White enamel chamber pot

This enamel chamber pot reminds you of the old times when flush toilets were not yet the rule. It is handmade in Austria by Riess Kelomat. The Riess brand, one of their brands, stands for enamel cookware in a wide variety of forms, hand-made in Austria. The Riess family, now in its ninth generation, has been manufacturing kitchenware since 1550, specializing in enamel cookware since 1922.

Porcelain enamel is the combination of glass with metal, firmly bound together in a furnace at 850°C. It is made of natural minerals such as iron, quartz, clay, soda, borax, feldspar and potash as well as very small amounts of metal oxides. Porcelain enamel products are 100% recycable as scrap metal. Their surface is very hard and therefore scratch- and cut-resistant. Their non-porous surface further suppresses bacterial growth and is easy to clean.

Since the surface of enamelware is glass, care should be taken not to knock enamel products against hard objects or surfaces, in which case the enamel surface may break and peel off.

Enamel products have characteristic features that reflect the manufacturing process, such as edges left without enamel coating, seams in the handles (where the base enamel penetrates the surface enamel that gives the product its final color) and uncoated supporting points from which the products are hung to dry or for firing. These are all typical features of enamelware and are not manufacturing defects.

In the early days of enamel production lead was a technically necessary ingrendient that enabled the fusion of glass with the product’s metal base. In the mid-19th century new processes were developed that made the use of lead redundant. For enamel products that are in touch with food the use of lead in their production has long been prohibited by law. Riess observes in their production strict quality criteria as defined by the European Enamel Association.

The manufacturing process at Riess’ production site is CO2-neutral, as they use green energy from their own hydroelectric power plants. They further reuse the waste heat from their furnace to heat their production hall and to dry their products.

The chamber pot's inner diameter is 18.5 cm and its outer diameter 23 cm. Its height is 11.8 cm and it has a handle. The pot’s volume is 2.5 litres. It is suitable for both children and adults.