Urushi

[Aces-High]

I have wanted to try making a pen using Urushi for a while. I know it's quite involved, but while I am here in Japan(Tokyo )I thought I would try and pick some Urushi up, but I'm not sure what to get. If anyone is willing to guide me a bit on what to buy while I'm here, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[Lew]

You will probably want to contact Leehljp on this site. He lived in Japan and did quite a bit of work on pens while there. He's very knowledgeable about the subject you're interested in.

 

[darrin1200]

I have wanted to try making a pen using Urushi for a while. I know it's quite involved, but while I am here in Japan(Tokyo )I thought I would try and pick some Urushi up, but I'm not sure what to get. If anyone is willing to guide me a bit on what to buy while I'm here, I would appreciate it.

Thanks,

Jason

If you reach out to Jonathon Brooks at Carolina Pen. He has been playing around with Urushi for a couple of years now and he is very open with advice.

 

[Woodchipper]

Jason, if you buy some Urushi in Japan, what would be required to bring it into the USA?

 

[leehljp]

I didn't use it when in Japan,('85-2010) but did use different lacquers. I agree with contacting Jonathan Brooks to see where he gets his.

Urushi — Carolina Pen Company

www.carolinapencompany.com

I did contemplate giving it a try once but the fear of allergy and then the difficulty of finding an agent to purchase from on the uSA side was very difficult.

Urushi allergy: "A true urushi allergy only affects a very small percentage of the population. If you have an urushi allergy, it will become apparent straight away, just by being in the same room where raw urushi is being used. Symptoms include red, swollen eyes, itchiness, and inflammation."

Since I have a strong allergy to poison oak/ivy and even some "English Ivy" sap, I have been hesitant to using it in the raw form. Once properly cured, it has one of the highest temp and wear resistants of most any other finish.

I do have an appreciation for their Urushi finished plates, bowls and other wood finished with it.

 

[darrin1200]

I didn't use it when in Japan,('85-2010) but did use different lacquers. I agree with contacting Jonathan Brooks to see where he gets his.

Urushi — Carolina Pen Company

www.carolinapencompany.com

I did contemplate giving it a try once but the fear of allergy and then the difficulty of finding an agent to purchase from on the uSA side was very difficult.

Urushi allergy: "A true urushi allergy only affects a very small percentage of the population. If you have an urushi allergy, it will become apparent straight away, just by being in the same room where raw urushi is being used. Symptoms include red, swollen eyes, itchiness, and inflammation."

Since I have a strong allergy to poison oak/ivy and even some "English Ivy" sap, I have been hesitant to using it in the raw form. Once properly cured, it has one of the highest temp and wear resistants of most any other finish.

I do have an appreciation for their Urushi finished plates, bowls and other wood finished with it.

Exactly the same reason I admire from afar. I developed an allergy to poison ivy about just before I left the army. (Lived in the poison ivy capital of Canada). As I understand it, it's the type of allergy that you only get more sensitive to it the more you're exposed to it.

 

[Curly]

manupropria is incredible with urushi. Try a message to him. He might tell you where he buys it in Japan.

https://www.penturners.org/members/manupropria.25197/

Found a source in a thread from a year ago.

Japanese lacquer store Watanabe shoten | 漆芸材料専門店　渡邉商店(渡辺商店)

We sell products of urushi,urushi brushes,paints, abrasives domestic/abroad.

www.urushi-watanabe.net

 

[PreacherJon]

Just remember it is poisonous.

 

[XanderPen]

Just remember it is poisonous.

I can ship you yingruck. It is a rubber based resin chinese furniture wipe on finish. It smells like diesel fuel for a few weeks, then its tough but flexible. We use it to finish rosewood furniture inlayed with abalone inlay.

 

[PreacherJon]

I can ship you yingruck. It is a rubber based resin chinese furniture wipe on finish. It smells like diesel fuel for a few weeks, then its tough but flexible. We use it to finish rosewood furniture inlayed with abalone inlay.

Probably illegal here in the United States.

 

[XanderPen]

Probably illegal here in the United States.

Probably.

 

[Pierre---]

Been there with the same focus. The best place I think is Tsutsumi in Kyoto because the boss speaks English and can spend hours with you giving plenty of explanations, at least he did it with me. There are plenty of others urushi ya (Watanabe in Tokyo for instance), but the language will always be a problem.
But you can buy stuff and ask about it at home with a computer. If I where you, I would consider taking urushi courses: THIS is very difficult to do in Colorado i guess.