How ORIGAMI drippers are made?
ORIGAMI DRIPPER BEHIND THE SCENES
Today we are going to tell you step by step production of the beautiful ORIGAMI dripper with photos. ORIGAMI drippr is manufactured in Gifu, Japan which is famous for ceramic production.
The production of ORIGAMI dripper starts with the selection of soil. Then followed by five major steps:
①Molding (casting /potter's wheel),
②Unglazing
③Glazing
④Firing
⑤inspection
We are going to show you how ORIGAMI drippers, with ultimately thin body and 20 fine ribs, are made.
ORIGAMI DRIPPER IS MADE BY HAND IN ALL PROCESSES
①MOLDING (CASTING /POTTER'S WHEEL)
The production of ORIGAMI drippers starts with soil making. Mix the clay called “Hakuji” (white porcelain) with a stirrer for about 6 hours. Move it to the pressure tank, and remove the bubbles in the soil. This basic work is important because pottery pops and breaks when you bake clay with air bubbles.
When the clay is formed, it is time for a craftsman called "caster". Pour the clay through a small hole in the shape of a dripper. This is the process called casting. ORIGAMI drippers are surprisingly thin, even for craftsmen who have been making soil for over 40 years.
The size of the hole is a few millimetres. If you pour the soil through a large hole, the ribs will be squashed. Also, if the clay is poorly viscous, it will not enter through small holes. On the other hand, if it is smooth like water, it will not solidify inside. They need the perfect soil. Yes, it is a product that is harder to make than it looks.
After pouring the clay, remove the upper mold straight up. This is the most tough work process, because if they are a little careless they can damage the tip with a mold.
The protrusion of the clay pouring part is also evened out by hand. They check that the 20 fine ribs are not crushed before moving to the next process.
Take a look at his hands. You only see the holes in the left hand finger part of the glove. They check whether the clay is smooth with the feel of the finger.
MAKE PERFECT 20 RIBS
After casting, dry from night to the next morning and move on to finishing process. From here, it is the work of trimming the folds and removing the “flash” after the molding. Everything in this process is also done by hand. "Flashes" are thin steps created by the grounding surfaces of the upper and lower molds during casting. They polish all the flashes with clean water to smooth the surface, yet the corners of the folds must not be round. Ribs can be broken during polishing, so they handle it very carefully.
②UNGLAZING
They light the fire around noon and bake it for about 11 to 12 hours until about 11pm at night. There is a temperature difference between the top and bottom in the kiln. By raising the temperature slowly, they eliminate the temperature unevenness in the kiln. Normal ceramic dishes can be stacked about ten of them when unglazing. But, since the body of the dripper is thinner than the normal ceramics, it can only be stacked up to three.
NEXT, TO GLAZING PROCESS
③GLAZING
Next step is to color the unglazed ORIGAMI dripper. This is a work called “Seiyu” (glazing). A colored glass powder called “Yuyaku” is applied to the surface of the pottery. The color of the pottery is obtained by firing the glass powder on the surface through oxidation-reduction reactions. Insert the dripper into Yuyaku so as not to cause color unevenness, and pull it up vertically. The key here is to soak in each drippers for the same seconds, other wise it would not look the same color. The ribs on the dripper are designed and calculated well to optimize extraction time. A slight difference in the thickness of Yuyaku can change the brewing time and it differs the taste of the coffee. As this product is used in the competition too, its quality is very important. So, all the creators work while being aware of how import these ribs are.
THE LAST PROCESS
④FIRING, AND ⑤INSPECTION
Finally, check the ribs are perfectly shaped and make sure there is no uneven color. Then gently put it on the grill. Finally, it is fired and finished in a kiln of 40m. If sudden temperature change happens, the dripper will be distorted. So they fire it slowly for about 30 hours. After the firing all the drippers go through inspection. Product passed the inspection will be delivered to coffee lovers all over the world.
To create such unique shape, skilled craftsman conduct great work in each process. Please remember them next time you drip your coffee with ORIGAMI dripper :)
