"One of the interesting things you see about the iron kettle is its chime. Liu Huasheng filled the iron kettle with water and demonstrated: "You noticed that the iron kettle will have a sound, some like the sound of the wind blowing loose, and some will be turbulent, depending on the processing of the craftsman.www.biquge.info

"My iron kettle is equipped with a ringer at the bottom, there are about three pieces of iron, and there may be a little embroidery, which is the sounder carefully made by the kettle master, because there is this kind of sound, so the iron kettle will have a pleasant sound."

"There is also a deliberate depression at the bottom, which is deliberately left at the bottom of a traditional foundry or a kettle made by a kettle master, because of this depression, it will produce different sounds depending on the size of the fire, which is very interesting."

Wu Tianyuan really heard all kinds of sounds in the process of boiling water in the iron kettle, which was very interesting, and it was also a pleasure to listen to the sound of boiling water in the quiet tea room!

"One thing is the same as the purple clay kettle, the iron kettle must be opened for the first time. Before boiling the pot, you need to scrub the inside with a toothbrush or soft cloth stained with toothpaste, especially at the spout, and scrub the outside with a soft cloth material or a soft brush, and then rinse it with water after making sure that the dirt is treated. ”

"Insist on using the iron kettle every day, so that the scale and tannin iron can quickly attach, and the inside of the kettle will all turn red as time brews, as long as the water quality is not turbid, there is no need to clean it. Cleaning will destroy the protective layer of iron, gently rubbing the protective layer that is not fully integrated with a sponge or soft towel. ”

Wu Tianyuan had an idea and asked, "Uncle Liu, did you say that the pig iron from the iron kettle in southern Japan is also a special mineral deposit?" ”

"Yes, I've been to the Iron Kettle Hall a few times, and in addition to the secrecy of their method of smelting and purifying pig iron ore, pig iron is also a locally produced ore. It seems that most of them are salvaged from the shallow sea, and only after soaking and washing in seawater can they form that special material, and the iron kettle is of the best quality! ”

"Pig iron refers to an alloy of iron with a carbon content of 2~4.3%, also known as cast iron. In addition to carbon, pig iron also contains silicon, manganese and a small amount of sulfur, phosphorus and other elements; Pig iron contains a lot of carbon, is hard and brittle, and has little plasticity. ”

"Sure enough!" Wu Tianyuan has a plan in his heart, it seems that the Japanese iron kettle also needs special iron ore, so it is easy to do, this is a breakthrough.

Due to the material advantages of the iron kettle itself, the boiled water has the "mountain spring water effect", so it can be used to make tea can better play the characteristics of various tea leaves. ”

"It can mainly be used to cook some heavy fermented or post-fermented teas, such as black tea, aged Tieguanyin, aged rock tea, old Pu'er, etc., and can also be used to boil herbal tea."

"I now have a lot of processes and materials for each tea ceremony, from charcoal fire, iron kettle, purple sand, tea sets, tea leaves, to tea rooms, environments, calligraphy and painting, floral art, and incense every item is carefully prepared. According to the status of different guests, preference occupation, aesthetic level, and comprehensive consideration can hold a formal tea party. ”

"This is the status symbol of the tea ceremony master!" Wu Tianyuan joked: "Otherwise, where can you show Uncle Liu's preciousness?" ”

"The charcoal fire should use good rosin charcoal, the temperature is right, smokeless, and there is a trace of rosin when burning."

"Water tap water, mountain spring water, well water, pure water, mineral water. The iron kettle is made of pig iron, and the material determines that it will produce scale when used to boil water. The results of cooking different water sources are not the same. ”

"Tap water, pure water and mineral water are common water sources in life, and mountain spring water and well water are the best, generally mountain spring water has a higher iron content, and it will feel sweeter to drink, and the scale boiled out of it is white, which is most conducive to improving the water quality of iron kettle boiling water, and I specially hire people to send good mountain spring water from the nearby mountains every day."

"Pure water and mineral water are secondary, at present, they are mainly sold in supermarkets, and the tap water boils out the scale for a longer time, and the scale is yellow-white, and due to the influence of modern industry, it cannot be used."

"Now with the master purple clay pot you sent, you can get twice the result with half the effort, as for the tea ......"

"Don't worry, in a few months, the best tea I selected will be picked, all of which are planted on the land I personally selected, and the yield is very small, only for you Uncle Liu."

Everything was ready, and Wu Tianyuan, who could prepare for the tea ceremony, helped Liu Huasheng plan it, and when the tea leaves came out, let him hold the first tea ceremony. After inviting several long-established tea ceremony masters to comment on their skills, he won recognition and officially became the youngest tea ceremony master in Japan.

"There is a real need to take out the treasures from the museum! Flowers are arranged with the official kiln of the Southern Song Dynasty, a pair of flowers and birds of Song Huizong are hung on the wall, the top iron kettle of Longwentang, the purple sand pot of Gu Jingzhou, and finally the tea cup of the Ru kiln, how about building the kiln Tianmu? ”

Liu Huasheng hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Forget it, you don't dare to use it yet!" Any one of them is a priceless treasure, if the emperor sees us drinking tea with the Celestial Eye Yaochang? Then don't vomit blood and die of distress! ”

The two of them laughed, they had nothing to do and found a chance to try it and enjoy the feeling of Song Huizong back then!

Sending Liu Huasheng away, Wu Tianyuan came back to study the information of the Japanese iron kettle, celadon and Jianyao have entered the Japanese market, and the response is very good. The seal stone is about to be successfully mined, and it is another nirvana. The next step is the purple clay pot, with three famous kinds of clay materials, plus the production of Master Xu Hanting, to enter the Japanese market again.

"Long Wentang is really controlled by the Mitsui family!"

Wu Tianyuan has a headache, the porcelain opponent is Cocoon Mountain Longquantang, and now the teapot is Longwentang, all of which are controlled by the Mitsui family, and it seems that they will inevitably have to confront each other head-on.

"There are about 68 steps involved in the production process of an iron kettle, and it usually takes nearly two months from the initial design to the finished product. A delicate iron kettle needs the craftsman who makes the body and the craftsman who makes the handle, and the exquisite skills of two people work together to complete? ”

Wu Tianyuan really didn't expect that the production process of an iron kettle was so complicated, and it was more time-consuming and labor-intensive than the purple clay pot. First, a sample of the iron kettle is drawn, and then the cross-section of the kettle is calculated according to the drawing, and the wooden mold required for casting is created according to the cross-section.

Rotate the wooden mold back and forth, adding the prepared clay with each turn, and repeat this dozens of times until the craftsman is satisfied.

While the mold is not dry, the pattern is carried out, and the texture of the pot wall is outlined inside the mold with a special pen.

Fine sand, good soil and clay are fused and pressed into a solid neutron shape with cloth. The neutrons are then placed into the mold that was laid earlier.

Pour the hot molten iron through the small hole in the lid of the outer mold and wait for about 2 hours. Pour out the molten iron, peel off the outer mold, and take out the pot.

The pot is then placed in a 3-meter-high ancient charcoal furnace, which is filled with carbon, pig iron, crushed iron and limestone, and the temperature in the furnace is as high as 1,300 degrees.

After the formed, the iron kettle is grilled with a carbon fire of 800-1000 degrees, so that the kettle forms a layer of magnetized and acidified surface film, which can prevent the kettle from rusting.

The finished iron kettle is heated at a temperature of 200 degrees Celsius on a charcoal fire, and the surface of the kettle is brushed with lacquer mixed with acetic acid and tea juice. It must be applied with a brush while heating, and the high temperature is used to make the lacquer firmly adhere to the surface of the pot.

The final process is made by a special craftsman, and the iron plate is made into a round iron rod shape, which is a very difficult technique, and there are very few craftsmen who know it. After molding, it is lacquered and connected to the pot. A complete iron kettle can be officially produced. (To be continued.) )