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holes in teapot lids

updated tue 30 sep 97

 

The Shelfords on sat 13 sep 97

Mel Jacobson wrote, among other good advice:
>remember to put at least a quarter inch hole in your cover. must
>get air pressure into the pot. (ask all of your buyers what the hole is
>for, they all say "let steam out")

Well mel, I guess the hole does let air pressure in, but it also lets the
steam out. On my very first teapot, I forgot the little hole, figured what
the heck, I'm not that good, the lid won't fit all that well, it'll leak
air or steam alright. Hah! Discovered a new phenomenon - the self-pouring
teapot. Steam built up under the lid, forced the liquid level down, and
tea burbled up and out the spout. I swear. Sitting by itself on the tray.
No earthquake or anything.

Apart from this distinctive feature, it doesn't pour worth a damn - liquid
moves as though held by an invisible channel down the outside of the
spout. Also, while I was at it, used a poor clay-glaze fit, so if anyone
had been fool enough to use it regularly, it would have cracked and chipped
and shivered and all. I guess the spout would have twisted in the firing
too, if it had been that kind of spout. All the mistakes you can make, in
one pot - pretty efficient, eh?

I've still got the teapot - wouldn't part with it for anything.

- Veronica