Manu Propria Pens - Fuki-Urushi

[Manupropria]

I have made a pair of pens from Ebony and Rosewood.
The first picture shows you the pen after grinding, the other pictures after "fuki-urushi".
Fuki-Urushi is a technique used in Japan for sealing wood, especially furniture.
The pure urushi lacquer is transparent but of a yellowish honey color.
Here urushi is rubbed into the surface of wood and wiped off completely with paper, then cured for 24 hours.
This is repeated sevaral times until the pores are closed well.
The color tone of the urushi also intensifies and darkens the color of the wood.
The inside of the pen was sealed also but with a liquid made from urushi and Acetone.
Since urushi is sticky it cannot be used to seal the inside of the pen.

The wooden blanks I have baked by 130 degree celsius for one hour.
The heat makes the wood shrink and presses out the oils.
When taken out of the oven there were oil pearls visible on the surface that could be wiped off.

Enjoy weekend

Martin