I got most of my supplies and have started working with Urushi lacquer. I made a quick pen blank bottom out of ivory colored material so I could see the progress of my lacquering. While rather expensive, this stuff is quite fun. The lacquer itself is a thin, beige, milky liquid. It looks similar to the latex you’d find in milkweed or other common plants. However, as soon as it’s exposed to air it begins to darken. Once applied to the pen body it quickly turns a very, very dark, reddish brown. One layer fully cured produces an almost black color on the body of the pen.
Urushi doesn’t cure in the same way as most lacquers. Most lacquers are gums, resins or other polymers dissolved in a solvent like alcohol or acetone. When these carriers evaporate the solid is left as a hard shell. Urushi has no carrier. It is the sap of a tree that uses water vapor as a catalyst to promote the oxy-polymerization of the organics in the sap. That means you need a warm, humid place for the stuff to cure. I put it in the bathroom for 24 hours after applying each layer. Every time someone takes a shower it helps keep the humidity at the necessary levels. It works great!
I’m trying to be as authentic as possible, so I’m using powdered charcoal to smooth the lacquer between each layer. So far I’ve applied 6 layers. (I’ve actually applied 12 layers but screwed-up after the first six layers.
They didn’t cure properly so I had to remove them with a knife and sand paper.) The effect is a beautiful, dark-pool translucence. Once I have 15 – 25 layers, I’m going to start the decorations. I’m thinking of using egg-shell (rankaku-nuri) and different coloured gold powders (maki-e, kaishitsu-fun and ikakeji) for a cherry blossom effect; but that’s subject to change on a whim.Urushi has a very disconcerting effect on most people’s skin. It contains Urushol. That’s the oil in poison ivy, poison sumac, poison oak, etc that causes allergic reactions in more than ½ the population. I’ve been keeping that in mind as I handle the stuff and wash thoroughly after each session. So far, I’ve had no problems of which I’m aware except one: this stuff has an odd smell. It’s an earthy, botanical smell with sweet/putrid overtones. As you can see, it’s hard to explain. The smell doesn’t bother me, but I think it would bother most. Fortunately, the smell diminishes as the Urushi cures.
An interesting thing about Urushi is that it lightens in color and becomes more transparent as it ages over the years. I’m hoping that this will allow some of the ivory color of the pen blank to come through, eventually.
There’s really nothing much to see at this point except for the deep, dark colour of the lacquer on the pen body. However, I’ll try to get some pictures going in the next few days if you guys are interested. I’ll also keep this thing updated as I progress. Again, assuming interest.
All the best,
Tony.
