[shriphani]

would love to see some pics of your work. Since you seem to know about Japanese craft techniques - do you know what sort of adhesive is used in Japanese gold leaf application? I am not able to use bole or animal hide glue due (vegan) but was curious if the Japanese have some rice-paste based method.

[talkingtab]

Urushi is an adhesive. So for gold leaf the (egg shell) the idea is that you put down urushi, then put the gold leaf on it while it is still not cured. I tried rankaku - egg shell - and you just build up a base coast of lacqure then start placing the egg shell on a new thin, uncured coat. That is after you have prepared the quail egg shells. Then you add thin coats, curing and sanding after each, until the level of the urushi is up to the eggshell. The eggshell leaves U shaped channels with the sides of the U formed by two adjacent pieces of shell and that has to be filled but with thin coats. Sigh.

If you want to try urushi, you can go the hazmat suit method (apron, arm length gloves, etc.) Just have situational awareness. I had a friend who tried this. Her cell phone in her pocket rang and without thinking she reached in with her gloved hand and got it out. The urushi went through the pocket and she got a horrible rash! I just bit the bullet and got the rash.

I am no expert on urushi at all - I dabbled mostly. You can mix urushi with all kinds of things and there are perhaps 250 grades, including the most refined which is clear. Urushi was and is used in sword making. So the answer is out there, but I have not done any for a long time. I sort of remember mixing rice-paste and urushi at one point but I might be making that up.

I raised bronze and copper vessels and was trying to come up with ways to complete them. I found out about Jean Dunand, art deco guy, who decorated vessels with urushi and egg shell among other things. I highly recommend finding a good museum nearby and asking them if they have work and know of anyone who does restoration. Then follow those leads.

There are people out there who know and will share knowledge but I am out of touch. My sense is that many people who are interested in Japanese sword making (Katana) end up knowing about lacquer because it was used for handles.

[throwaway2037]

Did you read about maki-e? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maki-e

    Asian lacquerware, which may be called "true lacquer", are objects coated with the treated, dyed and dried sap of Toxicodendron vernicifluum or related trees, applied in several coats to a base that is usually wood.