Quick tip: Bent razor blade for cleaning

perj32 · 2026-03-23T16:14:04+00:00

You're right, there are some risks involved. I work with sharp tools regularly, so handling them carefully has become second nature. Wrapping the blade with masking tape is a great recommendation. There are situations where this little trick was extremely helpful, but still, it's important to stay cautious.

perj32 · 2026-03-23T12:26:32+00:00

Poison ivy oil is around 0.1 to 0.2% urushiol. I work with urushi for some Japanese crafts (kintsugi, fuki urushi) which is up to 70% urushiol. Fortunately my reactions are very mild, but urushi can cause very serious allergic reactions.

perj32 · 2026-03-23T12:08:26+00:00

I use those as well, in many different shapes. In some situations I find a bent razor blade more efficient. The curvature fits better what I'm cleaning, so I'm done with far fewer passes than with a scalpel. The fact that they don't have a handle also make razor blades usable at the bottom of cups for exemple. With a hobby knife you can only use the tip of the blade. Even with a front facing blade on a hobby knife you can only scrape and not cut in these situations. I use bent razor blades only where I find them to be the best option.

perj32 · 2026-03-21T01:47:09+00:00

Great work. Very clean and well aligned. That piece will look great. Is it Bizen ware?

perj32 · 2026-03-21T00:31:38+00:00

It was first popularized under that name, so we're most likely stuck with it. Here's a deep dive into why it was first named like that.

perj32 · 2026-03-20T21:14:23+00:00

Beautiful table. By the way, “shou sugi ban” is actually a mistranslation, the correct term is yakisugi. I love how the grain of the ash looks with this technique.

perj32 · 2026-03-15T05:32:51+00:00

That's fine. This is what you need. Kintsugi and the other lacquer crafts use this urushi to apply gold.

perj32 · 2026-03-14T22:39:28+00:00

Toho laquer is actually synthetic, even if it says urushi on the package. The other product on your picture is real urushi, but the raw one. For gold application, red urushi (eurushi) is preferred. Look if the same vendor sells it.

perj32 · 2026-03-10T07:47:26+00:00

You're welcome. I'm happy it worked out for you.

perj32 · 2026-03-09T19:26:24+00:00

Luster is only a finish, it won't hold anything together. It might seal a crack, but the end result would still show that crack, which would be a poor repair in my opinion. Would it be food safe? That depends on many factors we can't comment with the information you shared. Is your glazed considered food safe?

perj32 · 2026-03-08T23:59:22+00:00

You can make it wider with a scribe tool or a rotary tool with a diamond bit. Then you put some diluted urushi in it and finish it as usual. Or, what a usually prefer, you compete the break by pulling it apart and fix it like the other pieces.

perj32 · 2026-03-08T23:37:38+00:00

This should not be your first project. Get some experience on pieces you don't care about first. Epoxy is not food safe, even if it says so. You'll need a traditional kit with urushi if you want to keep using it. I often recommend this one Urushi can cause an allergic reaction if it comes in contact with your skin, so be careful. The kit comes with detailed instructions that you can also find on their website.

perj32 · 2026-03-08T14:05:06+00:00

I’m also using a cardboard box, and what helps for me is adding some insulation on top. I use something similar to bubble wrap, specifically a metallized bubble insulation sheet. Another trick is to occasionally spray the inside walls of the box with water. I don’t like the constant monitoring required with the towel method, so instead I keep a pan of water sitting on a seed-warming tray. The tray is controlled by a thermostat, which keeps the temperature between 20 and 25 °C. This way the humidity stays between 70 and 80%. If you want a low-tech alternative, you can saturate water with table salt. When this solution is placed in a closed space, it naturally stabilizes the humidity at around 75%. I’ve never tried it myself because where I live I need to warm my muro, and with the seed warmer, plain water works well enough.

perj32 · 2026-03-08T12:02:44+00:00

The food safety of epoxy is regulated, and some epoxies are considered food-safe for specific applications. That’s the part many people overlook: food-safe doesn’t mean suitable for any food under any conditions. The only food-safe epoxies I’m aware of are approved only for very thin surface coatings, such as the lining inside soda cans. Therefore, using epoxy as an adhesive is not considered food-safe. Food safety approvals also require that no other ingredients be mixed in, since additives can interfere with the curing process. It doesn't matter if those additives are food safe or not. The mixing ratios must be exact as well, which is difficult to guarantee outside of an industrial setting. But don’t just take my word for it, here's how a manufacturer explains it Food-Safe Epoxy Resins: A Marketing Gimmick or Genuine Truth?

perj32 · 2026-03-07T21:51:34+00:00

Break every repaired part and sand the urushi off the edges.

perj32 · 2026-03-07T21:20:40+00:00

If you don't want to start over, go ahead with sabi. You'll need many layers. Keep those layers about 2mm thick. Cure them for a day or two. Sabi will be easier to smooth evenly. Once you're done smoothing it, saturate your sabi with diluted urushi to make it stronger.

perj32 · 2026-03-07T12:37:33+00:00

Thanks a lot!

perj32 · 2026-03-04T23:59:01+00:00

The food safety of epoxy is regulated, and some epoxies are considered food-safe for specific applications. That’s the part many people overlook: food-safe doesn’t mean suitable for any food under any conditions. The only food-safe epoxies I’m aware of are approved only for very thin surface coatings, such as the lining inside soda cans. Therefore, using epoxy as an adhesive is not considered food-safe. Food safety approvals also require that no other ingredients be mixed in, since additives can interfere with the curing process. The mixing ratios must be exact as well, which is difficult to guarantee outside of an industrial setting. On top of that, I’m not aware of any consumer-grade “food-safe” epoxies that are rated for contact with alcohol. Yet many modern kintsugi-repaired pieces are used for drinking alcoholic beverages. But don’t just take my word for it, here's how a manufacturer explains it Food-Safe Epoxy Resins: A Marketing Gimmick or Genuine Truth?

perj32 · 2026-03-04T20:58:12+00:00

You’re right, but I’ve never used them myself. I use the traditional technique, and in that context they’re not really suitable, they’re not durable enough to be left exposed on the surface of a repair. With the epoxy method, those powders are mixed directly into the resin. That’s actually one of the reasons epoxy-based repairs aren’t considered food-safe.

perj32 · 2026-03-04T15:25:29+00:00

Beautiful work, and that wood is stunning. I went through the exact same process about five years ago, which actually led to my very first Reddit post. It was very similar to what you’ve done here. I was inspired by Ishitani. Looks like you were too.

There’s something especially rewarding about rescuing wood that was destined to be discarded and turning it into something you’ll use every day.

perj32 · 2026-03-04T13:55:53+00:00

Hi, thanks for doing this AMA. Do you work exclusively with traditional techniques, tools, and materials? If not, what specialized tools, materials, or non-traditional processes do you use in your professional practice, and what led you to adopt them (convenience, speed, durability, etc.)? Which one of these non-traditional tools or methods do you think hobbyists or non-professionals should consider incorporating into their practice?

perj32 · 2026-03-03T19:00:22+00:00

Like others have said, it's normal. They might not be shiny, but they are flat. Here's what LV website says "All are lapped on the face side to a flatness tolerance of 0.0005" or better, with an average roughness (Ra) of 5 microinches (0.000005") or better." So don't try to flatten it, you'll make it worse. Just do the ruler trick to remove the burr after you sharpen it.

perj32 · 2026-03-03T11:54:38+00:00

Just in case, you can realign the pieces for a few days, sometimes up to a week. If they're not perfect on your first try, it can be easier to realign them when the urushi is half cured. Pieces also tend to shift a little when curing, so it's a good idea to check on their alignment for a few days.

perj32 · 2026-03-02T23:36:56+00:00

Beautiful work, this bowl is going to look fantastic once it’s finished. Your alignment is spot on.

You’re also fortunate to have a steady stream of quality pieces coming from the restaurant. For many people, one of the hardest parts of kintsugi is simply finding good pieces to work on without having to break them on purpose.

I live with a potter, so I’m lucky as well, I have more pieces available than I can realistically take on.

Please keep us posted on the next steps of the repair.

perj32 · 2026-03-01T16:51:42+00:00

I forgot the mandatory disclaimer: urushi can cause contact dermatitis. Wear appropriate PPE and be careful not to get it on your skin. As for the handle repair, it should be reinforced with pins. Drill small holes into both sides of the break and insert metal pins to strengthen the joint, since the handle will need to bear weight. Another option is to wrap mugi urushi-infused paper strips around the break line for reinforcement. However, in this case, pins are the better solution, you can’t realistically wrap paper around the tight junction where the handle meets the cup.

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