I can’t live without

Whenever you are beginning a new craft, there are a bajillion ways to spend money. Trust me, I’ve been there. You think ‘this is my new thing.’ And dive in headfirst…only to discover that you bit off more than you can chew, and now you have hundreds of pounds/dollars worth of tools and materials that are just sitting there staring at you. Quietly judging you. (I’m looking at you, stone carving chisels) Well, I’m here to offer some help, a few words of wisdom and encouragement. First, a few tips for when you are excited to start something new…

Before you dive in, do a bit of research.

Getting a little taste of something in a class is a perfect way to know if you will love something, but it’s not always a great predictor of how well that activity will fit into your life. So choose the version that best suits you to start with. For instance, modern-hybrid methods of kintsugi like the one we offer workshops in at the studio, is perfect for doing at home. It takes less consideration in terms of tools, and if you have kids or cats bouncing around, less curing time is always a good thing. In addition to that the tools and materials are a less costly investment, so you can discover how much space you have for that new hobby, skill or creative outlet, and try to adjust things accordingly.

2. Step the process

Create little ‘steps’ for yourself to discover how to fit a new skill or craft into your life. Using modern-hybrid kintsugi as an example, you can start with some simple and reasonably inexpensive tools and materials to begin with, and always level-up as you introduce new techniques one-by-one. You might start with just the simplest and easily accessible version of a hera (spatula) and slowly replace your plastic version (usually very inexpensive) with handmade wooden tools. Truly nothing feels more satisfying than having a collection of beautifully hand-made tools, but only if you are truly using them. Here is one of my very favourite HERA that I eventually started to use when traditional repairs became a regular part of my practice.

3. Think about the why

Do you have lots of broken tableware at home that you are hoping to incorporate back into your kitchen as working objects? Do you want the ability to quickly and beautifully repair your plant pots? Each of these uses is perfectly suited to a different repair style. I can help you choose your repair style in our beginners and intermediate workshops, but you can also dive into some research to discover what unique qualities each type of repair (Modern-hybrid, Traditional-hybrid, and long-form traditional) has to offer. Kintsugi practitioners in general have mainly just divided kintsugi into modern and traditional types, which I find a little too broad. This is why I have specified some of these kintsugi repair subsets to help you work your way into more traditional repair styles. Typically, decorative items or pieces that you are happy to give a new life to as a decorative object are great for modern-hybrid or traditional repairs, while objects that are a little more precious and you are happy to invest the time and money into repairing are great for long-form traditional 24kt gold repairs.

Now, without further adieu…

MY TOP 5 TRADITIONAL KINTSUGI MATERIALS

to invest in when you’re starting out

URUSHI LACQUER

The grand-daddy of traditional kintsugi repair materials - urushi is the keystone material of traditional repair. So much effort and love goes into the harvesting of urushi that each drop is precious, and when used skillfully it has a myriad of benefits. I deep dive into the properties of urushi here, but in offering a brief explanation as to why a good quality urushi is important for your beautiful traditional-hybrid or long-form traditional repair, there are broadly three different stages of a traditional kintsugi repair, and urushi appears in all of them. The three stages in short are: 1) assembly or adhesion 2) filling (sabi) and 3) finishing (nakanuri/funmaki). Each of these has a different variation of urushi best suited to the purpose. But the basis of all of these steps is ki urushi, or raw urushi lacquer. Some version of raw harvested and purified ki urushi is the basis for all of the stages of a repair. Having a good quality and fresh ki urushi will make your adhesion, filling and subsequent finishing steps so much simpler. Remember to keep your urushi in the fridge! Urushi is a living diva, and she likes to stay fresh.

MAKI-E BRUSH

So much of what we perceive as a beautiful, flawless gold kintsgui repair line comes from the application of the final layers themselves. So many other steps occur in the weeks prior to this, but it’s the final gold finish that we see, isn’t it? So having a lovely, well-cared for detail brush is essential. There are a handful (maybe less) good quality synthetic versions of these long tapered brushes. Pentel does one, which is quite good, but the best versions are typically crafted from cat or squirel hair ( I know, I know). The good news is that these natural brushes are lovingly crafted by artisans, with a great deal of care put into every step of the fabrication process, so you won’t have to invest in more than one or two if you care for them properly.

CRYSTAL POLISHING STONES

Polishing your repair lines is one of the most essential, and also the most time consuming parts of a repair. Spending the time finishing your lines properly makes all the difference in how your finish will reveal itself in the end. A rough, uneven or bumpy line can result in a wonky finish once metal is applied to your line, and trust me you don’t want this. So spending the time getting your line right is worth it. The very best material for polishing your lines happens to be magnolia charcoal. Regular old binchotan charcoal wont do, as its too hard. Unfortunately, magnolia charcoal is crafted by specialists, and is difficult to get your hands on if you are not in Japan, as it is not allowed to be shipped internationally…this is where polishing stones come in. These come in all different grades, and are used wet, much like charcoal, leaving behind no trace once they are worn down.

SCRIBER

I wasn’t sure that this was going to be included in the list, but after so many mishaps scratching a delicate glazed surface using a diamond file, I realised I needed to give this tool its moment in the sun. At first glance, this unassuming tool looks like a little pen. But instead of an inky tip, it has has a sharp, well-honed mini file tip. Often our ceramics have hairline cracks, and in order to fill and prepare them, you will need to gently scratch along the surface to open up a little bit of the glaze to drop in solvent and urushi if you want to seal it up properly. This is the magic of this tool, it gives you enough control to prepare hairline cracks perfectly for repair. A studio essential.

TIRANTI LEAF SPATULA

These delicate flat metal spatulas are such an MVP in my studio, they would rank in the top 5 if i were choosing overall studio tools. In the context of kintsugi repair, these spatulas are great for shifting around urushi, application, blending flour for mugi urushi, cleaning brushes, and a myriade of other uses. I first got introduced to Tiranti products during my conservation degree, and they are fantastic. The shop used to be located on Warren street, but sadly isn’t around anymore. Luckily, you can find some of thier products online, including these amazing spatulas. They come in a range of sizes, but for my money the tiny ones are the most versatile. Can’t go wrong with size No 46-48.

HONOURABLE MENTION: MURO

As far as studio equipment goes, you will find a MURO or curing cabinet isn’t essential if you are not regularly doing traditional repair projects using urushi lacquer, but damned if it’s not handy to have one. Even a small cabinet dedicated to your projects is handy for a number of reasons. Least of which is the curing process itself. As I have mentioned in our previous post about urushi, you will find that in order to control the humidity, a cabinet or enclosed box of some kind is necessary. a plastic container is not ideal, as plastic will hold too much moisture and won’t breathe the way wood will. In a pinch, cardboard is serviceable for small projects, but if you can find a scrappy wooden cabinet, even a small second-hand one, you will find having a dedicated space to store your repairs will be invaluable. When not using it for curing, it makes a great spot to stash future projects as well.

Most over-rated tool: Fundzutsu

This is a hot take… but since it’s just you and I here, let me tell you the truth. I find this traditional tool to be my least-used item in the beginner’s traditional kit. A fundzutsu, or powder sprinkling tube, usually fabricated from bamboo with a tiny mesh screen fitted over one end, and is used for sprinkling your marufun gold. Nothing wrong with this tool at all, and it’s handy especially when you hone your skills a little bit more. However, for my efforts and money, I tend to find a finishing brush or mawata (silk wadding) to be the most effective tool for sprinkling your finish when starting out with courser gold, silver and bronze.

If you want a deeper introduction to traditional materials and process, make sure to check out our new Intermediate Kintsugi day workshop.

See you next week, when I’ll tackle the 5 most asked kintsugi questions in our repair studio.

Until then…

Love,

T.S.C.

5 Traditional Kintsugi Materials