Kintsugi materials, roiro mikagiko
Roiro migakiko is a fine powder that is mixed with oil to polish graded metal to a final finish. It is finer and more expensive than the other polishing powder, ishiko. You use it with oil and your finger.
Metals that are ground into rounded, coarse particles are available in kintsugi. The graded, coarser metals go from #1–#15. #1 is the finest, #15 is the coarsest. In kintsugi the most common grades are from #1–#5. These metals require a completely different process to finish than the flat grinds of metal called keshifun. The techniques are more akin to makie and require ‘filling’ in or hardening the coarser grains of metal onto the surface and then polishing the surface so it is smooth and shiny. Imagine sand paper to understand what is necessary. If you imagine #2000 grit sandpaper as a #1 grade rounded coarse metal and about #240 grit sandpaper as about a #15 grade you can understand how the metal gets coarser as the #1–#15 gets bigger. It isn’t possible to polish the graded metals as is. You need to fill in between the grains of metal with lacquer to first make a smooth surface and then come back in and then sand down both the lacquer and the tops of the metal to make a very tough and durable metal finish. A properly finished surface of graded metal is very durable. The photos show #3 silver in varying states of application, from applied and ‘hardened’,(the spaces between the grains of metal are filled in with lacquer) to finish polished. The coloring that appears in the unpolished samples is from the lacquer that is used to ‘harden’ the metal to the surface.
Kintsugi materials, brushes
Brushes are essential to a good final kintsugi look. There are several types of brushes for kintsugi. Most lines a medium to fine brush will suffice. Hairline cracks require a very fine brush. All are natural fiber and handmade in Japan. They should be cleaned with vegetable oil and stored with a very thin coating of oil which needs to be removed before use.
Metals that are ground into rounded, coarse particles are available in kintsugi. The graded, coarser metals go from #1–#15. #1 is the finest, #15 is the coarsest. In kintsugi the most common grades are from #1–#5. These metals require a completely different process to finish than keshifun. The techniques are more akin to makie and require ‘filling’ in or hardening the coarser grains of metal onto the surface and then polishing the surface so it is smooth and shiny. Imagine sand paper to understand what is necessary. If you imagine #2000 grit sandpaper as a #1 grade rounded coarse metal and about #240 grit sandpaper as about a #15 grade you can understand how the metal gets coarser as the #1–#15 gets bigger. It isn’t possible to polish the graded metals as is. You need to fill in between the grains of metal with lacquer to first make a smooth surface and then come back in and then sand down both the lacquer and the tops of the metal to make a very tough and durable metal finish. A properly finished surface of graded metal is very durable. The photos show #3 silver in varying states of application, from applied and ‘hardened’,(the spaces between the grains of metal are filled in with lacquer) to finish polished. The coloring that appears in the unpolished samples is from the lacquer that is used to ‘harden’ the metal to the surface.
Kintsugi materials, Ishiko
Ishiko is a type of powdered stone that is mixed with oil to polish graded, marufun metals but not fine, keshifun type powdered metals. It is rougher and cheaper than the other polishing powder, roiromigakiko but won’t give you as fine a polish as roiromigakiko. Ishiko is the 5th. step in the polishing process.
Red lacquer comes in many qualities and is a refined lacquer used as a binding lacquer for metal. The red I sell is triple ball milled.
Red lacquer is a high quality lacquer that can be polished out to a high sheen and dries to a harder, more durable surface than middle lacquers.
Kintsugi materials, mawata Mawata is a silk based, cotton type material. Regular cotton doesn’t have the natural oils that are necessary to keep it from sticking to the metal. You use it to either apply and spread metal on the lacquer or to slightly buff out metal that is already applied to the piece. A single piece should last a long time. If you make a mistake and get wet lacquer on it then it won’t be usable.
There are several steps in kintsugi where you need to either sand down or polish parts of the piece.
The initial use of sanding is after you have either stuck the pieces back together or done any kind of work wherein you have to smooth the seam. You can use either sand paper or specialized whetstone type materials. Sand paper is cheaper for the initial stages but as you fine tune your seams it is easier and more precise to use soft whetstones.
Soft whetstones come in the following meshes, #400 #600 #800 #1000 #1500 #2000 and #3000
There is almost no difference between the different meshes as far as appearance goes so I will just put this one photo up. If you have them you have to write on them the mesh as you won’t be able to tell them apart.
I use the meshes #400-#600-#800 to do only the roughest work on the seams. I never use these meshes on graded metals as they are too rough and will destroy the metal. If you use any of the soft whetstones on unglazed ceramic or directly on rough sabi you will wear them right out and have very little effect. You should use the rougher meshes to smooth out sabi but don’t expect them to last if the surface is very hard and rough.
I use the meshes #1000-#1500 to do the initial polishing of graded metals. Use #1000 delicately since it can rip the metal off the lacquer. The #1500 will shine graded metal to your final state. After that you need to use #2000-#3000 to polish away the scratches from the #1500 and get to almost your final shine.
Note that polishing metal is only for graded metal, not for fine powder. If you polish fine metal it will come off and you will ruin it.
There are many types of metal that are used in kintsugi. This post will talk about the most common grind used which is a fine powder and is called keshifun in Japanese.
This is what is mostly seen in pieces that are done using kintsugi techniques. Keshifun doesn’t need to be polished but it will take a burnishing if you want to. It is more durable if it is polished but that also makes it shinier. I prefer it matte so I usually don’t polish it. It also doesn’t need an overcoat of lacquer. If you apply one it will dampen the shine somewhat. Keshifun is a flat grind. The particles are flat, not round.
There are several types of flat grind gold and silver. Hirame is rounded metal flattened out into a round shape, it comes in grades of #1 to #13 size. Also there is nashiji which is hirame thinned out in to oval, strip shapes, it comes in grades of #1 to #10.
Black lacquer is used over both sabi, (jinoko or tonoko/lacquer mix) and mugiurushi, (flour/lacquer mix) as a layer to give you a smooth finish. Without a middle layer of lacquer it is very difficult to get a smooth enough finish to successfully apply a top layer of lacquer and then metal. Applying a layer of black also hardens up the sabi which is a much nicer surface to sand and shape compared to an uncoated, ‘naked’ layer of sabi. Sabi has a rough surface until it is coated. It is made from jinoko which is a non-plastic type clay so there will always be some grit till it is coated. If you use tonoko to make your sabi it will still have some grit although less than jinoko. There are many types oflacquer, top, middle, and what I call bottom. Middle is not as hard as top lacquer. The lacquer I link to above is a top layer which is a better quality than a middle black.
