can only afford iron ware!
Iron rusts, of course. But don't think of it as rust, but as Fe, iron. Your body, your blood needs iron. And it brings a sweet taste to the water. As long as your water comes out transparent, there is nothing to be afraid of. I've been drinking tea with water from an unglazed tetsubin for 2 years now and there are no bad effects. (Teaparker, my professor, has used an antique rusted tetsubin for 30 years without any problems either.)
The trick is to dry it with heat after each use. This will prevent it from rusting too much.
Glazing it would be like wearing ski gloves to caress a kitten.
Stephane,
Thank you for the info. I have cast iron cookwares, they rust as well, however sealing with oil will usually do the trick. It's amazing how one can have different perception for the same material shaped into different forms.
Do you know how to get rid of rust nautrally other than scrubbing or using CLR?
Thanks again!
Imen
CLR?
Well, when I bought the tetsubin, the vendor suggested only cleaning it with a gentle cloth.
Again, you don't need to take away all the rust, only the bigger portions that may come of the tetsubin. If the rust is just on the surface, then it's OK.
Stephane,
CLR is a cleaning product for Calcium, Lime and Rust. Thanks again for the info. I will try making tea with water boiled from this tetsubin. I'll let you know the result.
Imen
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