Urushi and Cashew Lacquer

[robert raess]

Anyone know where to get either Urushi or Cashew Lacquer in the US? Anyone know of a product that has similar properties,..food safe, dry time , hardness etc; thanks rob

[Harvey Pascoe]

What is your interest in urushi? I am surprised that you even know of urushi, it is an ancient ( and I mean ancient) Japanese product made from a tree bark and widely used to make lacquer boxes up to about the 1930's. What little I know about is that the method of its appication is unbelievably tedious and time consuming. It is very thick and applied in multiple coats that are cured in a special wooden oven over a period of weeks. The finish on urushi lacquer boxes can easily be 1/16" thick. I do not believe that it was ever mass produced and sold outside of Japan. Here is what one user of it has to say:


Tread carefully if you have any sanity left and want to keep it. Yes, I use a urushi finish a couple of times a year. The cost to get into it and the hoops you have to jump through are huge. It took me about 6 months to track down the components and someone who would sell to an outsider. The initial investment was about $500 for the basics. To date I have had more failures than successes and the successes have not brought fame, glory or money. There's nothing quite like an urushi finish but the investment in time, money and materials is very high. As you can see, Urushi lacquer and its techiques are jealously protected by the remaining few who still make those fabulous boxes with price tags of thousands.

[robert raess]

thanks Harvey, for your reply.The sheen,the look.It almost has the appearance of porcelain.I am interested in viable alternative, and have heard of cashew paint. It has that same porcelain look..but again availability is difficult.I have considered tinting Shellac..but it isn't too water resist, in my exp.Lacquer.. ditto. Oil poly,too long to dry.Water poly, have had some good results rubbing it out.Keep me in the loop. thanks Rob

[Harvey Pascoe]

What kind of object are you finishing?

[robert raess]

It is a turned pc, still in the planning stages.I saw a pc. of Jake Antonelli in the AAW mag. Spring 2007 vol. 22.I don't want to mimic his pc., but i do want to learn the process or an alternative.He states that he used cashew paint.I have yet to try 'one shot' paint, that sign painters use.Re. Urushi,the finish looks tight, and thin..like a black french polish.I like to french polish my turned pc.'s, because you stretch the film and it looks tight and thin and uniform. It is also easy to manipulate the sheen.I just don't like shellacs water properties.I have read things contrary to that, but in my exp., it doesn't like water.Rice bowls, and soup bowls, would be my end use. Thanks Rob

[Harvey Pascoe]

I don't know what pc is but you might be interested in this http://www.urushi-kobo.com/process.html
Japanese urushi is not available but Chinese urushi is.

[robert raess]

I don't know what pc is but you might be interested in this http://www.urushi-kobo.com/process.html
Japanese urushi is not available but Chinese urushi is.
Thank you Harvey............pc. is abbreviation for piece. Can't wait to check out the site you sent me Rob

[Harvey Pascoe]

You'll be amazed at how those urushi bowls are made. I happen to have some and they are amazingly thin. They're not merely wood, but an urushi/fabric laminate, which is what gives them their strength. Sort of like fiberglass.