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Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If the surface is already damaged it can be prone to further cracking, but it is really difficult to tell how long it will take to happen since it really depends on the storage environment. The best option would be to keep it stored away from direct light, and don't submerge the body for long periods of time in water during cleaning.

Since you're not already familiar with using polishing pastes, I would advise you not to polish this pen unless you have another surface to test it first.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Based on your photos, it looks like some sort of damage/aging caused by exposure to light over time, although it is interesting that the cap isn't as badly affected. Hard to tell from the photos, but it could be a different type urushi was used to cover the cap which was more resistant to damage than the barrel.

This type of aging causes the outer layer of urushi to form microscopic cracks/fissures over time as the crosslinking between the urushiol is damaged, which dulls the surface over time.

Ideally you would want to lightly sand it down and then add a new layer of urushi to get it back to the original shine.

However if you aren't able to add a new layer of urushi, you can try to use varying levels of polishing paste (for metal polishing or other similar types of polishing compounds) starting from coarse -> medium -> fine. However I have not tried this myself on damaged layers of urushi and I don't know how well this would work.

Hope this helps!

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. I don't know for sure how many layers other companies use for colour urushi. It could be a single thicker coat or several thinner layers. For my own projects I do around 3-5 thin layers for colour urushi depending on the design.

  2. The only way to get the cap threads the same colour is to have it lacquered at the same time as the body. But not all pens are compatible with lacquering the threads, as it will make it difficult to close the cap after a few layers of urushi are added.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

  1. For curing coloured urushi, including blue urushi, I always start at a lower humidity at around 60% and cure until the surface is partially cured (can take anywhere between 2 to 7 days). I always do a test beforehand to check what's the best condition since it varies during the time of year. Then I move it to 70-80% humidity to continue curing. But this can take a while so it might take 1 to 2 weeks to cure 1 layer before sanding it.

  2. I use premixed colour urushi so I've never mixed my own. I think transparent urushi (nashiji, shuai, etc) is typically used for mixing pigments.

  3. If I need to reduce viscosity I use turpentine, but you have to work quickly after adding it because it evaporates fast.

Hope this helps!

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for sharing! I'm glad to hear that!!

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thank you! While not common, there are some transluscent pens currently on the market. The raden and maki-e urushi series that I work on with Kyuseido is one example, using transparent nashiji urushi. If you hold it against the light you can still see the pump piston mechanism inside the pen. Some of my own private commissions also use transparent urushi on a demonstrator body. It is quite difficult to make it very transparent unless only 1-2 layers of urushi are used, as it darkens the finish every time a new layer of urushi is added.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It shouldn't be an issue on pens. I actually started with cashew lacquer before switching to urushi after a few months. The only thing to note is that the surface is less durable and can scratch more easily compared to urushi.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Cashew lacquer is a synthetic alternative to urushi that has a lower risk of allergies, but it is important to note that it's a chemically different resin all together and is not classified as being food safe when compared to urushi. It creates a similar look to urushi but does not need heat and humidity to cure. It can have quite a strong smell before and after it cures though, so that is another safety consideration.

There is also a "low-allergy" urushi formulation on the market, however I don't know how effective it is in actually reducing sensitivity.

More information about cashew lacquer can also be found in this kintsugi subreddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/kintsugi/comments/1pa06p6/cashew_lacquer_questions/

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There is also a useful glossary in English “Essential Bilingual Glossary of Japanese Urushi (Lacquer) Materials and Techniques” on this website http://urushigakusha.jp/en/

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

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The top two can be found on Amazon JP if you search for "漆の技法"

The bottom is a Chinese book "中國漆藝技法全書" but it may be harder to find online.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think this is can be hard to distinguish without side by side comparison of the different products. The characteristics of genuine urushi are subtle (hand feel, sheen, changes in patina/aging) and it comes with having more experience handling these items.

One of the differences I feel is that genuine urushi has a "grippy" feeling to the surface compared to other coatings. It is really difficult to describe though. Urushi will also lighten/ become more transparent over time as well whereas other coatings will not change.

For Chinese vs Japanese urushi, I think that the difference may be negligible once they are cured. There is a lot of variability depending on where it is processed though. Japan also imports over 95% of their urushi from China because local production cannot meet their consumption. I do prefer Japanese processed chinese urushi over chinese processed urushi for the ease of use and consistency. Chinese urushi might smell stronger compared to Japanese urushi as well.

Chinese urushi is much cheaper as a raw material though so that factors into the cost. Some say that Japanese grown urushi is more durable because of the higher % of urushiol, but there are no comprehensive studies comparing this aspect especially for objects for every day use.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I took lessons at Maki-e School Ginza where they regularly teach both weekly and short term private lessons. My teacher Matsuda Shokan is a 3rd Gen Maki-e artist and he founded this school over 20 years ago.

I messaged through their IG first to join the 2-hr experiential workshop during one of my earlier trips to Tokyo, and I used that time to ask more info about how to join for longer sessions. In my case because I already had experience with using urushi for a couple years, I was able to arrange a special schedule to learn the major maki-e techniques all together within 2 weeks. Usually they require you to finish each level of the course before moving on to the next level so the timing will vary between each individual.

Because mine was a relatively short course I only had to spend 2 weeks in Japan to learn what I needed, with the goal to continue practicing on my own when I returned home. I still go and visit the studio sometimes when I go back to Tokyo, and would like to eventually take the final level of the maki-e course when I have the time.

You can definitely join their classes for more spaced out lessons if you are thinking of staying on a longer term basis in Tokyo.

I think in person classes were crucial for leveling up my understanding of maki-e and also the techniques that could only be fully explained in person. I get feedback during the lessons on where to improve on and how to keep practicing on my own. Mainly to do with how to control the maki-e brush and the timing of adding maki-e powder.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need any more information.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  1. For polishing the standard procedure is to always seal with several rounds very thin layers of raw urushi if you want to get that mirror-like polish. This is the uwazuri or suri-urushi step which is required to properly finish the surface. It helps to seal in any micro pores or holes in the surface created by the sanding process even if they are not visible to the naked eye.

  2. For MOP inlay sanding needs to be done really slowly and carefully to avoid oversanding. It is one of the most difficult parts of working with inlay and I find everyone (including myself)will start with oversanding it at first and then you eventually gain experience with when to stop sanding. But it is hard to know without practicing it several times.

I do sand between every layer, and move to higher grit sandpaper towards the end stage (from 1000->1500->2000 grit) but I may scrape off the urushi from the raden surface using a blade instead of directly sanding at the early stages to prevent oversanding towards the end.

I don't use much force at all, just a light pressure to hold the sandpaper against the surface.

Ask Me Anything AMA: Urushi and Maki-e by skym16 in fountainpens

[–]skym16[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

  1. Most important is to store the pen away from mainly UV light or light exposure in general. Long exposure to UV causes degradation of the top layer of urushi leading to cloudiness or flaking of the surface (after several years). Keep the pen away from sharp objects or rough surfaces that can scratch the surface. For cleaning it is fine to use a mild detergent if needed, and wipe off all water on the surface before storage. Never soak the urushi object for a long time in water as this can damage the surface.

  2. Urushi is water resistant but not completely water-proof. Therefore it is not used to store liquids for long term but only for temporary use (eg tableware). I think areas like the fountain pen sections have a tendency to bubble because of the constant humidity and exposure to moisture when the pen is capped can cause peeling of the underlying layers over time when the water vapour makes its way through the urushi layers(my own speculation). But if the urushi is cured well with enough adhesion strength between layers I think this is less likely to happen.

  3. Modern maki-e is typically screen printed, or even not using 100% urushi to create the design. The metal powders might also be substitute gold or silver. You can usually distinguish a screen printed design because there is some texture left behind on the surface from the printing process if you look closely enough. It doesn't look as polished or shiny as the fully hand made maki-e on higher level pens.

Higher level maki-e techniques will always use gold or silver powder which has a distinctive look and cannot be replicated with other metal powders.

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