Makings of a Tea Pot

Since fall is fast approaching and drinking hot tea is a good way to warm up I decided to try my hand at making another teapot. (First one was somewhat a dud last year) I used Bizen clay this time around and decided to make it somewhat Japanese in style with a twist of modern.







The teapot must be made in separate parts on the wheel. Body, spout, lid and handle.

Here is the body, it's about 18cm wide and 12cm high. Of course this is the dry measurement, so it will shrink after its fired. But after it is completed it should hold 1-2 cups of tea.












Here is the spout and lid. I decided to make the spout bigger at the base and slim towards to tip. Of course much of the clay will be shaved off next week so this will look very different once it's finished.
The lid, which has to be made upside down, also will be shaved. The handle which will be on top has to be carved, will the inside (what you're seeing now) is ready to go. The groove on the lid here has to coincide with the opening of the tea pot body. The opening was 10cm so i made the groove 8cm across at the widest point. This assures the condensation from the hot water stays in the teapot and also that the lid won't slide off. Since both lid and body are from the same clay (same shrinkage after firing) and made at the same time the fit should be perfect.


After making the tea pot parts, I had some left over clay, so I made a small round vase type piece. I plan to make this into a lantern. It will be turned over, (so the hole will be the base) and I'll cut a design so when a candle is put in the design will shadow on the wall.

More to come next week!