Making your own teaware
Just wondering if anyone makes their own teaware (i.e. pottery, blown glass).
My sister is in a ceramics class, so she made me a really cool mug with an eyeball on it ;P
I like using it, but she’s not up to the level of teapots or anything, so I don’t bother asking.
im taking a pottery class next semester and have taken a ceramics class in the past so i plan on making really cool mugs and possibly trying my hand at a tea pot. when i was in my ceramics class i had made a really cool mug on the wheel with an infuser basket that fit inside of it(i probably would have gotten alot of “tea dust” in my cup from the infuser i made lol) but sadly they found lead in the room so everyone’s projects were destroyed and we had to write a paper about cultural art, whatever we got on the paper was our final grade.
Wasn’t what I had in mind, but these are cool!
http://lifehacker.com/5420789/make-your-own-travel-teabags
these look very cool. if i can find some fabric (muslin preferably) and whip up some of these. there probably ridiculously easy to make too…..ideas brewing :)
I have a friend who makes ceramics as his main business; I’m currently commissioning a set of tea mugs from him. His stuff is wicked cool, he’s really skilled.
I blow glass as a hobby and have been thinking about attempting to make tea cups. I’ve mostly made marbles and small figurines, but have been getting into shaping vessels like small vases and other hollow forms. I think it would be really satisfying sipping a nice brew out of a cup I created myself.
If you think it’s something you’d be able to get the hang of, you should go for it. There are many resources online, and many good books on the subject. I’m completely self taught.
ive wanted to do blown glass for a while but the only place is a 2 hour drive and really expensive :(
So I tried making a teapot yesterday. Today, I brewed some tea out of it :). It’s a nice personal size, makes just about 1.5 cups. My friend took this pic with a phonecam just after I’d finished it up. I’ll get some more ‘action’ shots of it up here later this afternoon.
Thanks everyone! Using this teapot a few times today has taught me something about good design, or should I say the lack there of, hehe. Overall, it functions decently, but has much room for improvement.
Mostly it’s the spout that could use a good once-over. Leaves easily funnel into it, significantly slowing the pouring process, which in turn increases the steep-time. To solve the issue in this current teapot, I’ve wedged a small mesh screen into it, but that (hopefully) won’t be necessary in future attempts.
For one, the spout needs to have a wider opening both where it attaches to the pot, and at the pouring end of things. It also should be connected lower on the body of the vessel, and have a more exaggerated S shape as to keep the end up close to the level of the lid. Hopefully these changes, coupled with some sort of glass filter (I have a few ideas) should make pouring much quicker of a process. I’ll keep ya all updated as my experiments continue.
Yes, the glass I use is called borosilicate. It’s used for making laboratory ware (beakers, flasks, etc.), and also to make kitchenware. Pyrex brand used to use borosilicate, but recently changed to another formula. Out of all the commonly available glass, this type is the most thermal-shock resistant.
Having said all that, steps must be taken to ensure a stress-free product. For example, there could be stress in the object if two pieces of glass aren’t melted together thoroughly (the handle to the main body, for example), or have a sharp acute edge where they connect. Also and most especially, if the glass isn’t cooled correctly in the kiln after its done being shaped in the flame, any stress introduced to the glass while working won’t be properly removed from the piece. Knowing these factors and acting accordingly can minimize the risk of having something break from thermal shock.
Still, I was trepidatious this morning when I went to try it out for the first time. I really didn’t want to put some lovely tea in and pour over it with hot water just to have it shatter all over the kitchen counter. Mostly for the possible waste of good tea, mind you. So I brought my little pot empty to the sink with the kettle at a rolling boil, and quickly poured in the scalding water. Luckily there was no awful or horrendous CRACK sound, nor any flying shrapnel. So, after pouring out the water, I decided to take advantage of the pre-heated pot and threw in some leaves. Mmm mmm… :)
Oh yea, I promised a better pic:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/cSfGBBZHS3ke_2SY2gViVQ?feat=directlink
You know at one time I did not like glasswear for some unexpainable reason but I have come to really love to gaze at glass teapots, cups and bowls, especially with tea leaves are bathing in hot water…beautiful work DavidT…luv the pic.
Here in Halifax, we have on our waterfront a small crystal shop that blows exquisite glassware…I will have to take a stroll.
PeteG: I absolutely love watching leaves unfurl! And I must say, watching – and tasting the brewed tea from- something I myself created brings a new type of satisfaction to the whole experience.
Thanks everyone for your kind responses! I will definitely be making more of these and trying to perfect the design. If I get them to a satisfactory point, I may even investigate their marketability.
My son is in a pottery class and has supplied me with several salsa bowls but I think that it is time to move on to a matcha bowl project. Are there any guidelines? I’ve noticed that most have a small base at the bottom. Is this customary? Should the sides slope at certain degrees? Any suggestions?
Idk how authentic it would be, but you might want to keep your serving size in mind. For example, if you always prepare it thick you may want a smaller bowl… I’m not understanding drinking a small amount of liquid from a gaint bowl.
I really lucked out when he signed up for this class. Who knew? My new teapot ended up in the school lobby display case instead of under the Christmas tree but it is promised to me right after the district art show.
Found this old post when I was searching for the teaware thread and realized that I didn’t post the link. Looks like he double-dutied this gift. Gave me a pic for Christmas and the actual teapot for Mother’s Day. Since he stuck with his space theme, I grabbed one of his paintings for the background.
It’s no where near the same as the other creativity, but I’ve been doing a lot of paint-your-own pottery lately*, and I just finished up my second teapot last night. I’ll take pictures later. :)
(*this is the “go and paint on pre-made biqsue pieces” process. )
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