I think Alex means glacial acetic acid. This is close to 100% acetic
acid unlike white vinegar which is about 5% acetic acid.

Cameron

"samarkand" > wrote in message >...
> Icy pure? I must look up that one! No, it was my teacher who told me my
> pot smelled of vinegar. Perhaps it's the pot's clay. I inherited an old
> Duang ni (Yellow Clay) with sesame specks from my grandfather, and thought
> of cleaning it up. I soaked the pot in white vinegar for about 2 hours and
> then scrubbed it clean. Then I simmered it in clean water for 2 hours, and
> in green tea for another 2 hours, and then in white tea for another 2 hours.
> Couple of days later I brought my pot to class to brew white tea, and at the
> first sip my teach commented it tasted "rough and sharp, like vinegar". Oh
> well. Since then, I just simmer "soiled" pots in clean water for a couple
> of hour, and then scrub out the mold and dirt before treating it with
> various teas.
>
>
> "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Boy, if I only had a menghai cake for every time I tried to reeploy a
> yixing
> > pot!
> > Your method is not good with foul smelling pots where the smell is due to
> > some molds or bacteria. I guess boiling will kill the living thing but not
> > get rid of residue of smelly substance. Vinegar does that. just simmer it
> > later in water for a day or two. The hint of vinegar you smell is most
> > probably (if you did simmer it in clean water) a physycological one. Ask
> > someone from outside to smell it without telling them about vinegar. Heinz
> > should be white enough, although I use "icy" pure.
> >
> > Sasha.
> >
> > "samarkand" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > I've tried that before, using white vinegar (is Heinz's white vinegar
> > > considered white enough?), the pot turned out clean, but it still has a
> > > hint
> > > of vinegar about it. If you perfer that method of cleaning the pot, do
> go
> > > ahead, but I prefer the old method of simmering the pot in clean water.
> > > It
> > > may take a longer time, but the end result is worth the effort. Why
> don't
> > > you try it for a change, especially if there's a long winter days to
> > > spare?
> > >
> > > Of course the chemistry compound in garlic, turpentine and white vinegar
> > > (or
> > > even between vinegars for that matter) are different, I'm illustrating a
> > > point (weak though it may) that a sharp smelling agent when in contact
> > > with
> > > a porous clay will leave its print within the porosity of the clay, and
> > > hard
> > > to wash out, not conducting a chemistry practical here.
> > >
> > > Samar.
> > >
> > >
> > > "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
> > > . ..
> > >> Vinegar is very sharp smelling, its true. However "white" chemical, not
> wine
> > >> vinegar is very volatile and never leaves a residual smell.
> > >> It washes from yixing very easily taking almost all of the smells (good
> > >> or
> > >> bad) with it. Comparing it with garlic or turpentine is simply wrong.
> If
> you
> > >> take a quick look at their chemistry you would know why. White vinegar
> is
> a
> > >> wonderful way to "renew" an yixing pot and you should try it some time.
> > >> If
> > >> you would have actually done that at least once, you wouldn't ever
> > >> compare
> > >> it to turpentine.
> > >>
> > >> Sasha.
> > >>
> > >> "samarkand" > wrote in message
> > >> ...
> > >> > :") Indeed. Vinegar has a strong smell, and as the yixing clay is
> highly
> > >> > porous, the vinegar will seep into the clay and it'll be hard to
> remove
> > >> > the
> > >> > smell and taste from the pot. It's a little like rubbing garlic on
> your
> > >> > hands and then for the next several days your hands smell
> garlicky...a
> > >> > couple of days someone showed me a yixing pot his friend gave to him.
> It
> > >> > was an old pot which I guessed was probably a burial piece. His
> friend
> > >> > asked him to use turpentine to rub off the soil stains...that's
> another
> > >> > pot
> > >> > suicide...
> > >> >
> > >> > Danny
> > >> >
> > >> > "Alex Chaihorsky" > wrote in message
> > >> > om...
> > >> >> These are strong words, you have to explain your statement.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> Sasha.
> > >> >>
> > >> >> "samarkand" > wrote in message
> > >> >> ...
> > >> >> > Sasha, you have just given the recipe to pot suicide! :")
> > >> >> >
> > >> >>
> > >> >>
> > >> >
> > >> >
> > >>
> > >>
> > >
> > >
> >
> >