News from Chinese lacquer workshop to pen lovers all over the world

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

Hello, We are writing to inform you of the service of our Chinese lacquer workshop.

 

Our workshop named  "Zhizhai".  Our lacquer workshop in Guangdong that introduces traditional Chinese lacquer techniques. At the end of this year, we plan to have a fun project for fountain pen lovers. We are professional lacquer ware craftsmen. Our main works are lacquer ware and furniture, interiors of hotels and luxury cars. From time to time, at the request of a friend, I apply natural lacquer to their private fountain pen.

 

We don't know how to use this site at all. Should I write in this comment section if I have an event for this fountain pen lover? If you know how to effectively inform us of an event, please let us know.

We started Instagram with the help of Japanese friends because of internet regulations in China. Because Chinese lacquer techniques are little known in the world. In the future, we will post many rare Chinese traditional patterns on Instagram. And although they are mainly samples of authentic lacquer ware, we can express the pattern with a fountain pen.

 

This is our Instagram account.

@zhizhai_lacquer

 

This is our website. We have prepared a basic knowledge page for real lacquer. Chinese lacquer culture uses so many colors, all of which are real lacquer.

https://www.zhizhai.shop/

 

We look forward to your support and advice. Thank you very much for your interest in lacquer culture.

 

Zhizhai
Xiao Guan

 

 

[txomsy]

Mmmmh! Sounds interesting.

[Gloucesterman]

Definitely interesting. Please continue to inform us of your progress toward being on the market.

 

I think yo can post information and samples of your work here as long as you do not actually sell items here.

 

Anyone, please correct me if I am wrong about that...

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

12 hours ago, Gloucesterman said:

Definitely interesting. Please continue to inform us of your progress toward being on the market.

 

I think yo can post information and samples of your work here as long as you do not actually sell items here.

 

Anyone, please correct me if I am wrong about that...

 

Dear txomsy, Gloucesterman,

 

Thank you for your comment on the topic of the lesser-known workshop in the world. Are you an expert in this forum? If you are a fountain pen expert, can you help me? I have some consultation with you before the event.

We know that our workshop is lacking in credit because we are not yet known worldwide. We are new to this forum. It can be difficult for you to trust us.

So we`d like to discuss the project with you here first. Which of the following projects plan1 or plan2 do you ask us for?

 

--------------------------------------------------

-Details of the year-end plan-
We will offer high luxury Chinese traditional lacquer  over $ 500 for free. This selection method uses a mechanical lottery.

1. Paint your fountain pen with high-grade lacquer. For expensive fountain pens, remove the nib and mail only the shaft to us to prevent mailing accidents.

2. Apply high-quality lacquer to a Chinese fountain pen with an inexpensive stainless steel nib. We will prepare this cheap fountain pen. And we will give you this special fountain pen.

--------------------------------------------------

 

To be honest, we are full-fledged lacquer craftsmen, so we`d like to paint a desire to apply it to your precious fountain pen. However, there is a risk of mailing your fountain pens in Plan 1.

In other words, We want to know if  "plan1" is attractive to you.

Our workshop has just been announced to the world and we are trying to figure out how to promote it to your culture. We want to make a good project based on your advice. 

 

Best regards,
Zhizhai

[SillySollie]

I would consider plan 1, personally. One of the things that holds me back from spending the money on nice lacquered pens is that I have not had the opportunity to try the pen itself before purchase. There are not any local retailers or pen shows here. 

 

But for a promotional event, if the inexpensive Chinese pens with steel nibs save you money or reduce liability then I think that is still a great opportunity. I would not be afraid to tune a steel nib for myself, especially if the nibs were a replaceable unit. My only concern would be the durability of the parts of the pen under the lacquer. I assume you'd probably want to send a cartridge-converter pen for that reason, so that any functional parts that break are more likely to be replaceable. I would want the pen to last a very long time.

[A Smug Dill]

8 hours ago, Zhizhai_Lacquer said:

To be honest, we are full-fledged lacquer craftsmen, so we`d like to paint a desire to apply it to your precious fountain pen. However, there is a risk of mailing your fountain pens in Plan 1.

 

There is also the risk of not being about to (safely) disassemble the body to remove the clip from the cap. I'd imagine it'd already be a challenge to apply lacquer right up to the edge of the (single or multiple) cap ring(s) precisely, without creating a physical step-down as a result; but not being able to remove the clip would stop you from being able to apply lacquer to that spot where the end of the clip presses against the cap's exterior. Then, even if you're able to remove the clip, you still have to make sure you can put it back after the lacquerwork is done, in a way that does not compromise the cap seal effectiveness (against drying out when the pen is not in use).

 

Consider this ‘precious’ fountain pen, for example:

 

 

I'm not even sure you can apply lacquer to the black part between the metal gripping section and the shiny ‘ears’, without affecting the ability to cap the pen and seal off the nib effectively.

 

So, you'll probably want to be more selective about which ‘precious’ fountain pen models you're prepared to tackle, especially if you're not that familiar with a broad range of pens.

[Karmachanic]

13 minutes ago, A Smug Dill said:

There is also the risk of not being about to (safely) disassemble the body to remove the clip from the cap.

 

Michal disassembles pens for urushi  application; video one and two

 

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

11 hours ago, A Smug Dill said:

 

There is also the risk of not being about to (safely) disassemble the body to remove the clip from the cap. I'd imagine it'd already be a challenge to apply lacquer right up to the edge of the (single or multiple) cap ring(s) precisely, without creating a physical step-down as a result; but not being able to remove the clip would stop you from being able to apply lacquer to that spot where the end of the clip presses against the cap's exterior. Then, even if you're able to remove the clip, you still have to make sure you can put it back after the lacquerwork is done, in a way that does not compromise the cap seal effectiveness (against drying out when the pen is not in use).

 

Consider this ‘precious’ fountain pen, for example:

 

 

I'm not even sure you can apply lacquer to the black part between the metal gripping section and the shiny ‘ears’, without affecting the ability to cap the pen and seal off the nib effectively.

 

So, you'll probably want to be more selective about which ‘precious’ fountain pen models you're prepared to tackle, especially if you're not that familiar with a broad range of pens.

 

We never imagined we would get so many comments. We are really happy.

And thank you for the detailed and kind advice!

 

-About disassembling the pen
As you point out, the lacquering process depends entirely on the structure of the pen. We have experience painting on Montblanc, Pelican, Sailor, Ranga pens  and Chinese fountain pens. However, we have no experience with fine-structured fountain pens like the Lamy 2000 and fountain pens like pilots whose caps cannot be disassembled. In the case of a fountain pen with a shape that is easy for us to paint, it is possible to paint it in consideration of the steps of the clip parts.

 

-About Mr.Michal
We was impressed the person  in the video. Recently he followed our Instagram. We are following him too. We are honored to know him who values lacquer culture.

 

-About the durability of the pen body
Lacquer is a natural sap with a very strong coating film, unlike artificial paints. Even if the pen body is strengthened, it will not deteriorate. Our lacquer does not mix with oil or other impurities, so even if the material of the fountain pen shaft deteriorates after hundreds of years, the lacquer coating will remain.

 

-About the material of the pen
Lacquer acts as a strong adhesive. So if your fountain pen is resin, ebonite or wood, we can do it easily. It is possible to paint even if the material is metal or ceramic, but we do not accept orders because it is different way from our technique. Traditional lacquer crafts are based on wood, paper and cloth.

 

-About Plan 2
We already have permission to collaborate with Ranga pens. We have also obtained permission from other pen makers. They are compatible with attractive western nibs. We will also consider holding an event with this new fountain pen.

 

-About Plan 3
Actually, we also love stationery. We noticed that there are too few lacquer pen trays sold in the world. If we had a free event for lacquer pen trays, would you be happy with the free event for lacquer pen trays?

 

If your promotional event this year make you happy, we will do the same next year. We plan to hold this event in November. By then we will check this topic from time to time. Please continue to let us know if you have a wealth of experience and great suggestions. We will continue to think seriously about what you can enjoy. Thank you for your support.

 

Zhizhai Lacquer
Xiao Guan
https://www.zhizhai.shop/
https://www.instagram.com/zhizhai_lacquer/

[Karmachanic]

27 minutes ago, Zhizhai_Lacquer said:

We already have permission to collaborate with Ranga pens.

 

😁

[A Smug Dill]

On 9/15/2021 at 3:32 PM, Zhizhai_Lacquer said:

In the case of a fountain pen with a shape that is easy for us to paint, it is possible to paint it in consideration of the steps of the clip parts.

 

Be mindful that, at a guess (or in my opinion), if you're asking fountain pen hobbyists to trust you as a little-known and relatively unproven after-market (lacquering) service provider — which is fair enough, as reputation and trust need to start somewhere — to send you their “precious fountain pen”, a likely candidate is the entry-level Platinum #3776 Century model with AS resin body. Now, why would I think that?

 

It is a well-regarded pen, especially for its headline feature of Slip & Seal (which provides excellent cap seal effectiveness), and the relatively large nib for an entry-level gold-nibbed Japanese fountain pen model compared to what Sailor and Pilot offered at the same price point. Furthermore, they use to be relatively cheap to acquire; only the Platinum Vicoh PTL-5000A is cheaper for a (new) gold-nibbed Japanese ‘Big Three’ brands fountain pen with a clip, i.e. excluding desk pens. Its shortcoming, according to some, is that the plastic cap and body feel cheaper in one's hand, compared to say the PMMA resin used by Sailor. (Pilot doesn't state which specific type of resin it uses in the Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 91, etc. but I think it's the same as in the Sailor pens, based on feel.) So it would make sense that someone would want you to paint a Platinum #3776 Century and cover up the plastic, if they're to select a “precious” pen to try out your craftsmanship; and one of the worst things you could do would be damage or compromise the pen's cap such that it loses its sealing effectiveness.

 

Michal had expressly called out how difficult it is to disassemble the cap on a Platinum #3776 Century; effectively, he had to use force to break something, and then glue it back when he was done applying urushi on the cap.

[Karmachanic]

I'd happily trust Zhizhai with my ringless, clipless short Ebonite Ranga Majestic. 😁

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

On 9/15/2021 at 3:04 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

Be mindful that, at a guess (or in my opinion), if you're asking fountain pen hobbyists to trust you as a little-known and relatively unproven after-market (lacquering) service provider — which is fair enough, as reputation and trust need to start somewhere — to send you their “precious fountain pen”, a likely candidate is the entry-level Platinum #3776 Century model with AS resin body. Now, why would I think that?

 

It is a well-regarded pen, especially for its headline feature of Slip & Seal (which provides excellent cap seal effectiveness), and the relatively large nib for an entry-level gold-nibbed Japanese fountain pen model compared to what Sailor and Pilot offered at the same price point. Furthermore, they use to be relatively cheap to acquire; only the Platinum Vicoh PTL-5000A is cheaper for a (new) gold-nibbed Japanese ‘Big Three’ brands fountain pen with a clip, i.e. excluding desk pens. It's shortcoming, according to some, is that the plastic cap and body feel cheaper in one's hand, compared to say the PMMA resin used by Sailor. (Pilot doesn't state which specific type of resin it uses in the Custom 74 and Custom Heritage 91, etc. but I think it's the same as in the Sailor pens, based on feel.) So it would make sense that someone would want you to paint a Platinum #3776 Century and cover up the plastic, if they're to select a “precious” pen to try out your craftsmanship; and one of the worst things you could do would be damage or compromise the pen's cap such that it loses its sealing effectiveness.

 

Michal had expressly called out how difficult it is to disassemble the cap on a Platinum #3776 Century; effectively, he had to use force to break something, and then glue it back when he was done applying urushi on the cap.

 

Your advice really helped us.

 

--to paint a Platinum # 3776 Century-
In fact, we also have a platinum fountain pen as a candidate for this plan. The 3776 has a very good reputation and is one of our favorite fountain pens. And We fully agree with you regarding the feel of the resins of the three major Japanese manufacturers.

 

-one of the worst things
There are many Chinese companies with inadequate management manners during the economic growth period of the 1990s. However, the way of working in China after 2000 is based on Western standards. We understand the delicacy of fountain pen nibs and promise to work with caution.

 

-how difficult it is to disassemble the cap on a Platinum # 3776
Our fountain pen project has more than a few years of experience. We have also painted 3776 in that experience. As Mr.Michal said, disassembling the 3776 cap is so difficult that you have to break the clip. If the 3776 cap was easy to disassemble, But given the problems with this cap, we have to consider other options.

 

-乾漆 platinum3776
We will publish our work in gratitude for your suggestions. This is one of many traditional Chinese lacquers. This fountain pen looks green overall. Please take a closer look at the cap. Fine patterns are scattered here. Next, please take a look at the Main body. Yellow, brown, and gold are conspicuous depending on the part. And the resin fountain pen is hidden in this coating. This fountain pen wears a thick lacquer coating like armor.

 

 

Our Instagram followers are gradually increasing. We would like to thank the readers of the forum.

A smug dill, Thank you for your very sincere proposal.

 

Zhizhai
Xiao Guan

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

 

On 9/15/2021 at 5:56 PM, Karmachanic said:

I'd happily trust Zhizhai with my ringless, clipless short Ebonite Ranga Majestic. 😁

 

 

We have some personal Ranga Pens that we do not sell. But we haven't purchased Ranga`s Majestic series yet. So, if we have the opportunity, we`d like to try lacquering someday.

Clipless, ringless and ebonite fountain pens are a very attractive substrate for lacquer artists😊

 

[A Smug Dill]

37 minutes ago, Zhizhai_Lacquer said:

This is one of many traditional Chinese lacquers. This fountain pen looks green overall. Please take a closer look at the cap. Fine patterns are scattered here. Next, please take a look at the Main body. Yellow, brown, and gold are conspicuous depending on the part. And the resin fountain pen is hidden in this coating. This fountain pen wears a thick lacquer coating like armor.

 

That looks awesome! 👍

[txomsy]

I am glad that your following is growing, it is always nice to have more players in the field, and you work seems interesting and appealing.

On the other hand, I am by no means and expert on the techniques and do not know their limits. I would like to ask what are (in your opinion) the best materials to work with and to get out the best of your technique, as this may provide guidance for would-be customers in choosing a substrate pen.

Is it easy to work on, say metal, wood or resins/plastics? Which of them are easier or better to work with?

 

And a second question, am I right in interpreting that you might consider lacquering other items (other than pens) as well? Some people might feel attracted by the idea of having several items with matching lacquer.

[A Smug Dill]

2 hours ago, txomsy said:

I would like to ask what are (in your opinion) the best materials to work with and to get out the best of your technique, as this may provide guidance for would-be customers in choosing a substrate pen.

Is it easy to work on, say metal, wood or resins/plastics?

 

On 9/15/2021 at 3:32 PM, Zhizhai_Lacquer said:

-About the material of the pen
Lacquer acts as a strong adhesive. So if your fountain pen is resin, ebonite or wood, we can do it easily. It is possible to paint even if the material is metal or ceramic, but we do not accept orders because it is different way from our technique. Traditional lacquer crafts are based on wood, paper and cloth.

 

[Helen350]

Oh my goodness, that lacquer works looks lovely!!!  

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

On 9/18/2021 at 7:43 PM, txomsy said:

I am glad that your following is growing, it is always nice to have more players in the field, and you work seems interesting and appealing.

On the other hand, I am by no means and expert on the techniques and do not know their limits. I would like to ask what are (in your opinion) the best materials to work with and to get out the best of your technique, as this may provide guidance for would-be customers in choosing a substrate pen.

Is it easy to work on, say metal, wood or resins/plastics? Which of them are easier or better to work with?

 

And a second question, am I right in interpreting that you might consider lacquering other items (other than pens) as well? Some people might feel attracted by the idea of having several items with matching lacquer.

Hello txomsy, 

 

I'm sorry for the late reply. We are currently on a business trip Beijing.  We will reply to you after next week.  We are sure to answer your question in detail!

 

We made a $ 100 fountain pen pillow.  The process is more than 10 times that of the Nakaya fountain pen's pillow, but the price is double. And we use high cost sterling silver powder as a whole.

 

Fountain pen enthusiasts may not want this high quality pen pillow of traditional art :-).  But we enjoy making works.

 

Zhizhai

XiaoGuan

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:58 PM, A Smug Dill said:

 

 

Hello A Smug Dill,

 

Thank you so much for responding on our behalf!  We can explain the story of lacquer in more detail.  Because we have all the knowledge of Japanese books and old Chinese books about Lacquer culture and lacquer techniques.  We will write about it on this topic next week.

 

Zhizhai

XiaoGuan

[Zhizhai_Lacquer]

On 9/19/2021 at 5:17 AM, Helen350 said:

Oh my goodness, that lacquer works looks lovely!!!  

Hello Helen 350,

 

We aim to change the current non-traditional, profit-oriented lacquer culture.  Your joy is our joy.  Thank you for your support!

 

Zhizhai

XiaoGuan