The soul of a purple clay teapot lies in the temperature and details of two firing processes. Today, we will detail the purple clay teapot firing steps to show how purple eggplant clay transforms into a smooth and mellow teapot shape in the kiln fire.
After the shape of the purple clay teapot is completed, the first step is "air-drying naturally"—this is key to dehydrating and stabilizing the clay. Firing directly without air-drying can easily cause cracking. After air-drying, enter the "preparation for firing" stage: first, evenly apply quartz sand to the teapot mouth. This layer of fine sand acts as a "barrier" to prevent the teapot lid from sticking to the body during firing, and details determine the quality of the finished product.
The first firing is the initial transformation of purple eggplant clay: using purple eggplant clay as the raw material, the kiln temperature is precisely controlled at 1180°C for 20 hours. High temperature enables the initial sintering of the clay while retaining the breathable pores of purple sand. After firing, do not take it out immediately—instead, "take it out after natural cooling". Rapid cooling can cause the teapot body to crack.
The taken-out teapot needs "mouth and lid adjustment": craftsmen manually adjust the fit between the teapot mouth and lid to ensure smooth opening and closing without water leakage; then apply diamond sand for fine polishing to make the edge of the teapot mouth smoother.
Next is the second firing: using purple eggplant clay again, maintain a high temperature of 1180°C for 20 hours. The second firing enhances the density and color stability of the clay, making the color of the purple eggplant clay more mellow and the texture denser. After taking it out again after natural cooling, a shaped purple clay teapot is basically completed. The final step is "seasoning (Kai Hu)"—awaken the breathability of the clay through hot water soaking and tea soup maintenance, officially starting the teapot's tea-making career.
Every step from air-drying to seasoning is a tribute to craftsmanship—that is the secret of the purple clay teapot's "uniform color in the kiln, varied colors out of the kiln".
Frequently Asked Questions About Purple Clay Teapot Firing
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Why do purple clay teapots need two firings?The first firing only enables the initial shaping of the clay. The second firing can further improve the density and color stability of the clay, while repairing minor defects that may occur in the first firing, making the texture of the purple clay teapot more mellow.
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What is the impact of a slight temperature difference during firing?If the temperature is lower than 1180°C, the purple eggplant clay cannot be fully sintered, and the finished product will have the problem of "under-firing" (loose texture and easy water seepage); if the temperature is too high, the clay is prone to "over-firing", causing the teapot body to deform and the color to darken.
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Why must it be taken out after natural cooling?After high-temperature firing, the purple clay teapot is in a state of thermal expansion. If it is cooled quickly (such as opening the kiln lid directly), the large temperature difference between the inside and outside of the teapot body can easily cause cracks or even breakage. Natural cooling is a necessary step to protect the integrity of the teapot shape.
