How to clean a chagama?

[JBaymore]

I recently bought an antique chagama in Japan for my tearoom here in the USA. Generally it is in very good shape. However there is a LITTLE rust on the interior bottom surface.

How should I clean this rust off and prep the kettle for future use for boiling water for Chanoyu?

best,

...............john

[siokan]

It is a machine translation because it doesn't understand English. sorry.

*Do not rub because the lacquer is painted on the teakettle.
*Small rust must not worry.
*Black rust is harmless.

*Slight way to mend rust
Coarse tea or tea is encompassed cotton.
It is cooked by the low flame for about 20 minutes.
(This work is repeated 2 and three times. )
The purpose of boiling tea is to put tannin and to prevent rust.
*Lightly rubbing with cotton that encompasses tea is also good.
(If still anxious after the above-mentioned work)

*When rust is cruel (It doesn't recommend it so much. )
It drops with the emery paper lightly when there are a lot of red rusts.
Tea is boiled. (It is the same on. )

*Only rust!!!
It can do nothing but send it to the repair.

Do you run by the machine translation........

[TalnSG]

Ideally, an antique of any kind should never be cleaned (except professionally) if its value is to be retained. But since it is more valuable to you when it is useable, here is how to clean it.

Basically, do not use anything more than boiling water, if at all possible.
If rust is discoloring the boiling water (making it rusty looking), repeated brief steeping with fresh boiling will water will clear it. If the discoloration of the boiling water looks more like weak tea, that is good and just go ahead and use it.

If the rust is flaking off, scour it with a soft cotton cloth and hot water it it no longer flakes.

DO NOT use soap or any sort of cleanser..... not even the stuff designed for coffee pots.

Unless you are sure of the provenance of this pot, though, a professional lead testing might be a good idea before using it on a regular basis. Many older, especially antique clays contain it. However, the best pots have little or none in them.

[JBaymore]

Thank you ALL for the helpful replies.

I can get the "gist" of the machine translation. It is FAR better than any of my attempts at reading the original 日本語 would be .

All of them were kind of along the lines of what I was expecting...... but I was wondering if there was some special "trick" that I might not be aware of.

As to the lead issue.... THANKS..... that was one I was not aware of. Didn't realize it was used for alloying iron. As a long term professional potter and college professor of ceramics... (and instructor also of the "tech side" of things ceramic).... the lead testing thing is a snap for me. Will check it out for sure. Hoping the ppm's come back favorable..... I want to USE this one.

Thanks again. I'll post info on my results later.

best,

....................john

[TalnSG]

Originally Posted by JBaymore

As to the lead issue.... THANKS..... that was one I was not aware of. Didn't realize it was used for alloying iron. As a long term professional potter and college professor of ceramics... (and instructor also of the "tech side" of things ceramic).... the lead testing thing is a snap for me. Will check it out for sure. Hoping the ppm's come back favorable..... I want to USE this one.

Thanks again. I'll post info on my results later.

best,

....................john

Actually there shouldn't be any lead in iron cookware. But with any antique cookware its a good idea to check. You never know what someone may have experimented with. I have a brass samovar from England that I first didn't worry about, then I noticed a small repair at the base of the spout. It wasn't just tarnished, it was lead solder.