Japanese Sumida Gawa, remove hard water stains (plus signature ID help)

Hello,

2 questions on this. Nuff ID'd already as Japanese Sumida Gawa. (Thanks again.)

Ques #1 There is some hard water calcification all the way around this, just below the rim on the inside. It does scrape off with some work with my fingernail, but I think I need to try something a bit more efficient.

A few sites recommended filling with vinegar and leaving over night -- would this be safe with such a piece?

Ques #2 Anyone read Japanese? Trying to identify the signature.

THANKS!

 

I have seen this mark attributed to Inoue Ryosai, but not sure which one Inoue I, II or III or if that attribution is correct.

 

PS Items marked like your item do well and there is no orange glaze used which usually indicates earlier production before 1924.

 

Thank you, Trip. Very helpful!

Thanks, too Davey.

Should I use the same water/tablet ratio as for dentures/retainers and how long should I soak it?

 

If you take a look at the piece I posted within the Finds Thread, it has the same exact two-character mark along with eight others. I did have these marks translated awhile ago, but I always seem to misplace my notes. As soon as I find them, I'll be sure to pass this info on to you. Maybe KHL will chime in before then and help with the translation?

As far as the hard water stains, you could try using a bit of CLR mixed with water and let it soak within the bowl for a little while, or perhaps some pure lemon juice which I prefer. Let the juice soak on the stains for a while, then wipe away.

 

If denture cleaner doesn't do it, I use limescale remover, with care and a LOT of rinsing. I also find that a microfibre cloth scrubs it off nicely.

 

Thanks Davey and Bear.

Nuff if you run across any additional info from yours piece, please do share. Much appreciated.

Such great help on this board. Thank you.

 

Hi,
To get crud off of planters I use vaseline. Spread all over the crud and leave for 2 hours. Then fill the planter with warm soapy water and let it sit for an hour then scrub it off.
greg

 

In the book "Sumida according to us" By Karp and Pond, and from my discussions with some experts, there is no way to differentiate by the Ryosai marks because they all shared the same marks. thanks for the info on cleaning!

 

but, remember not to overclean- the patina and age is part of identifying old Sumida vs. that which was made for a short time after the 40s, and gives it it's character!

 

If you've already tried just plain water or water with a little soap, what if you try a little vinegar on a Q-tip rubbed over the scale and see if it will just wipe away. It sort of depends on what the scale is but I'd always go for something small and simple first.

 

I'm embarrassed to admit, this is still sitting in a drawer waiting to be cleaned. As I recall, the hard water marks are really on there. Before I posted the original post, I tried a wet towel and sort of lightly scraping the side with my finger, through the towel so as not to scratch anything, and got a tiny bit off. It was not easy going, and thought, jeez this is going to take me 40 hours or more. (That's when I posted my question.)

When the time comes, I'll begin with less invasive first. Will share the results, unless I destroy the thing.

 

Hope whatever you try works well for you Lucille, this looks like a very neat piece!

 

I know, probably why I'm procrastinating... it is a wonderful piece. I desperately don't want to harm anything.

 

Vinegar would be worth trying, if you haven't. If you think it would be safe, maybe even soaking in a vinegar and water solution?

Just to say how well vinegar can work... When I moved into my current house the shower head had a lot of lime scale clogging the holes where the water came out... I tried all kinds of things like CLR, etc. None worked well. Then I read an idea online about boiling the shower head in a mixture of vinegar and water. It worked - cleaned every bit of the scale away. Of course, boiling your piece is probably not the way to go... but maybe vinegar can help in some way.

 

I had great results with vinegar to remove lime scale in a bathtub. I soaked a scrap of cloth in vinegar, and left it on the area overnight. The deposits came off with a sponge the next morning.