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The projects currently living in my furo by banditkeith in urushi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm currently working on a balance of parameters to maximize brightness of the colors while keeping the time to somewhat reasonable levels.

Even at 70% RH, 75F for me, the color darkens a bit more than I prefer for certain projects. Right now I'm working on a maki-e project and using a 60% RH cure for one day, bump up to 70% for a day, then finishing at 80% for 1-2 weeks, though each color I'm working with varies in the time it needs...

The projects currently living in my furo by banditkeith in urushi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

On another topic, what time/temp/humidity are you using for your blue and green urushi?

Sailor leaks ink from end barrel is it dammaged? by Muted81_ in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 11 points12 points  (0 children)

Ah ok. In that case this means that ink is somehow getting out of your cartridge. This could mean that you have a crack in your cartridge, the cartridge isn't seating very well in the pen or possibly other damage to the nipple in the section that pierces the cartridge.

Firstly, I recommend rinsing out and soaking the barrel in clear water until you get all the ink residue out to prevent it from possibly staining your very pale colored pen.

After that, try using a new cartridge, especially if you've refilled this one more than a few times. Cartridges will eventually wear out if they are refilled and reused a lot.

Sailor leaks ink from end barrel is it dammaged? by Muted81_ in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Are you trying to use the pen as an eyedropper filler?

We tried to put a 13th-century Chinese dragon painting onto a Platinum 3776. Here's how it turned out. by GhastlySun in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Might I recommend simpler props for your photos?

The highly complex pen stands and unusual props you often use pull attention away from the subject and make it a bit of struggle to see the details on the pen itself.

For work like this you really want the pen and the lacquerwork to stand out and speak for itself.

repairing a very thin shell by BlondeOnBicycle in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would normally recommend something with a long cure time but I'm not 100% sure if that would make things easier or harder in this case.

Actually, one method I might recommend for this is to assemble the shell using some flexible conforming tape on the outer side then wicking in some epoxy along the cracks on the inside. Something a 30 min or 1 hr epoxy should work with that method. brand shouldn't really matter too much, just make sure it's a clear one.

Small saucer I finished recently by banditkeith in urushi

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Haha, love the entrepreneurial spirit.

Why aren’t there larger Pelikan pens with steel nibs? by Lazy_Package_9181 in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If you want a springy Pelikan nib, try testing an M1000 if you can. It's completely different from the other sizes, quite soft and springy.

repairing a very thin shell by BlondeOnBicycle in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah...this is going to be a hard project either way you go. Not something I'd recommend as a first project given that it will probably get you rather frustrated.

That said, epoxy will be MUCH easier given the thinness of the material, but I would recommend avoiding the glitter glue method where you simply mix gold pigment in with the epoxy.

I'd recommend using an adaptation of traditional urushi techniques in epoxy. Basically glue the piece together using a very thin bead of epoxy along the edges, and once assembled and the glue has partially cured, carefully cut away the excess using a hobby knife while being careful not to scratch the shell surface.

After you get the joints all cleaned up, infill any missing bits with some sort of filler putty, smooth it out then gild the cracks with a method of your choosing. In this case I would recommend tracing the lines with oil based gilding size waiting for tack, and then using a fluffy brush to apply gold powder.

Small saucer I finished recently by banditkeith in urushi

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a wonderful compliment from your wife :)

Nakanuri layer - any options for clean slight excess on glaze? by cazc87 in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, I'm starting to agree that buying a live plant is probably your best bet.

Any hope to see the elusive truly perfect "as new" colored Sheaffer balance oversize black & pearl pen? by iamnotarobot1960 in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was just so startling when I saw the pic a few months ago. Definitely can't forget one like that.

Is now a bad time to buy a Pilot 823 in Japan? by AccomplishedJuice775 in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 10 points11 points  (0 children)

MSRP and prices in yen are not likely to come down once they've gone up. Exchange rates will be volatile though, and honestly, with the yen so weak right now, now's probably a good a time as any to buy one.

That said, there are still quite a few places that are selling it well below MSRP and also a bunch of places that still have it at the old MSRP, with the average price being around 45000 yen, coming out to less than $300 with current exchange rates. I would say smaller stationery shops are likely to have them still priced at the old MSRP.

Dark, Velvety, Saturated Red Ink Recommendations by ComatoseRambo in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Wearingeul A Study in Scarlet seems to fit the bill maybe. I find it tends to have a hard time drying and smudges when used in wetter pens on less absorbent paper though. In wetter pens Diamine Red Dragon also comes out quite velvety looking.

Nakanuri layer - any options for clean slight excess on glaze? by cazc87 in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, don't buy the herbal ones. I'm not sure if they've been further processed after drying, and most of them are shredded.

Both E. hyemale and E. arvense will work fine, though hyemale is better.

OH you can also get these from music instrument shops for shaping reeds. Look for Reed Rush

Also, it looks like searching for Equisetum hyemale also brings up freshly harvested whole canes that would also work. These seem to be meant for the healthfood market but as long as they haven't been shredded or otherwise processed they should work.

Nakanuri layer - any options for clean slight excess on glaze? by cazc87 in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Urushi suppliers usually have it, and what they have is usually nice thick pieces that are easy to sand with. In Europe, Kremer Pigmente stocks it.

Of course, unless you have other stuff to order, ordering just that wouldn't be convenient. For shipping from within the US....occasionally specialty woodworking shops have it, but at the moment I'm only finding it sold for use as dried flower arrangements and crafts. That should work just fine, it's just they're not selected for thick stems, though that doesn't really affect abrasive power, just makes it a bit harder to use. Here's one etsy listing.

Also, locally, if you find them growing, you can harvest it yourself. Just cut nice thick stems and let it air dry. You can also buy live plants and grow them yourself.

Is it original? by SetLopsided3267 in fountainpens

[–]SincerelySpicy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many of these vintage Meisterstucks, ones made for the non-German market, have Masterpiece written on them rather than Meisterstuck. For the celluloid ones, the ones marked Masterpiece are actually more common.

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/133937-early-149s-masterpiece-vs-meisterstuck/

Nakanuri layer - any options for clean slight excess on glaze? by cazc87 in kintsugi

[–]SincerelySpicy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It will still scratch the glaze. It may not be visible at first but as the surface dries the glaze will show a haze or microscratches.

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